FAYETTEVILLE — Offense sells tickets and defense wins championships, but why can't they each do both?

Whether or not Arkansas is a championship-caliber team remains to be seen, but there's reason to be excited about the Razorbacks after a record-setting 127-48 win over New Orleans on Monday that tied the largest margin of victory in program history and saw Kelsi Musick's squad score the most points in a single game in school history.

The Razorbacks' new defensive system also had quite the impact. Arkansas turned New Orleans over 51 times and had 69 points off of those turnovers. Had the Hogs shot better than 12-37 (32.4 percent) from beyond the arc, they could've won by 100.

Even when they had a massive lead in the fourth quarter, the Razorbacks continued to employ their press and didn't back down offensively, either.

"Sometimes when you're going through the process, you're going to practice every day and you play our practice team, and they're fast and they're athletic," Musick said. "And sometimes it might not feel like we're being successful, but when you go up against another team, you play for 40 minutes. The bright lights come on, and be able being able to put that on display and to be able to have some success, I think allows them to continue to work hard and buy in and understand that, hey, there's a method to the madness.

"You have to keep pushing, you have to keep working hard. We have to stay disciplined because we are on them. We're on them about little things all the time, whether it's a jump stop on offense or whether it's getting in the passing lane or being in the right spot defensively, so really staying on them and honing in on all the little mistakes, and I think they're starting to see the fruits of their labor, and I think it's going to continue to make them more hungry and help them continue to work hard every day in practice, so we can continue to grow because basketball is a long season."

Musick's first year in Fayetteville was a long one both literally and figuratively. The Razorbacks struggled at times in non-conference play against mid-majors and scratched across only one victory in SEC play.

This year's Arkansas team, however, appears that it will be more fun to watch, if nothing else. But if the Hogs play as well as they did on Monday, they could have a chance to be a team that is a pleasant surprise in the SEC, where they were picked to finish last.

"I hope when everyone checks social media, they do get excited," Musick said. "They check the box score. I hope they have to take a double take, that they're like, 'Man, we want to come watch this team', because they work hard every day. They're laying the foundation in order for us to to get this program rebuilt to where where it should be and where the fans deserve for it to be, and I think that we deserve, we want fans to come out and give us a chance.

"Come watch us, because after you do, you're going to want to come back because we're putting on a good product. They're going to play really hard. We're going to play fast, and it's a fun up tempo game. And you know I know the fans that have been here have been extremely excited, and I think it's just going to continue to grow."

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