Another frustrating outcome
Hogs drop fourth in row, and third by one run.
FAYETTEVILLE — Step one in the Arkansas Razorbacks’ handbook for senior night revenge against LSU: Don’t get clobbered on the glass.
The Tigers come to town for today’s 6 p.m. rematch at Walton Arena as one of the SEC’s hardiest rebounding teams. They flexed those muscles in a 79-77 victory over the University of Arkansas on Jan. 8 in Baton Rouge by pounding the Hogs 53-24 on the glass.
“It’s the worst rebounding game I’ve ever been a part of,” Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman said.
LSU shot 40.9% in that game, not a bad road stat for the Hogs. But the Tigers had 23 offensive rebounds, one fewer than Arkansas’ game total, and cashed those in for a 26-0 advantage in second-chance points.
And yet Arkansas guard Isaiah Joe pulled up for a three-point shot in the closing seconds that could have been a game winner. It was blocked by Charles Manning.
“When we were down there it was like a one-possession game,” Arkansas guard Jimmy Whitt said. “You’ve got to think … we got killed on the glass, for sure. So, if we can cut that down by half realistically, we just want to cut it down by half or more, and do the best we can on the glass.
“You think if we can do that, maybe we can turn that one-possession game into our favor.”
Arkansas will honor its seniors, with each of the four taking a different path to senior night.
Whitt signed with the Razorbacks out of Columbia, Mo., transferred to SMU after one season, then came back as a graduate transfer during the summer.
Forward Adrio Bailey is the lone member of the quartet to spend his entire career with Arkansas basketball. Forward Jamario Bell has been on campus for five years, but until this winter they were spent on scholarship with the football team.
Jeantal Cylla transferred in from North Carolina-Wilmington this season and saw the bulk of his action early.
The Razorbacks (18-11, 6-10 SEC) are desperate for a Quadrant 1 win after falling 99-89 at Georgia on Saturday in their worst defensive performance of the season. Arkansas is 2-6 in Quadrant 1 games, with the wins coming on the road at Indiana and Alabama.
LSU (20-9, 11-5), an NCAA Tournament lock by all metrics, has cooled off with a 3-5 mark since its 10-game
winning streak was snapped in a shocking 99-90 loss at Vanderbilt on Feb. 5.
LSU Coach Will Wade spoke of the opportunity the game presents, on top of the chance to sweep the Razorbacks for the second time in his three years.
“It’s an opportunity for a Quad 1 road win, so it would be a big win for us, another feather in the cap,” Wade said. “It would give us a winning road record in the SEC. Finishing 5-4 in the league on the road would be very good.
“It’ll be a tough game. Any time you go up there you’ll face one of the better atmospheres, if not the best atmosphere in our league. We need to hopefully build off of our win against Texas A&M. We have to go out there and guard to give ourselves an opportunity down the stretch.”
The Tigers present one of the deepest rosters in the SEC, led by guards Skylar Mays and Javonte Smart, and a physical front court with sophomores Darius Days and Emmitt Williams and 6-9 freshman Trendon Watford. Mays scored 19 points in the earlier game, while Watford had 21 points and 9 rebounds and drew 8 fouls, and Days had 16 points and 16 rebounds.
“I don’t think we can grow and get stronger between now and Wednesday,” Musselman said when asked how to counteract LSU’s big and active forwards. “[Watford] is a prototypical 3-4 hybrid who creates mismatches. He can put the ball on the deck. He can post up. He’s a great rebounder. He’s physical and he’s tough.
“Days is a difficult matchup because he can knock down threes, and he killed us on the glass. He might have had more rebounds than our whole team. Then Williams is a fantastic player with his second jump and reaction to loose balls. This is, in my opinion, one of the most talented teams in the entire country.”
Wade said the Razorbacks look much better since Joe’s return from an arthroscopic knee procedure three games ago.
“He just looks like the freshest guy on the court,” he said. “I know you don’t want to lose guys, but he’s so fresh. Offensively, everybody knows what he brings with his shooting, but he really helps them out defensively with his energy. When he was out, they gave up 77 points a game and with him they were giving up 64 and some change.”
Mason Jones scored 24 points, Joe had 13 and Whitt hit 9 of 13 shots for 22 points in Baton Rouge.
“Jones is playing at an extremely high level,” Wade said. “He does a great job of drawing fouls. Jimmy Whitt Jr. killed us at our place. He’s the one that really destroyed us.
“You look at their team and Whitt is a prolific scorer from midrange, Joe is a prolific shooter, Jones does it from anywhere, so if all three of those guys go off you’ve got zero chance of beating them.”