Arkansas basketball team hosts second exhibition game
FAYETTEVILLE Playing two strong halves instead of one becomes a prime objective for coach Mike Anderson’s Razorbacks in their second and final exhibition basketball game against a small college opponent tonight.
Arkansas hosts the Division II Southwest Baptist Bearcats of Bolivar, Mo., tipping off at 7 p.m. at Walton Arena.
Last Friday night against Division II Tusculum University, Anderson’s young Razorbacks played an abysmal first half, committing 13 turnovers and hitting but 10-of-28 shots from the field and a “horrendous” 8-of-20 free throws, Anderson said.
They led 30-24 at intermission only because Tusculum turned it over 19 times.
Arkansas cleaned up its ballhandling and shooting in its 66-23 second half completing a 96-47 rout.
“Now you see why I say I have got to have some patience with this group here,” Anderson said during last Friday’s postgame of the Jekyll and Hyde halves.
He seems inclined to be a little less patient if the Hogs bumble at tonight’s outset.
“Can we put two halves together?,” Anderson said during his Thursday press conference. “The other night I thought against Tusculum, we didn't take care of the basketball. So we've got to clean that up. Then of course the free-throw line, we were horrendous. The second half, I thought we settled down and played like we have been practicing for the most part. I want to see a continuation of that second half instead of the first half. Again, see if our guys can come out defensively, rebound and be a little more physical around the basket. Scoring and get into our
defense. Again, this is the last exhibition game and then it's for real after that.”
Anderson said the Hogs came out jittery and didn’t match Tusculum’s initial intensity until asserting themselves in the second half.
Freshman guard and Fort Smith Northside alum Isaiah Joe, hitting 5-of8 3-point shots, led Arkansas against Tusculum with 18 points.
Sophomore 6-11 preseason All-SEC center Daniel Gafford of El Dorado, logging a two-point, one-rebound, eight-minute first half because of foul trouble, responded with an 11 points, eight rebounds, two blocked shots in the second half to finish with 13 points and nine rebounds.
As the Razorbacks’ by far most recognized player, Gafford can expect teams trying to put him in early foul trouble like Tusculum did with Gafford’s unwitting assistance, Anderson said.
“His fouls, I thought they were kind of lazy fouls, really,” Anderson said. “I think some of them were jumping sideways when a guy comes in there. Obviously now, if you’re in that lane, you can jump straight up. With his length at 6-11 jumping straight up, especially within that arc, that plays into his advantage. … I think he probably got one with his hands pushing behind there. It’s important that he understands that.
“We had the head of officials Mark Whitehead came in and talk to our guys for about 15 minutes about the dos and don’ts of what they’re going to be emphasizing this year. I thought that was beneficial to our guys.
“He’s in a different position now, and obviously he’s got to understand the value that he has to our basketball team and just play smarter. I think that’s the biggest key, play smarter. There’s a thin line to play hard and smart, and he’s got to do both.”
Freshman forward Reggie Chaney, carrying much of the first-half load that Gafford couldn’t, finished with a double-double with 13 points and a gamehigh 10 rebounds.
“I thought he came in and was one of those guys playing above the rim, getting offensive rebounds,” Anderson said Thursday. “Gotta get better at the freethrow line. (3-of-7 against Tusculum).”
Razorbacks sophomore point guard Jalen Harris (seven assists) and freshman guard Keyshawn Embery-Simpson both scored 13 each against Tusculum.
Southwest Baptist comes off a 12-17 2017-2018 season.
The Bearcats lost 85-78 in an exhibition game at Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau.
Bearcats coach Clark Sheehy is very familiar with Northwest Arkansas.
He is a 1999 graduate and former star player at John Brown University in Siloam Springs playing for his father, former JBU coach John Sheehy.
Arkansas officially opens its season at 6 p.m. Nov. 9 on ESPN playing the Texas Longhorns at the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas.
The Razorbacks’ first official home game at Walton Arena is 7 p.m. Nov. 12 hosting the University of CaliforniaDavis.