Anderson recaps Spain, announces UA schedule

NATE ALLEN

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Mike Anderson’ post-mortem of his basketball team’s recent four-game tour of Spain coincided with the Razorbacks releasing the nonconference portion of their 20162017 nonconference basketball schedule.

After exhibition games at Walton Arena on Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 against Central Missouri State and Emporia (Kan.) State, the Razorbacks officially open their season Nov. 11 against Fort Wayne, formerly Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne.

For their pre-Southeastern Conference schedule, the Razorbacks also play Southern Illinois, Nov. 14 and Texas-Arlington, Nov. 18, and Mount St. Mary’s on Nov. 28, all at Walton Arena.

Other nonconference games at Walton are Dec. 1 vs. Stephen F. Austin, Dec. 3 vs. Austin Peay, Dec. 6 vs. Houston, Dec. 10 vs. North Florida and Dec. 20 at North Dakota State. The Razorbacks’ annual game at Verizona Arena in North Little Rock is Dec. 22 against Sam Houston State.

On the nonconference road the Razorbacks visit Minnesota Nov. 22, play Texas Dec. 17 in Houston and venture to Oklahoma State Jan. 28 for the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

Old Southwest Conference rivals Texas and Houston, tradition rich Oklahoma State and a Big Ten team like Minnesota would be highlights of any Arkansas basketball schedule, but Anderson said the so-called mid-majors on the schedule show some tough teams that won 20-plus games and extended their seasons beyond the conference-tournament postseason.

““When you are talking about Texas and Houston, it is kind of reuniting some series there when we were in the Southwest Conference,” Anderson said of of the 1985-1990 portion of his 17-years assisting former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson. “Going to Minnesota and then you look at the teams - Fort Wayne, don’t look at the name of the team and think they are not good. Those teams are really, really good.

“When you look at the RPI and what those teams did in the previous year, they are pretty strong. Stephen F. Austin, North Florida. It is a challenging schedule for this basketball team.”

Anderson, with eight newcomers on a squad rebuilding from last season’s 16-16 fall from the 27-9 team of 2014-2015, says the 3-1 trip to Spain and the 10 practices at Walton Arena preceding the August trip will help prepare his Hogs for the challenging slate.

Anderson and seniors Manny Watkins, Moses Kingsley and Dusty Hannahs said losing the first game in Spain attempting 10 free throws to the Madrid’s team 43 prepared them for life on the SEC road.

“It was pretty crazy,” Hannahs said. “But away games in the SEC are going to be like that. They are going to give us nothing and give them every call at Alabama or wherever you are playing and we have to be able to fight through it. We didn’t play well and they did.”

Kingsley remarked, “We got hit in the mouth and tried (a furious rally falling short) to fight back at the end but we couldn’t. It was a learning experience for all of us that we can’t come out like that against anybody.”

The Razorbacks won their handily.

“We came out flat and really didn’t play very well and they beat us,” Watkins said. “We played hard the rest of those games and got it figured out from there.” last three

Todd Gadberry, Mountain Harbor Resort, said are still fair on Texas-rigged worms, pig-n-jigs and buzzbaits with brush piles on main lake and secondary points producing best results when fished with Texas-rigged plastics or jigs. Drop-shot finesse worms are working well for are excellent caught trolling shallow-running crankbaits and jigging CC spoons. are fair to good on live bait in central and east area. are good on crickets, maggots and redworms worked 20-25 feet deep. are fair on minnows or crappie jigs around 25-30 feet deep near brush. are fair to good on nightcrawlers, trotline minnows or hot dogs 15-20 feet deep.

78-84 degrees, muddy, 575.51 feet msl (full pool 578 feet msl).

Shane Goodner, Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that water temperature is 64 degrees below Carpenter Dam, rising to 67 degrees below the bridge. Clear conditions exist in the tailrace. Recent heavy rainfall has caused Entergy to schedule heavy generation below Carpenter Dam to keep area lakes at normal pool. Flood gates also have been opened to aid in this effort. Until normal conditions return, anyone navigating the tailrace should use extreme caution and only when the flood gates are closed.

The few left are extremely wary and quite difficult to catch. Although thousands of threadfin shad have migrated into the tailrace in search of cooler water to spawn, few

or have moved in to feed on the baitfish. No topwater activity has been observed and few bass caught in the past week. No or

have been taken the swift conditions. in

Local angler George Graves said fishing is only fair with a few decent catches reported in early morning at midlake and toward the lower end. Look for schooling fish in big coves between points 2 and 4 and also around Alpine Ridge and Yancey Creek. Use surface plugs, flukes and 4-inch swimbaits, preferably in a natural shad pattern. John Duncan with yoyguideservice.com said

can be caught from Point Cedar through midlake fishing inside structure (tight line) with live minnows.

fishing is fair in deep water in the Iron Mountain area and around the dam. Using sonar, look for fish suspended about 50 feet in 100-130 feet of water, dropping a heavy jigging spoon just above them. fishing is slow. A few have been reported at night on noodles in major creeks such as Big Hill and Brushy; bait with hot dogs, cut shad, night crawlers or some preferred stink bait.

low 80s, clear except for stained section in upper reaches, 406.51 feet msl (flood pool 408 feet msl).