Arkansas primed for run
I don’t know what happened to Mike Anderson’s Razorbacks a week ago.
I can only assume they knew I was planning on writing about them. The Hogs were poised to boost their national standing with a primetime road matchup with Houston a week ago. Things did not go as Anderson planned.
The Cougars led 11-0 early, and Arkansas never recovered. The Hogs were held scoreless for almost the first seven minutes of the game and trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half. Houston continued to pour on pressure, extending the lead to 30 points midway through the second half.
The 91-65 final was easily Arkansas’ worst of the season. The only previous blemish on the schedule was an 87-68 loss to No. 10 North Carolina at the
PK80 Invitational tournament in Portland, Ore.
The result seemed to affirm the doubts many have held for Arkansas throughout the preseason and non-conference slate. The Razorbacks received just 17 and 25 points in the Associated Press and coaches’ polls the week prior to their trip to Houston. The loss left them with zero votes in either poll.
Many Southeastern Conference fans will expect Arkansas and everyone else to fall behind Kentucky and Florida each year in preseason polls. Indeed, members of the media favored the Wildcats and Gators once again. The Hogs seemed poised to compete with the perennial powers for the top three spots, but they were not picked third.
They were not picked fourth. They were not picked fifth. The media voted Arkansas as the No. 6 team in the SEC behind Texas A&M, Alabama and Missouri. Doubt looms over this year’s Razorbacks from both inside and outside of the state.
And I don’t get it.
I think this can be Anderson’s best team in Fayetteville. They certainly fit his style more than any squad he has had in his previous six years. The fit is evident in the numbers.
Arkansas has never quite fit the #Fastest40 moniker under Anderson despite all of the right branding, but gone are senior leaders Dusty Hannahs, Moses Kingsley and Manny Watkins. They were significant contributors, for sure.
Hannahs led the Hogs in scoring with 14.4 points per game, and Kingsley clocked in with 12 points in a team-high
27.7 minutes per game. Watkins was always steady on defense, but he found his shot in his senior season. He shot 56 percent from the floor and 46 percent on 2 3-pointers.
They also least fit Anderson’s up-tempo style. In to take many of their minutes are C.J. Jones, Daniel Gafford and Darious Hall. Arkansas’ lineup is longer, taller and faster than last year and maybe moreso than at any point under Anderson. And it is showing.
The Hogs averaged 86 points per game through their first eight games last season while giving up 69.75 points per contest. Those numbers were compiled against a modest schedule highlighted by a road loss at Minnesota and a home win over Houston.
Arkansas is averaging 92.88 points per game so far this season with early season matchups against Oklahoma, North Carolina, UConn and Houston. They are playing faster and scoring more while surrendering slightly fewer points at 69.13 per game.
The amount of doubt around the team is pretty strange. Arkansas fans seem skittish of hype, almost afraid to be excited about a team. Doubt from outside observers is less understandable.
Junior college transfers regularly take a significant step forward in their second year. The fact is made more important when now senior guards Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon
were so important to Arkansas’ success a year ago.
Many seem to forget Macon shot the same 38.7 percent from 3-point range as Hannahs, renowned for his precision from distance. Hannahs just shot 23 more 3-pointers over the course of the season. Macon is now averaging 14.6 points per game in 28.9 minutes.
Barford has made an even more marked improvement. His output has increased from 12.8 points per game last season to 19.6 in eight games this year. An increase from 26.6 percent shooting on 3-pointers to 46.2 percent has only made him an even more efficient scorer.
Gafford has blossomed sooner than anyone expected. His 12 points per game trails only Barford and Macon despite ranking only seventh in minutes played. The true freshman also leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.
Jones rounds out the five Razorbacks averaging double figures. Games of 12, 19, 11 and 19 points in his last four outings have increased his scoring average to 10.8 for the season.
Arkansas has more chances in the coming weeks to prove their case. A home win tonight against No. 14 Minnesota would another step in the right direction.