Razorbacks ready for big, bad ’Cats
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After Kentucky beat Arkansas 84-67 at Rupp Arena on Feb. 28, Razorbacks forward Bobby Portis said he wanted another shot at the No. 1 Wildcats.
“I got my wish,” Portis said Saturday with a smile.
The No. 21 Razorbacks (26-7) earned a rematch with Kentucky (33-0) in today’s SEC Tournament championship game by beating Georgia 60-49 in the semifinals at Bridgestone Arena. Kentucky advanced with a 91-67 victory over Auburn.
So why is Portis so eager to play a team that is undefeated with an average winning margin of 21 points?
“Because they whupped us,” Portis said. “We we were down 31 at one point. That was my first time being down 30 here as a Razorback.”
Kentucky led 78-47 before the Razorbacks outscored the Wildcats 20-6 the final 7:39.
“The whupped us on the glass, they beat us in transition,” Portis said. “That’s something that doesn’t happen to us.”
Kentucky shot 48.3 percent from the field (29 of 60) and started 15 of 20 in the second half after leading 42-26 at halftime.
“We didn’t play no defense up there in Kentucky — like none at all,” Arkansas senior forward Alandise Harris said. “They were getting layups, wide-open jumpers, dunks, everything.
“We’ve got to play defense to beat them.”
Portis said he’s confident the Razorbacks can be the first team to beat Kentucky if Arkansas plays well.
“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Portis said. “Just speed the game up and play our style of basketball.”
Arkansas guard Anthon Bell said the Razorbacks were “kind of playing on our heels” at Kentucky.
“Not kind of, we did play on our heels,” Razorbacks guard Michael Qualls said. “We didn’t play tenacious. I believe if we come out and play how we’re capable of playing, then everything else will fall into place.”
Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said the Razorbacks’ game at Kentucky was a valuable learning experience.
“I thought Kentucky did most of the attacking,” Anderson said. “For the first half, it just seemed like it was, ‘Kentucky, do what you want to do.’
“In the second half I thought it was a little bit better, but at the same time, they had the game well in hand.”
Anderson is 4-3 against Kentucky as a head coach at Alabama-Birmingham and Arkansas.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity, but it’s a tremendous challenge to play against the best team in the country,” he said. “We’re going to the championship game, and our guys are going to leave it all out there on the floor.
“I feel we’re a much better team now than when we played Kentucky earlier in the season.”
The Razorbacks shot 37.5 percent from the field at Kentucky (21 of 56) and were 8 of 27 in the first half, including 0 of 9 on three-point attempts.
“When we went to Lexington, we were trying to beat them with offense, and you can’t outscore Kentucky,” Arkansas guard Manny Watkins said. “You’ve got to play defense, and then your offense will come off your defense.
“If we do that, I think we’ll be fine. We’re never going to back down from playing Kentucky.”