Arkansas ready for new meat

FAYETTEVILLE — With the loss of six of the top seven scorers from Arkansas’ 27-9 team last season, there are plenty of job openings for the returning and new Razorbacks.

“I tell them every day they’re auditioning for the show,” Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. “Well, the show’s getting ready to get started.”

The Razorbacks’ regular-season opener isn’t until Nov. 13 against Southern University, but Anderson will get an idea of how his team is progressing when Arkansas plays an exhibition game against Southwestern Oklahoma State at 7 tonight in Walton Arena.

It’s the first time the Razorbacks have taken the court against another team since they lost to North Carolina 87-78 in the NCAA Tournament last year.

“Our guys have really kind of beat up on each other and it almost gets to the point where it gets a little stale,” Anderson said. “It will be kind of refreshing to play somebody other than ourselves and get an idea of the guys more ready to play than others.

“It gives us an opportunity for feedback, and that’s what we want this time of the year.”

Senior guard Anthlon Bell, the team’s leading re-

turning scorer with a 7.9 points per game average last season, said the Razorbacks need to play another team.

“That’s something we’ve been waiting for,” Bell said. “Every day in practice, going against the same people, gets agitating and tempers flare.”

With the Razorbacks down to 10 scholarship players, Anderson said he’s had to pull back at times in practice. He’s looking forward to using his full available roster for a game, especially to play with more intensity on defense.

The White team beat the Red 89-78 in last Sunday’s intrasquad scrimmage and both teams shot better than 50 percent from the field with rosters of seven players that included walk-ons and graduate assistant coach Kikko Haydar.

“We’ll press some and work on our half-court defense as well,” Anderson said. “I want our team to be a multiple defensive team.

“I’m anxious to see when we do press, do we have the rotations? I thought the other night against each other we just didn’t have the manpower to do it for an extended period of time.”

Having lost so many players from last season, expectations are low for the Razorbacks. They’ve been picked to finish between 10th and 13th in the SEC in various preseason polls.

Sophomore forward Trey Thompson said the players can sense the doubt about the team even on campus.

“I feel like we have to play with a chip on our shoulder and show everybody we’re still here,” Thompson said. “Last season is over and we have to build off of it.”

Junior forward Moses Kingsley said the Razorbacks want to start showing tonight that they’re going to continue to play the style Anderson wants.

“Nothing has changed from that,” Kingsley said.

Anderson said Southwestern Oklahoma State, an NCAA Division II team that plays in the Great American Conference, will be fired up to play at Arkansas.

“They’re going to get after our guys,” Anderson said. “They’re going to come in here and play to win.

“They’ve got nothing to lose. They’re not necessarily playing this Arkansas team, they’re playing the Arkansas tradition. They’re playing that team that won 27 games last year.

“We’re going to get everybody’s best shot, and so our guys have got to understand the urgency you’ve got to play with.”