Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Mark still making impact for Hogs
FAYETTEVILLE — Displaced stars usually flicker and fade like old light bulbs.
Arkansas scoring leader Tramon Mark shines on even in a subordinate scoring role to Hogs’ hot hand Khalif Battle. Graduate transfer guard Battle not only is Arkansas’ hottest hand but the hottest in college basketball.
Heading into the Razorbacks’ ESPN televised 11 a.m. SEC regular-season finale today at Alabama, For his past four games, Battle has scored 42, 36, 34 and 29 points with 88-73 and 94-83 victories over Missouri and LSU, bookending 85-82 and 111-102 losses to Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
Nobody in the SEC has assembled four consecutive bonanzas like Battle’s since the late Pete Maravich averaged 43.8, 44.2 and 44.5 points for LSU from 1967-1970.
Mark, the 6-6 junior transfer guard via the University of Houston, and still Arkansas’ overall scoring leader averaging 16.8 points for his 28 games, could have reacted like the old Maytag Repairman with nothing to do while Battle assumed center stage.
Instead he’s doing more than ever.
“T. Mark is playing a little more point than he had earlier in the year,” Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman said. “And had five assists and El Ellis who plays the point when he’s in had four assists. So that’s nine assists between those guys. So certainly sharing the ball. The ball’s moving. The ball is popping.”
And though not with the dramatics of his early SEC season game-winning shot over Texas A&M, Mark makes it pop.
Starting with Mizzou, these past four games Mark dished three assists without a turnover, blocked a shot and scored 10 points. Against Vanderbilt, though shooting 3 for 11 and matching two assists with two turnovers, Mark still scored 15 with 8 for 8 free throws, blocked a shot and bagged six rebounds,
Against Kentucky, Mark scored 23 points, dished 3 assists, and nabbed 4 steals.
Mark vs. LSU only scored nine points, just 2 of 8 from the field with zilch for three on threes, yet it’s the performance Musselman treasured most. Mark’s 11 plus/minus was exceeded only by Battle’s 12. Mark dealt 5 assists vs. 3 turnovers, blocked 2 shots and gathered 8 rebounds tying for team lead with 6-10 center Makhi Mitchell. Guards El Ellis (6 rebounds), Jeremiah Davenport (5) and Battle (4) also cleaned the boards.
“We certainly needed our guards to rebound the basketball, and they did a great job of that, Musselman said.
Mark’s 6-6 height points another plus.
“He’s got advantages because he can see over the defense with his length and his size,” Musselman said of Mark on point post LSU. “I thought he did a good job of taking what the defense gave him. He didn’t force any shots. He only had eight field goals attempted, which is probably close to a season low, but he did a great job with his decision-making tonight.”
And when opponents start gearing their entire defenses to battling Battle, Tramon still has those shots to make his Mark.