Razorbacks’ skid going wrong way

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ and LSU’s men’s basketball teams have gone in different directions since the Razorbacks upset the No.

19 Tigers, 90-89, on Feb. 2 inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.

Arkansas (14-11, 5-7 Southeastern Conference) looked ready to get on a roll, while LSU (21-4, 11-1) faced a challenging portion of its schedule with road games to Mississippi State

(18-7, 6-6), Kentucky (21-4, 10-2) and Georgia (10-15, 1-11), plus a home game against Auburn (17-8, 6-6).

Instead, Arkansas has struggled while LSU has thrived.

Mississippi State won, 77-67, at Bud Walton Arena on Saturday night to extend the Razorbacks’ losing streak to three games and drop them to 1-3 since they ended the Tigers’ 18-game home winning streak.

LSU is tied with Tennessee (232, 11-1) for the SEC lead thanks to being 4-0 after the Arkansas loss, including a 73-71 victory over No.

5 Kentucky.

Arkansas’ lone victory in its last four games was 69-66 at home over Vanderbilt (9-16, 0-12) — which has lost 13 consecutive games — and the Razorbacks needed a 3-point basket from freshman guard Keyshawn Embery-Simpson with 14.8 seconds left to overcome a 66-64 lead by the Commodores.

The Razorbacks won four consecutive SEC games before losing at South Carolina 77-65 on Feb. 9. They will try to get back on track Wednesday when they play at Auburn (17-8, 6-6) on the road.

“This locker room is definitely going to be able to recover,” said sophomore guard Mason Jones, who led Arkansas with 30 points against Mississippi State. “We’ve been on a losing streak before. To be on a losing streak this late in the year, it’s kind of hard, but our guys are fighters.

“We’re going to wake up and live another day and prepare our bodies and get ready for Auburn. We know we’re still chasing for something, so as long as we keep a positive attitude we’re going to be good.”

“You’re still in the hunt for something and you’ve also got another season, which is the postseason,” said Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson. “So, there is a lot of basketball left.”

The Razorbacks normally could be counted on to dominate at home, but that hasn’t been the case this season.

Arkansas is 10-5 in Bud Walton Arena — including 3-3 in SEC games with losses to Florida (14-11,

6-6) and LSU in overtime in addition to Mississippi State — with home games remaining against Texas A&M (10-14, 3-9), Ole Miss (18-7,

8-4) and Alabama (15-10, 6-6). The Razorbacks had not lost more than four home games in a single season in Anderson’s previous seven years.

Including Anderson’s time at Alabama-Birmingham (51-9), Missouri

(79-11) and Arkansas (110-17), he came into this season with a 240-37 home record, giving him a home winning percentage of 86.6.

“That’s difficult, as it’s something that I’m not used to — and won’t ever get used to,” Anderson said of the home losses. “We’re not going to get used to it.”

Mississippi State used a 23-1 run in the second half to erase a 40-32 Arkansas lead and move ahead, 5541, to take control the game. “I’m just disappointed,” Anderson said. “I thought we had some more efficient minutes in us.”

While Jones matched his career

high with 30 points — he also had 30 against Florida — no other Razorback scored more than eight points against Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs held 6-11 sophomore Daniel Gafford to a season-low eight points. He entered into the game averaging 16.9 points, but he also scored just eight points at South Carolina (13-12, 8-4).

Going against Mississippi State’s 6-11 Abdul Ado, 6-10 Aric Holman and 6-9 Reggie Perry, Gafford shot 2 of 7 from the field.

“He just missed some,” Anderson said. “He’s human. He’s been so good for us.”

Gafford goes into every game as the focal point of the opponent’s scouting report and is constantly double-teamed and sometimes triple-teamed.

“Maybe that’s wearing on him,” Anderson said. “You get pounded, pounded, pounded — the wear and tear sometimes can have an effect.”