in a game where Qualls was out of control at times, Madden was not good, and BP was absolutely dreadful at both ends most of the game (yes, he did grab 12 boards). So, how about the contributions of Bell, Babb, Jacorey, Moses, and Manny? That group combined for 23 points in a low, low scoring game, each played at least 10 minutes or more (after Bell was the only Hog yesterday to get at least 10 minutes of playing time off the bench), and each did a bit more than score today. More on the bench in a bit, but first ...
* Arkansas is playing with house money now. Their RPI jumped to No. 19 after the win today, so you've got to feel good about our chances to end up a 5-seed. Beat KY, and we'll leapfrog to a 4-seed. Win or lose, these are the kinds of games Arkansas should be playing in -- games with national relevance and title implications.
* Razorbacks are 12-6 against the RPI Top 100, including 4-2 against the RPI Top 50.
* Arkansas finished 15-4 against SEC teams not named KY, including 5-2 against the top half of the SEC not including KY. There can be no denying now which team is next best in the SEC after the juggernaut Kentucky Wildcats.
* Hogs are now 9-5 (65%) in all games played away from home, 8-3 (73%) in SEC games played away from home, and 3-2 (60%) against the RPI Top 50 in games played away from home.
* Now, back to the bench play today ... first, let's talk about Bell. One of only two Hogs in double figures today with 10 points (on 4-of-9 shooting), but he also had 2 big steals, giving him 5 steals now in the SECT in just 2 games. He scored all 6 of our bench points yesterday, and given the way he's played since moving to the bench back in January, he's been a real asset and a nice piece to the puzzle playing with the second unit.
* And Babb ... I've been begging for him to start getting meaningful playing time and minutes, he gets it today in both halves of a tight, ugly game, and he was the key to us opening up a 1-possession game to an 8-point halftime lead. Finished with 5 points and 3 assists with ZERO turnovers.
* Moses had a nice game today, was much more disruptive defensively inside than BP was, and he contributed 2 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 big blocked shots.
* Manny with only 2 points and 1 rebound, but he did a good job defensively of running GA's guards off the 3-point line and forcing them to pass.
* Jacorey Williams had a nice 3-4 minute stretch in the 2nd half when he rebounded, finished shots, and his hustle kept a couple of balls alive that other Hogs tracked down. Decent 2nd half for JW after a bad first half, and he finished with 4 points (on 2-of-3 FGs), 3 rebounds, and 1 assist.
* Team MVP so far through the first two SECT games is Alandise Harris. He's averaging 11.0 points on 8-of-14 FGs and 6-of-7 FTs, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal, and 2.0 blocks. Today, he was our most physical presence at both ends, and with BP being a non-factor at both ends most of the game, we needed a tough effort from somebody.
* BP entered the game needing 3 points to reach 1,000 in his young career, and he scored 4 to get there, albeit on 1-of-14 FGs and 2-of-3 FTs. He did pull down 12 rebounds -- 8 in the 2nd half -- to move into 15th all-time at the UA with 522 rebounds. He's stuck on 102 career blocks, and still needs 2 more to move into 10th place all-time at Arkansas.
* Qualls was sloppy today, but still fought for 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist. I thought he got mugged numerous times today at both ends, but few whistles.
This post was edited on 3/14 5:36 PM by Sir Dennis Eeatin-Hog
* Arkansas is playing with house money now. Their RPI jumped to No. 19 after the win today, so you've got to feel good about our chances to end up a 5-seed. Beat KY, and we'll leapfrog to a 4-seed. Win or lose, these are the kinds of games Arkansas should be playing in -- games with national relevance and title implications.
* Razorbacks are 12-6 against the RPI Top 100, including 4-2 against the RPI Top 50.
* Arkansas finished 15-4 against SEC teams not named KY, including 5-2 against the top half of the SEC not including KY. There can be no denying now which team is next best in the SEC after the juggernaut Kentucky Wildcats.
* Hogs are now 9-5 (65%) in all games played away from home, 8-3 (73%) in SEC games played away from home, and 3-2 (60%) against the RPI Top 50 in games played away from home.
* Now, back to the bench play today ... first, let's talk about Bell. One of only two Hogs in double figures today with 10 points (on 4-of-9 shooting), but he also had 2 big steals, giving him 5 steals now in the SECT in just 2 games. He scored all 6 of our bench points yesterday, and given the way he's played since moving to the bench back in January, he's been a real asset and a nice piece to the puzzle playing with the second unit.
* And Babb ... I've been begging for him to start getting meaningful playing time and minutes, he gets it today in both halves of a tight, ugly game, and he was the key to us opening up a 1-possession game to an 8-point halftime lead. Finished with 5 points and 3 assists with ZERO turnovers.
* Moses had a nice game today, was much more disruptive defensively inside than BP was, and he contributed 2 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 big blocked shots.
* Manny with only 2 points and 1 rebound, but he did a good job defensively of running GA's guards off the 3-point line and forcing them to pass.
* Jacorey Williams had a nice 3-4 minute stretch in the 2nd half when he rebounded, finished shots, and his hustle kept a couple of balls alive that other Hogs tracked down. Decent 2nd half for JW after a bad first half, and he finished with 4 points (on 2-of-3 FGs), 3 rebounds, and 1 assist.
* Team MVP so far through the first two SECT games is Alandise Harris. He's averaging 11.0 points on 8-of-14 FGs and 6-of-7 FTs, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal, and 2.0 blocks. Today, he was our most physical presence at both ends, and with BP being a non-factor at both ends most of the game, we needed a tough effort from somebody.
* BP entered the game needing 3 points to reach 1,000 in his young career, and he scored 4 to get there, albeit on 1-of-14 FGs and 2-of-3 FTs. He did pull down 12 rebounds -- 8 in the 2nd half -- to move into 15th all-time at the UA with 522 rebounds. He's stuck on 102 career blocks, and still needs 2 more to move into 10th place all-time at Arkansas.
* Qualls was sloppy today, but still fought for 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist. I thought he got mugged numerous times today at both ends, but few whistles.
This post was edited on 3/14 5:36 PM by Sir Dennis Eeatin-Hog
