Here is my best impression of Hutch. Hopefully I did it right:
arkansas.rivals.com
Arkansas overcame a 16-2 run by West Virginia in the second half Saturday to hold on for a 77-68 victory in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. As usual, the Bob Huggins-coached Mountaineers fought hard, but it was the play of guard Au’Diese Toney that matched West Virginia’s intensity and helped the Hogs prevail.
“Phenomenal, phenomenal defense by Au’Diese,” Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said. “When you have a guy his size playing that position defensively, it’s really changed who we are.”
Toney had a team-high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists during his 39 minutes of play. His individual efficiency rating of 24 was the highest of any player on
the floor.
After securing a 19-point advantage to open up the second half, Arkansas looked like it was going to cruise to an easy victory. The Mountaineers went on the big run, but the Hogs turned up the pressure defensively and began to find success on the offensive end. West Virginia’s run was followed up by a scoring drought that lasted 5:09.
“They chipped away,” Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said. “They hit a couple threes. But we didn’t fold. In the huddle guys were still smiling and focused. They know, if you just get two defensive stops in a row, you can go back on your own run.”
The win continued to solidify Arkansas’ starting-five that has been key during this six-game winning streak. The team has held its opponents to under 40% shooting for all six games.
“I mean, six straight games holding opponents under 40% from the field is kind of unheard of, to be honest with you,” Musselman said. “It’s really a great accomplishment from a defensive standpoint.”
With the win, Arkansas improved to 16-5 overall with a 5-3 record in conference play.
Here are a few other key takeaways from the game…
Williams picks up another double-double
Arkansas forward Jaylin Williams has been on a tear over the past seven games. He has scored double-digits in all seven and he recorded a double-double in five of them. Prior to this stretch, he had just three career games with double-digit points and zero double-doubles.
Williams had four points and four rebounds not even five minutes into the game. He entered halftime with six points and a team-high nine rebounds, setting himself up to easily get the double-double in the second half.
It seemed like Williams was a magnet around the glass tonight. His 15 total rebounds were a career-high.
"Phenomenal,” Musselman said. “14 defensive rebounds against a really physical program that's known for its rebounding. He was phenomenal on the glass tonight. Probably took a career-high in field goals attempted, too. But he was awesome on the defensive backboards."
Musselman was correct on his assumption of Williams’ field goal attempts. His efficiency on the glass did not translate to his shot, as he was just 3-13 from the field. Five of Williams’ 12 points came at the charity stripe.
Notae continues to be undisciplined on defense
Arkansas guard JD Notae — the SEC’s leading scorer — opened the game up with a 3-pointer on the very first possession. He then followed that up with an immediate foul.
At the 16:34 mark in the first half, Notae followed up a made basket with his second foul, forcing Musselman to bench him for the remainder of the half. It was the fourth time in five games that Notae picked up two fouls in the first half. That foul trouble has limited him to an average of less than 10 first-half minutes in those games.
“Obviously when JD went out, there’s concern of who’s going to step up,” Musselman said. “I thought Chris (Lykes) was really, really productive today. He played his minutes extremely well.”
Normally, the loss of Notae for almost 17 minutes would spell trouble for the Hogs, but they managed to enter the halftime locker room with a 38-29 lead. It was the play of Lykes and sophomore guard Davonte Davis that steadied the ship enough to maintain the advantage.
“We all know Devo's a great player,” Williams said. “He's a great defensive player, offensive player. He can manage the game, he can shut down the best player on their team. So when Devo comes in the game, we know that he can handle himself and he can for sure run the team.”
Davis and Lykes combined for 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the game and the two were a combined +10 when they were on the court.
Hogs win at the line in the first half, do just enough in the second
The early loss of Notae in the first half was not a good sign for Arkansas. The whistles were out early and often in the game, and it proved to be very beneficial for the Razorbacks.
Of Arkansas’ 38 first half points, 16 came at the free throw line. The Mountaineers outscored the Hogs on actual field goal attempts — 24 to 22 — but the Hogs scored 11 more points at the line to give themselves the 9-point advantage at the half.
It would be hard to draw up a better start to the second half for the Hogs. They had a slam dunk from forward Trey Wade, an alley-oop to Toney and a scoop-and-score from Notae all before the first media timeout. Williams said the starting five always comes out ready to go.
“To me I think we've just got five on the court that are ready to play, ready to hustle, ready to defend,” Williams said. “We're all unselfish guys, so we go out there and do whatever the team needs.”
Arkansas was slightly more efficient in the second half, but it still took 16 free throw attempts thanks to 14 second half fouls by the Mountaineers. The free throws combined with the domination on the glass went just how the Hogs drew it up.
“If we didn’t rebound, we weren’t going to win — flat out,” Musselman said. “We have all these sheets up and do all this stuff in walkthrough and going through all their offensive sets and their play calls. It really didn’t matter tonight. It was like, ‘You better go rebound or you’re not winning the game.’ I thought defensive boards — we were phenomenal.”
Other tidbits
~ Coming into the game, Williams had a team-high 25 charges drawn. He drew another two Saturday.
~ Toney played against West Virginia twice during his time with Pittsburgh and shot a combined 2-10 from the field, had seven total points and three total rebounds.
~ Gabe Osabuohien is the ninth former Arkansas player to return to Fayetteville with his new team. The Razorbacks are 8-0 in the previous games, including wins over Darious Hall (UCA)
and Ethan Henderson (Texas A&M) this season.
~ Today marked Arkansas' eighth appearance in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. It is now 4-4 in those games, including a 4-0 mark at Bud Walton Arena.
~ Dane Bradshaw was scheduled to be the color analyst for the ESPN2 broadcast of the game, but a last-second switch was made to Joe Kleine, the former Arkansas standout who
played parts of 15 seasons in the NBA.
Up Next
The Razorbacks will hit the road for their second Wednesday evening conference game in a row. They will take on the always dangerous Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.
Georgia is 6-14 on the year with their lone conference victory coming over Alabama this past Tuesday. The Bulldogs will take on SEC East foe Vanderbilt at 5 p.m. today.
Tip off is set for 6 p.m. CT Wednesday and the game will be televised on ESPNU.
BOX SCORE
HawgBeat - Key takeaways, box score from Arkansas' win over West Virginia
HawgBeat provides several key takeaways, tidbits and the box score from Arkansas' win over West Virginia on Saturday.
arkansas.rivals.com
Arkansas overcame a 16-2 run by West Virginia in the second half Saturday to hold on for a 77-68 victory in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. As usual, the Bob Huggins-coached Mountaineers fought hard, but it was the play of guard Au’Diese Toney that matched West Virginia’s intensity and helped the Hogs prevail.
“Phenomenal, phenomenal defense by Au’Diese,” Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said. “When you have a guy his size playing that position defensively, it’s really changed who we are.”
Toney had a team-high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists during his 39 minutes of play. His individual efficiency rating of 24 was the highest of any player on
the floor.
After securing a 19-point advantage to open up the second half, Arkansas looked like it was going to cruise to an easy victory. The Mountaineers went on the big run, but the Hogs turned up the pressure defensively and began to find success on the offensive end. West Virginia’s run was followed up by a scoring drought that lasted 5:09.
“They chipped away,” Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said. “They hit a couple threes. But we didn’t fold. In the huddle guys were still smiling and focused. They know, if you just get two defensive stops in a row, you can go back on your own run.”
The win continued to solidify Arkansas’ starting-five that has been key during this six-game winning streak. The team has held its opponents to under 40% shooting for all six games.
“I mean, six straight games holding opponents under 40% from the field is kind of unheard of, to be honest with you,” Musselman said. “It’s really a great accomplishment from a defensive standpoint.”
With the win, Arkansas improved to 16-5 overall with a 5-3 record in conference play.
Here are a few other key takeaways from the game…
Williams picks up another double-double
Arkansas forward Jaylin Williams has been on a tear over the past seven games. He has scored double-digits in all seven and he recorded a double-double in five of them. Prior to this stretch, he had just three career games with double-digit points and zero double-doubles.
Williams had four points and four rebounds not even five minutes into the game. He entered halftime with six points and a team-high nine rebounds, setting himself up to easily get the double-double in the second half.
It seemed like Williams was a magnet around the glass tonight. His 15 total rebounds were a career-high.
"Phenomenal,” Musselman said. “14 defensive rebounds against a really physical program that's known for its rebounding. He was phenomenal on the glass tonight. Probably took a career-high in field goals attempted, too. But he was awesome on the defensive backboards."
Musselman was correct on his assumption of Williams’ field goal attempts. His efficiency on the glass did not translate to his shot, as he was just 3-13 from the field. Five of Williams’ 12 points came at the charity stripe.
Notae continues to be undisciplined on defense
Arkansas guard JD Notae — the SEC’s leading scorer — opened the game up with a 3-pointer on the very first possession. He then followed that up with an immediate foul.
At the 16:34 mark in the first half, Notae followed up a made basket with his second foul, forcing Musselman to bench him for the remainder of the half. It was the fourth time in five games that Notae picked up two fouls in the first half. That foul trouble has limited him to an average of less than 10 first-half minutes in those games.
“Obviously when JD went out, there’s concern of who’s going to step up,” Musselman said. “I thought Chris (Lykes) was really, really productive today. He played his minutes extremely well.”
Normally, the loss of Notae for almost 17 minutes would spell trouble for the Hogs, but they managed to enter the halftime locker room with a 38-29 lead. It was the play of Lykes and sophomore guard Davonte Davis that steadied the ship enough to maintain the advantage.
“We all know Devo's a great player,” Williams said. “He's a great defensive player, offensive player. He can manage the game, he can shut down the best player on their team. So when Devo comes in the game, we know that he can handle himself and he can for sure run the team.”
Davis and Lykes combined for 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the game and the two were a combined +10 when they were on the court.
Hogs win at the line in the first half, do just enough in the second
The early loss of Notae in the first half was not a good sign for Arkansas. The whistles were out early and often in the game, and it proved to be very beneficial for the Razorbacks.
Of Arkansas’ 38 first half points, 16 came at the free throw line. The Mountaineers outscored the Hogs on actual field goal attempts — 24 to 22 — but the Hogs scored 11 more points at the line to give themselves the 9-point advantage at the half.
It would be hard to draw up a better start to the second half for the Hogs. They had a slam dunk from forward Trey Wade, an alley-oop to Toney and a scoop-and-score from Notae all before the first media timeout. Williams said the starting five always comes out ready to go.
“To me I think we've just got five on the court that are ready to play, ready to hustle, ready to defend,” Williams said. “We're all unselfish guys, so we go out there and do whatever the team needs.”
Arkansas was slightly more efficient in the second half, but it still took 16 free throw attempts thanks to 14 second half fouls by the Mountaineers. The free throws combined with the domination on the glass went just how the Hogs drew it up.
“If we didn’t rebound, we weren’t going to win — flat out,” Musselman said. “We have all these sheets up and do all this stuff in walkthrough and going through all their offensive sets and their play calls. It really didn’t matter tonight. It was like, ‘You better go rebound or you’re not winning the game.’ I thought defensive boards — we were phenomenal.”
Other tidbits
~ Coming into the game, Williams had a team-high 25 charges drawn. He drew another two Saturday.
~ Toney played against West Virginia twice during his time with Pittsburgh and shot a combined 2-10 from the field, had seven total points and three total rebounds.
~ Gabe Osabuohien is the ninth former Arkansas player to return to Fayetteville with his new team. The Razorbacks are 8-0 in the previous games, including wins over Darious Hall (UCA)
and Ethan Henderson (Texas A&M) this season.
~ Today marked Arkansas' eighth appearance in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. It is now 4-4 in those games, including a 4-0 mark at Bud Walton Arena.
~ Dane Bradshaw was scheduled to be the color analyst for the ESPN2 broadcast of the game, but a last-second switch was made to Joe Kleine, the former Arkansas standout who
played parts of 15 seasons in the NBA.
Up Next
The Razorbacks will hit the road for their second Wednesday evening conference game in a row. They will take on the always dangerous Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.
Georgia is 6-14 on the year with their lone conference victory coming over Alabama this past Tuesday. The Bulldogs will take on SEC East foe Vanderbilt at 5 p.m. today.
Tip off is set for 6 p.m. CT Wednesday and the game will be televised on ESPNU.
BOX SCORE
