Arkansas basketball's (17-11, 6-9 SEC) latest injury bug didn't come back to bite it in Wednesday evening's 86-81 (OT) win over the Texas Longhorns thanks to gritty performances up and down the rotation.
With leading scorer Adou Theiro out due to a knee hyperextension suffered vs. Missouri on Feb. 22 and freshman point guard Boogie Fland still sidelined, all five Razorback starters scored double-digit points and two others contributed on the box sheet.
"We really thought it’d be a multitude of guys, and it was," associate head coach Kenny Payne said postgame. "I thought (Trevon Brazile) did an unbelievable job of bringing us energy. Rebounding, made a couple of threes. His defense was pretty good.
"To get 12 (points) and eight (rebounds) from him was special. I thought Jonas (Aidoo), to make those last two free throws, sort of shocked me but he stepped up and he made them, and we needed that from him, and that was great to have."
Along with Aidoo's eight points and Brazile's 12, Zvonimir Ivisic (18), DJ Wagner (16), Johnell Davis (14), Karter Knox (12) and Billy Richmond III (8) all rounded out a strong seven-man rotation for the Hoop Hogs.
"I thought Coach (John Calipari) did a great job of subbing," Payne said. "It’s not a big adjustment. Cal is a believer that, ‘Okay, I got seven. You seven should be really happy because you’re not coming out of the game. You all have to play and contribute.’ So, that’s our philosophy, that’s his philosophy, and I thought every guy that came into the game gave us positive energy, they produced."
Other than Davis' four fouls, Arkansas managed to avoid an abundance of foul trouble and got the most out of its substitutions when they occurred. According to Aidoo, Calipari handled the rotations well throughout the game.
"There (were) people tired, but you had to push through," Aidoo said postgame. "It's hard playing with seven guys and we (were) going into overtime too. So everybody was kind of all over the place when it comes to the rotation, but everybody played well, everybody played their part."
With no timetable set for either Thiero or Fland's return to the team, learning how to grind out games with a shorter bench will be key for Arkansas as it pushes for an NCAA Tournament bid. It isn't an ideal situation, but overcoming the obstacles will only help the Razorbacks in postseason play.
"We have good players that want to win, that want to do the right things," Payne said. "They're young. I think Coach talked about, yesterday in our staff meeting, we're one of the youngest teams in this conference. There's something to say about that. Guys are learning about themselves, like I said from the beginning, the way we started this season to where we are now, these young men are not the same.
"They've learned a lot, they've overcame a lot and we need all of them to contribute in a way that helps us win. It helps us be the type of team that we brought them here to be. And you learn that through adversity, and we've been through some of that."
Up next, Arkansas will travel to Columbia, South Carolina, to face the Gamecocks on Saturday. Tip off for that game is set for noon CT and it will air on the SEC Network.
