FAYETTEVILLE -- Last Monday night the Arkansas Razorbacks' defense never rested while pleading their case to extend their Christmas break.
So the judge, Coach Mike Anderson, ruled on their behalf minutes before sending them home for a brief holiday following their defensively oriented 84-54 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
"We were practicing at 7 o'clock Christmas night," Anderson said after the game. "They talked me into another hour, so I told them we would practice at 8 o'clock Christmas night. I am not a total Scrooge."
Anderson will have them back at it Christmas night in preparation for Sunday's 2:30 p.m. game with Northwestern (La.) State at Walton Arena and in hopes of staying in rhythm for the SEC season, which tips off Jan. 6 at Georgia.
Bobby Portis of Little Rock and Michael Qualls of Shreveport, Arkansas' stars Monday night, appreciate the brief Christmas break and appreciate the fact that it must be brief.
"Going into conference time when it gets real, you either go down or you play better," Qualls said as Portis nodded in agreement. "There is no even keel. You go into conference, you either get better or a little gets taken away. So just enjoy the break and get back after it on Christmas."
Anderson allowed the extra hour for those traveling from home Christmas Day because his Hogs had just played a complete defensive game. Arkansas led the first half 35-24 despite hitting just 13 of 33 shots, then ran away with a 49-30 second half as its offense hit its stride.
The second half was "what I was looking for," Anderson said.
But it was the first half, when Arkansas led by 11 almost entirely because of its defensive play, that reinforced what the Hogs (9-2) had learned the hard way in losses at Iowa State and at Clemson.
"Sometimes when you don't make shots, you let things happen on the defensive end of the ball, but we didn't," Anderson said. "Our defense continued to be strong throughout the whole game. We gave up 24 points in the first half. That's playing pretty good defense while scoring 35. In the second half we scored 49 points.
"Get after it defensively, and eventually your offense is going to kick in."
It was a performance Anderson appreciated going into the Christmas break. He appreciates even more that the team's pats on the back apparently ended with the final horn.
The Hogs learned that one the hard way, too. They soared from being unranked to 6-0 and No. 18 in the country before Iowa State and Clemson exiled them to an oblivion that only a strong SEC season can rescue.
"I felt like everybody got complacent with the rankings that we had," Qualls said. "Then Iowa State and Clemson left a bad taste in our mouths. We lost because of defense. Ever since then everybody came together and bought in and said, 'Man, that's not going to happen anymore.' "
Portis vows likewise.
"We have got the edge, that chip on our shoulder, back," Portis said.
.
Sports on 12/24/2014