FAYETTEVILLE -- Danny Manning faced Arkansas for the first time as a head coach when his Wake Forest team lost to the Razorbacks 83-53 Wednesday night in Walton Arena, but he knows all about Coach Mike Anderson.
Manning was a Kansas assistant coach for Bill Self during the five seasons Anderson coached Missouri when the teams were Big 12 Conference rivals.
Kansas went 9-1 against Anderson's Tigers, but his final three Missouri teams played in the NCAA Tournament, including a run to the Elite Eight in 2009 with a 31-7 record. The Tigers went 30-5 during the 2011-12 season when Coach Frank Haith -- who replaced Anderson at Missouri and then Manning at Tulsa -- inherited Anderson's roster.
So how does Manning, who also was a star player at Kansas, see Anderson's fourth Arkansas team comparing to his best teams at Missouri?
"I think they're similar," Manning said. "I like this team a little bit better. I don't like anything about Missouri."
Manning said the Razorbacks, who are trying to make Arkansas' first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008, play hard the way Anderson's best Missouri teams did.
"Mike's been here long enough now that they understand the system," Manning said. "They understand what they need to do to make the system work. To me, this is the best team they've had since he's been here."
The Razorbacks were good enough against the Demon Deacons to lead by 35 points with seven minutes left. They put together runs of 20-2 in the first half and 23-2 in the second half.
Arkansas had three dunks on lob passes in the first half, with Jabril Durham assists to Michael Qualls and Jacorey Williams and a Bobby Portis connection to Qualls.
Could Walton Arena be turning into Dunk City?
"We're Dunkville," Arkansas guard Ky Madden said. "We're not going to really fool with Dunk City. Just say Dunkville. That's cool."
Anderson said he includes having fun as one of his keys to winning before every game.
"I like instinctive guys, and I recruit them to showcase their God-given abilities if they can employ it into what we're doing," Anderson said. "So I'm just glad they're catching the alley-oops."
Madden said he wasn't surprised by the 30-point final margin against Wake Forest.
"This is what we prepare for," he said.
Madden led the Razorbacks with 11 points, but five other players scored 10: Portis, Williams, Alandise Harris, Moses Kingsley and Anton Beard.
Williams, Kingsley, Durham, Beard and Manny Watkins helped the Razorbacks outscore Wake Forest 45-21 in bench points.
"I thought if there was a game ball, you give it to our bench," Anderson said.
Watkins scored 2 points and didn't have a field goal attempt, but had 5 steals and 4 rebounds. Durham had 6 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds.
The reserves helped fuel a 15-0 first-half run where the Razorbacks moved from a 10-10 tie to a 25-10 lead to take control of the game.
"They're showing me something," Anderson said. "Who knows? Maybe that's that's the group I should start. They just go out and try to help the team in any way they can. The energy that they bring, it gets contagious."
Manning was part of national championship teams at Kansas as a player (1988) and assistant coach (2008) and has been on 17 NCAA Tournament teams as a player, assistant or head coach. He was asked Wednesday night if he believes the Razorbacks belong there.
"When they play like they did tonight, absolutely," Manning said.
The Razorbacks don't have much time to celebrate pounding Wake Forest because they play Delaware State at 7 tonight in Walton Arena.
"That's nothing," Madden said. "This is basketball. This is what we do. I'd rather play a game than practice, so this is fun."
Sports on 11/21/2014