DALLAS -- SMU Coach Larry Brown may never call the Hogs, but he sure sounds like an Arkansas fan.
"I just love the way they play," Brown said Tuesday after the No. 25 Razorbacks beat SMU 78-72. "I think when you play with great effort every night, that's a credit to the kids and the program.
Up next
NO. 25 ARKANSAS VS. NORTH TEXAS
WHEN 8 pm. Friday
WHERE Walton Arena, Fayetteville
RECORDS Arkansas 4-0, North Texas 3-1
TV SEC Network
"They're so committed to playing the way the coach wants. They've very unselfish, and I don't think he has to beg them to play hard. That's a culture at Arkansas."
Brown, the only coach to win an NCAA championship and NBA title, praised how Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson handles his bench. Razorbacks' reserves have outscored opposing benches by a combined 126-80 through four games, including a 24-19 edge against SMU.
"I love a coach that isn't afraid to reward his bench," Brown said. "Mike will put anybody in, and they all play the same way. They've got everything."
Guard Nick Babb, a freshman from Arlington, Texas, played three minutes Tuesday. Brown said that's a testament to how many players Anderson can turn to for help.
"We recruited Nick Babb. He's a quality kid, and he didn't even get in," Brown said. "They put him in just so his family could see him."
Anderson, who has a 63-39 record in his fourth season, has said repeatedly the Razorbacks' depth is their strength. Twelve Razorbacks played at SMU, led by forward Bobby Portis' 30 minutes.
Portis led the Razorbacks with 22 points, including eight in a 4:17 span of the second half as Arkansas pushed its lead to 68-55 after SMU had cut a 19-point lead to 55-49 with 9:09 left.
"Portis is a whole different kid, but they're just deep," Brown said. "Foul trouble doesn't affect them."
Arkansas forward Alandise Harris limited to 14 minutes because of foul problems and scored two points, but Jacorey Williams led the bench players with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in a career-high 27 minutes.
Among other Razorbacks off the bench, freshman guard Anton Beard had 6 points, sophomore guard Manny Watkins had 5 points and 2 steals and sophomore center Moses Kingsley had 4 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
"These guys continue to give us efficient playing time," Anderson said.
Brown said the Mustangs didn't do a good job of attacking Arkansas' press in the first half, when SMU had 16 turnovers to help the Razorbacks take a 33-22 lead.
"I think that came from their aggressiveness and pressure and our being real tentative and scared," Brown said. "We had three or four times where it was a 3-on-2 break and we just acted like we'd never seen that before.
"If you don't make a press pay, the pressure gets better and more intense, which is something they're really, really good at."
Anderson said the Razorbacks executed their game plan of disrupting the Mustangs on offense, especially in the first half.
"We weren't going to let them run their sets," Anderson said. "Our defense was just tenacious. I thought whenever they had guys on the block, we had two guys coming at them."
Anderson said the Razorbacks are continuing to develop.
"When it's all said and done, we've got a chance to have a special year," he said. "We've just got to keep trusting one another and keep working."
Sports on 11/27/2014