FAYETTEVILLE -- Bobby Portis, last season's SEC player of the year, didn't lead Arkansas in shooting when he hit 53.6 percent of his 466 attempts before leaving as the Chicago Bulls' first-round draft pick.
The top mark for the Razorbacks -- 55.9 percent -- was by guard Manny Watkins, who hit 38 of 68 shots.
Up next
Arkansas men vs Mercer
WHEN 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE Verizon Arena, North Little Rock
RECORDS Arkansas 5-4. Mercer 8-1
TELEVISION None
RADIO Razorbacks Sports Network
At a glance
MANNY WATKINS
COLLEGE Arkansas
POSITION Guard
HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-3, 205 pounds
CLASS Junior
HIGH SCHOOL Fayetteville
AGE 21 (Born Oct. 24, 1994)
NOTEWORTHY Came to Arkansas as a walk-on but was put on scholarship before this this season. … Named a team captain along with Moses Kingsley. … Averaging 8.0 points and shooting 56.6 percent from the field. … Has 26 assists compared to 6 turnovers. … Scored career-high 14 points this season against Charleston Southern and Wake Forest. … Had career-highs of 9 rebounds and 5 assists this season against Northwestern State. … Averaged 0.6 points as a freshman and 2.6 as a sophomore … hit game-winning basket at Ole Miss season with 6.4 seconds left to lift Arkansas to a 71-70 victory. … Son of Arkansas assistant coach Melvin Watkins. … As a senior at Fayetteville, averaged 15 points and 6 rebounds to help the Bulldogs to a 26-4 record and runner-up finish to North Little Rock in the Class 7A state tournament.
Watkins said last season his field goal percentage was so high because the only shots he took were so near the basket -- and he averaged just 1.8 attempts per game.
After Watkins hit a game-winning layup at Ole Miss last season with 6.4 seconds left, he said his teammates liked to joke about his shooting range that didn't extend beyond the free-throw lane.
This season, Watkins, a 6-3 junior from Fayetteville, is shooting more and converting at a higher level than last season while tripling his scoring average.
Going into Arkansas' game against Mercer at 7 p.m. Saturday at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Watkins is shooting 56.6 percent (30 of 53) and averaging 8.0 points -- up from 2.6 when he was a sophomore.
This season, Watkins twice has scored a career-high 14 points at home against Charleston Southern and at Wake Forest. He was a combined 11 of 12 from the field in those games.
"Manny's basketball IQ is the reason his shooting percentage is so high," said junior guard Dusty Hannahs, who is averaging a team-high 18.8 points for the Razorbacks. "He knows the right shot to take, the right pass to make, the right place to be on defense.
"That all shows up with your field-goal percentage."
Hannahs smiled when asked if perhaps Watkins should shoot more than his 5.8 attempts per game.
"Yup," he said. "Sure."
Watkins, the son of Arkansas assistant coach Melvin Watkins, never has taken more than eight shots in a game and he's done that once -- when he was 4 of 8 against Northwestern (La.) State this season.
"Everybody on this team's in different roles than they were last year," Watkins said. "We knew it would be a little while before everyone settled in and figured out what they bring.
"Everyone knows I'm a defensive guy, an energy guy, but I do believe that for us to be successful, I need to be a little bit more aggressive at times on offense, and I'm going to start doing that."
That doesn't mean Watkins, who is averaging 22.7 minutes off the bench, is going to start forcing shots. He hasn't attempted a three-pointer this season.
"I don't think I've got to go out and score all these points," he said. "When I'm in the game, the one thing on my mind is, 'OK, what play can I make here to help us win?'
"It might not be scoring, or it might be scoring. That's how I look at it, just helping the team win at all costs."
Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said the Razorbacks feed off Watkins' energy when he comes into the game as part of the first wave of substitutions.
"Manny just ignites other guys because of his effort," Anderson said. "He gives you that guy with a big-time motor, and it's contagious.
"I think defensively he's getting after it and offensively he's finding ways to get into the lane and finish. I think his defense is creating some offense."
Watkins was second on the team with 37 steals last season -- behind Portis' 39 -- and this season his 12 are second behind 17 by senior guard Jabril Durham.
Ball-handling also has been a strength for Watkins this season with 26 assists compared to six turnovers.
"I've been around the game a lot," he said. "I know the game. I study it. I take that out on the court with me.
"I try to make the smart plays. Coach always preaches how you don't always have to make the home run play.
"I'm a guy that really listens to that because I might not be able to make that spectacular pass, but I'll pass it to the guy who can make it.
"Coach calls them singles. I pride myself on just being able to make the simple play. If you make the game simple, it's easier. There's no reason to make it hard."
Many of Watkins' baskets this season have come on floaters through the lane, sometimes after he's built up speed after a steal.
"He's a strong body," Hannahs said. "It's really hard when he gets up a head of steam to stop him from coming into the lane."
The next step in Watkins' offensive evolution is hitting jump shots.
"When I get consistent with the mid-range shot they're giving me, I honestly think that my game will just open up entirely, because I do think it's tougher to stay in front of me being a bigger guard," Watkins said. "I'm just working every day, because I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's bright.
"I've just got to keep working every day, and I'll get there."
Sports on 12/16/2015