FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas guards Anthlon Bell and Dusty Hannahs never have played a game of H-O-R-S-E against each other.
"That's kind of an old-timers' game," Hannahs said of the shooting-contest game. "In practice, we usually just team up in shooting games and beat up on other people on the team."
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Arkansas guards Anthlon Bell and Dusty Hannahs have combined to make 55 three-point baskets through nine games this season to lead all SEC tandems. Here’s a rundown of the SEC leaders in three-pointers per game:
RANK;PLAYER;TEAM;3-PT PER GAME;3PT MAKES-ATTEMPTS (PCT).
1;Kareem Canty;Auburn;3.7;26-61 (42.6)
2;Anthlon Bell;Arkansas;3.2;29-64 (45.3)
3;Dusty Hannahs;Arkansas;2.9;26-52 (50.0)
3;Kenny Gaines;Georgia;2.9;20-42 (47.8)
5;Stefan Moody;Ole Miss;2.8;28-79 (35.4)
Bell and Hannahs -- who will lead the Razorbacks (5-4) against Mercer (8-2) Saturday night at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock -- are beating up on every other SEC tandem when it comes to making three-pointers.
Their combined 55 three-point baskets are the most by two players on any SEC team and more than the entire teams of Georgia (43), Kentucky (45) and Missouri (49).
"It's good to see them hitting their mark," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "When they take good shots, you see the results."
Ole Miss has the second-highest total of three-point baskets by two players with 41 from Stefan Moody and Rasheed Brooks.
Hannahs is averaging a team-high 18.6 points; Bell is second at 16.9 points.
"The managers say when they rebound for us, that's the least amount of work they have to do," Bell said. "They just stay right there under the rim and wait for the ball to go through the basket."
Bell and Hannahs each said the other would win a game of H-O-R-S-E if they faced off.
Hannahs is shooting a higher percentage, but Bell is averaging more makes per game.
Bell has hit 29 of 64 three-point attempts (45.3 percent) and is averaging 3.2 three-point baskets a game. Hannahs has hit 26 of 52 (50 percent) and is averaging 2.9 three-point baskets a game.
Hannahs and Bell rank second and third in the SEC in three-point baskets per game behind Auburn junior Kareem Canty, who is averaging 3.7 and has hit 26 of 61 attempts (42.6 percent).
"They're always in the gym shooting, so what they're doing isn't a big deal to me because I see it every day in practice," Arkansas point guard Jabril Durham said of Bell and Hannahs' offensive production. "But it's a big deal for our team.
"I just want to keep getting them the ball so they can keep shooting it."
Bell, a 6-3 senior from Memphis, ranks sixth on Arkansas' career list with 177 three-pointers, but he's on pace for his best-shooting season. He shot 36.4 percent (148 of 440) during his first three seasons with the Razorbacks.
It's tougher for opponents to guard Bell on the perimeter with the addition of Hannahs, a 6-2 junior from Little Rock who redshirted last season after transferring to Arkansas from Texas Tech. He shot 36.5 percent (84 of 230) on three-pointers in two seasons with the Red Raiders.
"Now teams have to worry about two guys shooting from the outside, and that spreads the floor," Bell said. "When they come out on us, that's going to leave other guys open."
Durham, averaging 8.1 assists per game, said Bell and Hannahs' shooting creates driving lanes to the basket for himself, Manny Watkins and Jimmy Whitt and inside scoring opportunities for big men Moses Kingsley, Willy Kouassi, Keaton Miles and Trey Thompson.
The Razorbacks will add another strong driver for the Mercer game when guard Anton Beard returns from suspension.
"It's made me work harder having a guy that can shoot the ball like Dusty," Bell said. "It makes me want to work that much more on my game and do other things.
"We both do more than just shoot. We can get into the lane and create for other people or create our own shot."
Hannahs has hit 39 of 42 free throws and Bell 13 of 18. They've combined for 51 two-point baskets.
"They're not predicating their game just on three-point shots," Anderson said. "They're scoring in a lot of different ways."
Of Bell and Hannahs' combined 319 points, 165 (51.7 percent) are on three-pointers.
"It's just great having someone next to you that can shoot so well," Hannahs said. "When I'm tired of running around and then I see Anthlon make four threes, it makes me feel pretty good.
"We're both aggressive, and we both want to win, too. As many shots as we can make together gets us closer to victory, so we're going to keep trying to do that if that's what we can do to help the team."
Sports on 12/17/2015