Razorbacks basketball report

Hannahs' range will help Hogs

Arkansas' Dusty Hannahs goes through drills during practice Monday, Oct. 27, 2014, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said Dusty Hannahs showed in practice this season he can hit baskets from well beyond 25 feet.

Hannahs, a junior guard from Little Rock who played at Pulaski Academy, redshirted this season after transferring to Arkansas from Texas Tech, where he hit 87 of 234 three-point attempts (37.2 percent) in two seasons.

"He's going to give us a guy that can really extend the defense because he can shoot the basketball," Anderson said. "He has tremendous range.

"There were days where he screwed up my practice, where we're busting our chops trying to guard and press and he'd pull up from 30 feet out and just drain it."

The Razorbacks are counting on Hannahs to be a zone buster.

"People play a lot of zones against us, but when you've got a guy that can put it in the hole from a pretty distant range, that really pulls that defense out," Anderson said. "It opens it up for the guys to attack and get inside the zone."

Anderson said having Hannahs eligible to play next season will provide good competition for Anthlon Bell, who as a junior hit 65 of 185 three-pointers (35.1 percent) to lead the team.

"Now we're going to really see what Anthlon does and how much he puts in on his game," Anderson said of summer workouts. "Not only that, but can you perform in games? Because if not, next.

"I think it's going to be good that we can have multiple guys that can shoot the ball."

Winning close ones

Mike Anderson talked before the season about finishing games, and the Razorbacks were significantly improved in that area. They went 10-4 in games decided by six or fewer points after going 5-5 in those games last season.

"There were a lot of close games last year where we almost got it done," Anderson said. "This year those almost turned into victories, especially going on the road."

Arkansas was 7-5 in road games, including victories at NCAA Tournament teams SMU, Georgia and Ole Miss by a combined 11 points.

"A lot of good things took place that gave our guys a lot of confidence," Anderson said. "I attribute that to our players for believing and being on the same page.

"The egos were not there. They trusted one another."

Whitt update

Jimmy Whitt, a 6-4 guard from Columbia (Mo.) Hickman High School, had a big senior season after signing with Arkansas in November.

He averaged 30.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 steals.

"I think Jimmy is going to be an elite guard," Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said. "He just does so many things. He can create for himself. He can create off the dribble. He's a wiry guard that's pretty athletic."

Anderson said Whitt also is an instinctive player defensively who does a good job of getting in passing lanes.

"He's got to get here and get acclimated to the size and the strength and how hard you've got to play at this level," Anderson said. "But I don't see him having a problem with that acclimation."

Tough Beard

Arkansas freshman point guard Anton Beard, who started the final 16 games, played with an ankle injury down the stretch.

Beard injured his left ankle against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals but came back into that game after sitting out briefly and played 33 minutes. He then played 23 minutes against Georgia, 25 against Kentucky and 29 against Wofford.

In the final game against North Carolina, Beard, 6-0, 195 pounds, was limited to 13 minutes after he injured his right ankle while taking a charge from Kennedy Meeks, 6-9, 270, with 18:13 left in the first half.

"He's got a big heart," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "He plays with his heart. He's done that from day one."

Anderson said Beard has taken a lot of hits to different body parts because he's always around the ball.

"Wherever the action is, he's going to be there," Anderson said. "You can't teach that. You've got to recruit that. I love his toughness."

Culture change

Arkansas lost a scholarship during Mike Anderson's year as coach during the 2011-12 season because of an NCAA penalty for low Academic Progress Rate scores before his arrival.

Three years later, the Razorbacks are projected to have a perfect 1,000 score -- including six players graduating last year -- when the NCAA releases its APR report in April.

While Anderson has suspended some players for a game at times for undisclosed disciplinary reasons, since he became coach no Razorback has been arrested.

Anderson said the positive strides made in academics and discipline helped contribute to the Razorbacks' 27-9 record this season.

"The culture has changed, no question about it," Anderson said. "When I first got here, I made the statement you've got to win off the floor before you win on the floor, and I think we're seeing that."

SEC carousel

There will be at least three new coaches in the SEC next season with Alabama firing Anthony Grant, Mississippi State firing Rick Ray and Tennessee firing Donnie Tyndall.

Mississippi hired Ben Howland less than three days after firing Ray. Howland has been out of coaching for two seasons, but he has a 399-208 record in 19 seasons at Northern Arizona, Pittsburgh and UCLA, including three consecutive Final Four appearances with the Bruins.

"He brings another good coach to our league," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "He'll do well at Mississippi State."

While Tyndall was fired because the NCAA is expected to hit him hard for rules violations he committed at Southern Mississippi, Ray and Grant were fired for a lack of victories.

Grant was 117-85 in six seasons at Alabama, including 18-14 this season. Ray was 37-60 in three seasons at Mississippi State, including 13-19 this season.

"I think that pressure is all over the country," Anderson said. " Everybody wants to win, and they want to win now."

Nice moment

Guard Jabril Durham averaged 1.8 points and 10.0 minutes for the Razorbacks this season after transferring from Seminole (Okla.) College, but he had a promising finish against North Carolina with 5 points and 3 assists in 16 minutes off the bench.

"That's the Durham I've been looking for," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said.

Anderson said sometimes it takes a junior college transfer a season to get comfortable with his new team and that the North Carolina game may be the confidence boost Durham needs to play well as a senior.

"Hopefully that'll be the moment that will spearhead him to being the type of player we think he's capable of becoming," Anderson said.

Sports on 03/29/2015