FAYETTEVILLE -- Even when sprees of opposition threes fall like rain and Arkansas' own outside gunners like Dusty Hannahs, C.J. Jones, Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford counter with three-pointers of their own, the inside track remains the Razorbacks' best path to basketball victory.
They proved it again last Saturday against North Florida at Walton Arena.
The Razorbacks were outscored 36-15 on three-pointers by the Ospreys, but the Razorbacks ultimately won, 91-76.
Two three-pointers by Hannahs and Macon, and Barford's three, as the shot clock expired, were all part of Arkansas' 11-0 run that proved to be pivotal in the Razorbacks' victory.
North Florida Coach Matthew Driscoll went as far to say that Barford's three "broke our back."
"But to me," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said, "the game was was won on the inside."
Even Barford agreed.
"The inside game was great," Barford said. "That's what we really need to start going to from the get-go, honestly, instead of settling (for jump shots). Our inside game is great because we have Moses and then we have D.T. down there, too. We've got a lot of great inside players, and so we've just got keep going inside and then back out."
Between Arkansas starting center Moses Kingsley (13 points, 10 rebounds) and junior starting power forward Dustin Thomas (8 points, 8 rebounds), they gathered nine fewer rebounds than all Ospreys combined.
Arkansas outrebounded North Florida, 42-27.
Kingsley and Thomas combined to make 7 of 8 free throws.
Hannahs, 17 points, and Macon, 13 points, took it to the Ospreys inside enough for each to convert 5 for 5 free throws. Arkansas guards Barford, Manny Watkins and backup center Trey Thompson all got the line four times.
"I thought we did a good job on the offensive glass,"Anderson said. "We got to free-throw line. We attacked their zone. The game was won on the inside."
Arkansas has three nonconference games remaining before hurrying into SEC season, which begins Dec. 29 to accommodate the SEC vs.Big 12 Challenge in late January.
Arkansas is scheduled to open SEC play against Florida at Walton Arena, but both teams and the televising SEC Network have concurred to push back tipoff to 8 p.m. instead of the original 6 p.m. The Dec. 29 Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech Belk Bowl football game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. CST on ESPN in Charlotte, N.C.
It was learned Sunday that new SEC basketball associates Dan Leibovitz and Mike Tranghese agree with the decision to start SEC play in late December, at least this season.
The decision to do so was made before the hirings of Leibovitz as SEC Associate Commissioner for Basketball and former Big 12 Commissioner Mike Tranghese as a basketball consultant.
Leibovitz said he and Tranghese would have agreed that the national novelty of SEC vs. Big 12 Challenge is better peaking on the Jan. 28 Saturday rather than competing with football in December.
When the available playing dates calendar allows, which he says it will in 2018-2019, Leibovitz said starting the SEC basketball schedule in January rather than December always is preferable.
Sports on 12/12/2016