FAYETTEVILLE — Mike Anderson, players review Texas and preview North Dakota State.
Mike Anderson
— Expected some rust against Texas after having a week off for finals.
— North Dakota State is a good team. Opened the year with a win over a good Arkansas State team. Mid-tempo team.
— Thought the team was stagnant in the first half. Just three assists and mostly swung the ball around the horn and didn't establish anything inside. Thought it was better in the second half.
— Thinks better spacing will help everyone.
— Moses Kingsley's offense is coming, it's just a matter of him getting used to guys around him. He's still rebounding and making an impact on the defensive end. Missed some shots he normally makes Saturday. He's fine.
— Have to do a better job of executing offensively.
— North Dakota State will dribble drive, penetrate and shoot 3s, but also gets to the foul line a lot. They have good team chemistry and won't be rattled. Played at Xavier and beat UC-Davis. We don't look at names on jerseys.
— Didn't really know what happened when Anton Beard got hurt late, but asked if he needed to come out and he said no. Just shows his toughness. There's a big difference when he's out there. He's a calming force defensively, offensively and in the huddles. Leadership and ownership are important and he showed ownership late.
— Beard is playing even better than he did his freshman year. Had some great penetration and had some big deflections and steals. Is the second-leading offensive rebounder while coming off the bench. He's playing unselfish and giving great, efficient minutes.
— Have to make sure they guard the line Tuesday. Good at either getting layups or 3s. They have some rangy guys who can step out and shoot 3s.
— The bench continues to be the strength of the team. The starting five has been good, but the bench, with Beard, Dusty Hannahs and Arlando Cook has been big. Cook was the unsung hero of the game Saturday. He's the best post player at entering the ball to Kingsley. Did a lot. Brought the ball up against the press. Played with energy. Bench is just as strong as the starting unit and really had an effect on the game Saturday. Texas couldn't go as deep as Arkansas.
— Wants to see more consistent defensive intensity and a higher tempo. The second half was better in that regard and they scored 47. Lost some guys in transition.
— Have to establish the inside game, whether it be pushing the ball down the floor and attacking an unset defense or through sets.
— Wants to see better ball movement and cuts, side-to-side action.
Dusty Hannahs and Anton Beard
— DH: We can't be thinking about the Texas game. That was over that day. We celebrated and moved on. North Dakota State's a good team.
— DH: Last year, I watched NDSU's NCAA Tournament games and they're a really good teams. They'll make you pay if you mess up on defense.
— AB: A lot of mid-majors have beat a lot of high-major teams. We don't want to be the next one.
— AB: It's frustrating for Moses Kingsley to not score as much as he did last year, but he's handled it well. He's still the same Moses we saw last year, he's just scoring less points. He's still rebounding and blocking shots.
— DH: We went to Minnesota, played horrible and got beat pretty good. We just wanted to show fans it was a one-time thing.
— AB on the bench dominating: As coach says before every game, the bench is the key to the game. We're all on the bench into the game and ready to get in.
— DH: We're watching the game intently. After that first media timeout, you're locked in knowing you're about to come in. We're going to come out aggressive and attacking.
— DH: Playing in Little Rock is awesome.
— AB: Most people don't get a chance to play where they come from. They're blessed. "I've got a lot of people coming."
— DH: It gets really loud in Little Rock. "They make sure that lower bowl is packed no matter what." They make the most out of their one game.
— AB: Popped his shoulder on a late rebound, but didn't want to come out even when coaches asked if he wanted to. The defense really locked down.
— AB: My mind's clear. I've learned from the mistakes I've made. With my mind being clear, I'm able to do things I was able to my freshman year.
— DH: I had a chance to win the game in Little Rock last year and missed a pretty open 3, so it was a bad feeling. Don't want to do that again.
— DH: Arlando Cook's being playing huge. His energy is crazy. He's turning people on the top of the press. He hit two huge free throws at the end of the last game.
— DH on his defensive reputation: "I think it's more stereotypical than anything." Jokes that he thought about dunking the steal.
— AB: Dusty's been playing pretty good defense this year. Don't think he'd have made some of these plays last year.