FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson thinks he knows what it's going to take for the Razorbacks to reverse their trend of losing close games.
"Experience," Anderson said, "which we're trying to acquire. We're having to learn on the job."
Up next
Arkansas at Tennessee
WHEN 6:30 p.m. Central Saturday
WHERE Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn.
RECORDS Arkansas 14-14, 7-8 SEC. Tennessee 13-15, 6-9.
RADIO Razorback Sports Network
TELEVISION SEC Network
The Razorbacks are 3-8 in games decided by five points or less or overtime and time is running out for Arkansas (14-14, 7-8 SEC) to make headway at succeeding in games that are decided in the closing moments.
Arkansas' next opportunity will come in Saturday's 6:30 p.m. game at Tennessee. The Razorbacks handled the Volunteers (13-15, 6-9 SEC) with relative ease in their first meeting this season, an 85-67 decision at Walton Arena on Feb. 6. But Tennessee's 12-2 home mark, with victories over Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina and LSU would indicate another close game could be in the making.
Since outlasting Vanderbilt 90-85 in overtime on Jan. 15, the Razorbacks have won only one of five games decided by five points or less, a 74-71 thriller against Texas A&M.
Arkansas messed up chances to take the final shot of regulation in losses at LSU and Georgia and made a defensive error with a two-point deficit against Auburn on guard Jabril Durham's gamble on a steal against Cinmeon Bowers, which led to an open three-pointer by TJ Lang.
"Experience teaches you that with 26 seconds on the clock you want to get the last shot, not turn the ball over," Anderson said. "We did that a couple of times. Or even in the game the other night against Auburn, I mean you don't gamble going down the stretch, you stay solid on your defense."
Arkansas must also improve one key area that has nothing to do with how its opponent is playing: free throw shooting.
The Razorbacks have shot 67.7 percent from the line in the last five games while their opponents are making 72 percent, a figure that includes Auburn's 47.4 percent in the Tigers' 90-86 victory.
Among the Razorbacks' top eight scorers, only Anthlon Bell and Anton Beard are shooting free throws better in SEC play than overall. Bell is shooting 90.2 percent, best in the league, in SEC games, and 83.8 percent overall. Beard is at 64.5 percent in SEC games and 62.2 percent overall.
Dusty Hannahs, the team leader at 88.3 percent, has made 81.4 percent in league games. Moses Kingsley, whose 100 free throws taken in SEC games is more than double the next-highest Razorback (Hannahs with 43), has dropped to 62 percent in SEC games after making 73.2 percent in non-conference games.
The Razorbacks had five games with less than 70 percent free throw shooting among their first 16 games. In the 11 games since then, they've shot less than 70 percent from the line in seven of them.
"We certainly have to get better in that area," Anderson said. "I see where our percentages have really gone down. If you're going to win games in February and March, you've got to make your free throws."
Anderson said the Razorbacks' confidence has not slipped, despite their recent three-game losing streak.
"Our guys will be confident," he said.
Hannahs said leading into Arkansas' 85-65 victory over LSU that the Hogs can finish strong.
"We want to use this game to shoot us into these next [few] games we've got left and go into the conference tournament -- that's going to be a wacky tournament -- and know we can win that tournament and have that confidence throughout the rest of the year," Hannahs said.
Bell said the Razorbacks' defensive toughness is the key.
"We know the offense is going to take care of itself because we've been scoring with everybody," Bell said. "We just hadn't been getting stops. So that's been our main focus."
Sports on 02/26/2016