FAYETTEVILLE — Mike Anderson previews Arkansas' season opener against Fort Wayne on Friday.
Dusty Hannahs and Manny Watkins
— DH: Can't take any team lightly. There's a lot of of parity.
— MW: Teams that come in here in nonconference give their best shot, are playing the program's tradition.
— MW: Any time we get a game, that's like Christmas to me. Bring in the Cavs and I'm ready. Our schedule's pretty tough and it's going to be fun.
— DH: The newcomers have made a really smooth transition. Everyone's gotten along since day one and has the same goal. We want to have a special season because we have the players to do so.
— MW: Team doesn't want to repeat last year. None of them had really been through anything like that before.
Mike Anderson
— Fort Wayne 24 games last year and is predicted to win their conference. It's going to be a great matchup for the team. Looking forward to seeing the guys in action. Hopefully the depth will become a factor. Fort Wayne averaged more than 70 last year and hit the 90s in an exhibition, so Hogs' defense has to be up to par.
— There's an excitement around.
— Tells the team to not get caught up in names. Good RPI team picked to win the league. A lot of the teams that don't have big names are picked to win or finish highly in their leagues.
— Hopefully the newcomers bring their practice to the game. They've been practicing well. He wants to see what they did in exhibitions on a consistent basis. Jaylen Barford needs to control and play in attack mode. He's a pass-first guard that can score. Daryl Macon is a scorer who can defend. Arlando Cook is a glue guy who knows how to play. Dustin Thomas' important role on the team is to be that quick 4 that can compliment Moses Kingsley and Trey Thompson.
— Thinks the team will learn as they go.
— Fort Wayne can push the ball. They'll take quick shots, spread the floor and run a lot of pick-and-roll. They have multiple guys who can score. Hogs want to push the ball, too.
— C.J. Jones hasn't practiced yet. Tuesday, he jogged straight ahead. Still doubtful for Friday.
— They expect to be a championship-caliber team, so the tests will come early and often. They want to be one of the better teams in the SEC, so let's find out right out of the gates.
— Wants the fans to come out. Really feels they have a team that can feed off it and keep the fans involved in the game.
— On whether players have expressed interest in kneeling: If you've watched our exhibition games and the Red-White game, they'll continue to do what they do.