FAYETTEVILLE — Follow along as Mike Anderson previews Arkansas' Saturday road game at Missouri.
Mike Anderson
— Hopefully there's some carryover as they hit the road. They want the defense and offense, the unselfishness in terms of ball movement to travel. Getting off to a good start on the road is key.
— Played Missouri 3 weeks ago, so Tigers probably know more about their team. Missouri played well in the second half in the first meeting. Tigers are playing better. Played South Carolina well at Mizzou Arena.
— Jaylen Barford is being a lot more aggressive. "I'd like to see him do it for 2 halves." He was the most positive player in the Oklahoma State game. Takes time to get acclimated after being the top scorer and doing everything in JUCO. They play defense here and you can't take possessions offense. "Early on, that was one of the things that held him back a little bit. Playing more free, making other guys better. Had 4 assists last night "and I think he's capable of having more assists."
— Thinks Missouri is playing with more confidence and knows who its scorers are. Getting more from its bench.
— Everyone knows Dusty Hannahs can shoot the basketball, so people guard him tight. He does a good job of getting his shoulders by guys and scoring around the basket. Missouri's defense packs the paint and he has range, so Tigers will have to guard him. He provides spacing. "I think he's been kind of up-and-down, but now he's playing a lot more comfortable coming off the bench." He doesn't have to do as much as last year, when they were in trouble if he didn't score.
— On whether he's worried about the team being overconfident after the blowout in the first matchup: "All we have to do is put the tape in, I think I threw it away, from Oklahoma State." They're behind in the race and the only way to catch up is to keep winning.
— On Adrio Bailey: "I'm ready to let him go, ready to let him go fly now. He's ready to play. He adds a different dimension." Not even talking just about the dunk, but the blocked shot. Having a guy out there that can make plays is a boost. Been practicing well. "This is what I've been seeing in practice, so it's great to have it carry over in games."
— On going back to Missouri for a sixth time and if it's just a regular game now: "It's the next game on our schedule. Obviously there's a storyline because I was there and the history, but mostly it's a game where we're trying to get better and them as well." Thinks the game has the potential to turn into a big rivalry because they are border states.
— On the game not being about him as much: "That's the way it should be."