What we learned in Arkansas' 86-77 win over Texas A&M

Arkansas forward Trey Thompson (1) draws a foul from Texas A&M center Tyler Davis (34) Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

The Hogs were different when Trey Thompson was in the game

Thompson's stat line doesn't jump off the page, but he was Arkansas' spark in the 86-77 win over Texas A&M.

The junior forward had 5 points, 3 rebounds and a career-high 6 assists for the Razorbacks. Arkansas outscored the Aggies by 17 points when he was on the floor.

Thompson's real difference came on the offensive end where his assists accounted for 12 points, but he also had a key defensive play in the second half. Thompson jumped a bounce pass and recorded a steal. He was fouled on the other end and made both free throws.

All of Thompson's points came after halftime.

Jaylen Barford provided the game's turning point

Arkansas and Texas A&M had been trading baskets, alternating between a two- and four-point Razorbacks lead until Barford made a key defensive play with less than four minutes remaining.

Barford made a contested shot at the top of the key to give Arkansas a 73-69 lead with 3:49 remaining. He stole the ball on the Aggies' next offensive possession and converted the turnover into a breakaway layup.

The plays accounted for four of six consecutive points for Barford, who finished with a team-high 16. He also made two free throws on the possession before his back-to-back buckets.

Barford's steal and layup whipped into a frenzy the crowd of 10,113. Texas A&M called a timeout, but was outscored by three points the rest of the way.

Manny Watkins loves playing his old hometown teams

Watkins grew up running the hallways of Texas A&M's Reed Arena, where his father, Melvin, was the head coach from 1998-2004.

In what likely was his final game against the Aggies, Watkins had one of his best games of the season. He scored 13 points and had 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

He also was instrumental in Arkansas' comeback win at Texas A&M earlier this year. He made three 3-pointers in the second half of that game as the Razorbacks overcame a 12-point deficit to win 62-60.

Texas A&M isn't the only of Melvin Watkins' former employers that his son has had big games against this season. In two games against Missouri, Manny Watkins scored 17 points and recorded 12 rebounds. Melvin Watkins was a Tigers assistant coach for seven seasons.

In four games this season against Texas A&M and Missouri, Manny Watkins averaged 9.8 points. In the Razorbacks' other 24 games he has averaged 5.5 points.

Arkansas is winning the games it lost last year

Half of the Razorbacks' 16 losses last year came by four points or less, and Arkansas was 5-10 in games decided by less than 10 points.

The inability to finish close games was the difference in Arkansas making some kind of postseason and finishing the year in early March.

Fast-forward to this season and the Razorbacks have found a way to win close games, a key reason they are favored to play in the NCAA Tournament next month.

Arkansas is 9-3 this season in games decided by less than 10 points. During the team's current four-game win streak, three wins have come by less than 10 points - by 8 at LSU, by 7 at South Carolina and by 9 against Texas A&M.

In games decided by four points or less the Razorbacks are 5-0 with wins over Texas-Arlington, Texas, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.