5 Observations from Arkansas' 97-71 loss at Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Five observations, with video, from Arkansas' 97-71 loss at No. 6 Kentucky on Saturday.

— Fox controls game

Malik Monk provided a few flashy plays in the second half, but didn’t do much when the game was in doubt against his home-state school. The freshman battled foul trouble and finished with 12 points on 4 of 10 shooting and missed all five of his 3-pointers, marking the first time he’s gone without a made 3 this season.

But he didn’t have to have a big game. His teammates picked up the slack, especially backcourt mate De’Aaron Fox.

Fox is projected as a top-10 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by DraftExpress and ESPN. Both outlets hail him as potentially the quickest guard in college basketball. Former Wildcat and current Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins compared Fox to John Wall recently. The Razorbacks probably wouldn’t argue with either sentiment.

Fox used his quickness to get wherever he wanted on the court and finished with a game-high 27 points, six rebounds and six assists. He made 10 of 16 shots. Arkansas didn’t have an answer for him, which is understandable. Most teams don’t.

He got into the lane in the halfcourt against man defense and zone. His athleticism allows him to finish at the rim, but he's also got a nice floater that'll no doubt help him a ton at the next level.

He was a menace in the open court.

That Euro!

Here, he freezes Moses Kingsley with a fake to Monk, leading to an easy finger roll on the 3-on-2 break. Big-time stuff.

This final score comes after a dead-ball inbounds on the opposite end of the court. No matter, Fox hits the turbo button and gets to the rim in four seconds. Hogs needed to be better stopping the ball, but that's easier said than done with a player as fast as Fox is coming at you with a full head of steam.

He got my vote for SEC Preseason Player of the Year. My reasoning was that he would emerge as a do-it-all team leader who could score, rebound, distribute and defend at a high level. Monk seems like a POTY lock at this point, but nights like Saturday show just how valuable Fox is to what the Wildcats do.

Bottom line in this game: Arkansas didn't back down and was in it for a half, but Kentucky is just so talented. Fox was the best player on the court Saturday.

— Wildcats on the loose after halftime

A major key in Arkansas within 41-38 at halftime was the Hogs limiting Kentucky to six fast-break points in the first half.

Arkansas did a good job getting back and didn’t give Kentucky many chances to run in the opening 20 minutes. But that changed in the second half, with Kentucky outscoring the Hogs 18-0 in fast-break points as it took control.

The Wildcats entered the game ranked fourth in the nation in possessions per game (78) and seventh in average possession length (14 seconds). They didn’t play quite as fast (74 possessions, 15 seconds per), but still got up and down the court, especially after halftime when their athleticism shone in the open court.

Fox and Adebayo release down the court as soon as the Wildcats secure the rebound. They don't waste much time when they sense an opportunity to run.

This long rebound springs the Wildcats for a quick fast break.

At times, the Razorbacks didn't do themselves any favors. Four Hogs are underneath the foul line on this Dusty Hannahs' miss. Leads to an easy fast break.

VIDEO

Kentucky scored 46 (!) points in the paint. Fox and the Wildcats’ offensive rebounding (more on that later) were a primary reason for that.

— Barford’s wild night

Kentucky has three potential lottery picks on its roster, but Jaylen Barford was the best player on the court for the first half.

Barford scored 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting, his second straight strong first half after scoring 10 on 4 of 5 shooting to help rally the Hogs in Tuesday’s win over Tennessee.

Barford has not been the answer at point guard for Arkansas, but he can be a scorer, a high-level penetrator who uses his sturdy frame to get into the paint and finishes with craft around the basket.

Thompson sets this up with a nice offensive board and heady pass, but Barford cashes in on it by making himself available, attacking the rim and changing his shot to get it off.

He almost got rejected by the rim on this dunk (which happened in the Red-White game), but finished during the Razorbacks' best stretch of the night.

He's at his best in the open court finishing creatively and with strength.

Of course, the second half didn’t go his way. He was whistled for a charge against Isaiah Briscoe and then stepped on Briscoe’s thigh, an action he said was accidental. Fox objected, pushing Barford with his left hand. Barford stepped back over Briscoe and got chest-to-chest with Fox as the two exchanged words and were assessed technical fouls.

The technical and charge, combined with a defensive foul 11 seconds earlier, put Barford on the bench with four fouls. He turned the ball over twice and didn’t score when he checked in with the Hogs down 16 later.

He didn’t put together a full game against Tennessee or Kentucky, but both performances were encouraging moving forward.

— Hogs aggressive in hostile environment

Arkansas isn’t as talented as Kentucky and succumbed to that talent in the second half, but the Razorbacks very clearly weren’t scared of the Wildcats.

Arkansas was as aggressive attacking the rim as it had been maybe all year. The Razorbacks have at times slipped into stretches where the guards pass the ball back and forth on the perimeter. Not Saturday. The Hogs attacked the basket with aggression early, beating plus defenders like Fox and Briscoe off the dribble to get into the paint, where they were seemingly not concerned with Kentucky freshman shot blocker Bam Adebayo.

It seemed like a concerted effort as the Hogs scored 14 points in the paint while taking a 24-20 lead. Senior captain Manny Watkins helped set the tone. Watkins’ halfcourt offensive game usually consists of floaters off feeds, but he was taking the ball to the hole early.

The aggressiveness led to some putback opportunities with Kentucky bigs scrambling to help in the paint.

Arkansas was in attack mode. Barford came off the bench and took it to another level.

The second half didn’t go their way, but the testy exchanges after halftime weren’t actions of a team scared of facing a highly ranked opponent on the road.

Kentucky obviously had more talent, just like it will against every other SEC team. But Arkansas didn’t back down. That was an encouraging sign.

— Lineup chess

Kentucky trailed 24-20 when John Calipari went small, inserting Fox in place of forward Derek Willis and playing with a four-guard look. The Wildcats’ small-ball bunch scored 12 unanswered to take a 32-24 lead and appeared to be on the brink of taking control.

Rather than downsize to match Kentucky’s guards, Mike Anderson opted to play big, subbing Trey Thompson in for Arlando Cook and pairing Thompson and Kingsley together to create the biggest front line possible for the final four minutes of the half.

The move worked. Arkansas outscored Kentucky 14-9 the rest of the way, cutting the lead to three at halftime. Thompson and Kingsley had only played together for 2:06 this year before the move Saturday, which made the decision even more intriguing.

It worked because Barford was going off, but also because the size helped nullify Kentucky’s athletic advantages. Thompson had a solid game off the bench, finishing with 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in 20 minutes, almost more than the Razorbacks’ primary 4s — Arlando Cook (15 minutes), Dustin Thomas (7) — combined.

It’ll be interesting if the pairing was just a one-time, Kentucky move or if Anderson rolls it out there again. He used the tandem last year with Arkansas struggling to get good power forward play. Thomas looked outmanned and picked up four fouls in his limited time. Cook hit 3 of 5 shots but had just one rebound.

Thompson gives the Hogs size (duh), improved shot blocking and playmaking at the elbows and on the perimeter a la an Andrew Bogut (on a much smaller scale, of course).

Stray Thoughts

— Went down to the press room with four minutes left in the game. At that point, Arkansas had only posted Moses Kingsley up five times. The Hogs scored three points on those possessions. It was an interesting decision to go away from the post ups if it was deliberate. Kingsley has been struggling with his back to the basket this year. Had a solid overall game Saturday, finishing with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.

— Dusty Hannahs was a non-factor after having a nice game at Tennessee. He went 2 of 11 and missed all four of his 3-pointers. It looked like he rushed a few looks, knowing the Wildcats’ athleticism.

— Kentucky turned 15 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points. Been an issue all three games for Arkansas since it entered SEC play.

— Rupp Arena is pretty epic inside. Their pre-game videos obviously incorporate a lot of history, similar to Alabama football. That’s cool. Arkansas used to do that in its pre-game video a few years back but has gone away from that. As a spectator, I always think that stuff is cool