LEXINGTON, Ky. -- For a half, Jaylen Barford was the best player in Rupp Arena playing against a Kentucky team with several players ESPN projects as first-round NBA Draft picks.
Arkansas' junior guard led all scorers with 14 first-half points and his impressive finishes on several tough drives helped keep Razorbacks within striking distance of No. 6 Kentucky, which led just 41-38 at halftime.
Barford didn't score in the second half, but turned into the villain to Kentucky fans in what wound up being a 97-71 Wildcats' victory.
With 14:40 remaining, Barford was whistled for a charge when he collided with Kentucky's Isaiah Briscoe on a drive to the rim. Briscoe fell to the floor and the situation escalated when Barford stepped on Briscoe's thigh, prompting Kentucky point guard De'Aaron Fox to push Barford with his left hand.
"I can't say anything about [the intent]," Fox said. "I've got my guys back and I know they have mine."
Barford stepped back over Briscoe toward Fox and the two exchanged words while standing chest-to-chest before both were hit with technical fouls.
"I didn't mean to step on [Briscoe] or nothing like that," Barford said. "They called a charge and I was trying to step over him. That's it."
Arkansas senior guard Manny Watkins tried to play peacemaker during the dust-up.
"I was just trying to be a leader and make sure nothing got out of hand," Watkins said. "We did a good job. They said what they had to say and we got people backed out."
Barford had been whistled for a foul on defense the previous possession, so he went from one to four in the span of 11 seconds since technicals also count as personal fouls. Anderson was then forced to put his hot hand back on the bench just 76 seconds after he entered.
"I didn't see what happened, but it caused us to get the guy that was playing the best on our basketball team in foul trouble," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "... The easy thing to do is call a technical on both guys. You've got a hell of a game going. The kid was playing well.
"I hadn't seen it, but obviously I'm biased so I don't agree with the call."
Barford headed to the bench with Kentucky leading 57-48 with 14:40 left. The Wildcats methodically built their lead to 16 by the time Barford returned with seven minutes left to a chorus of boos from the Kentucky crowd each time he touched the ball the remainder of the game.
"I wasn't even aware of it honestly," Barford said of the crowd reaction.
But he couldn't re-capture his first-half rhythm. He turned the ball over twice and didn't score after returning to the game as Kentucky led by as much as 26 while turning what was a competitive game for 25 minutes into its third consecutive victory by at least 22 points to start SEC play.
The exchange between Barford, Briscoe and Fox was one of a few tense moments during the second half, including one between Arkansas' Dusty Hannahs and Kentucky's Malik Monk, an Arkansas native, after Hannahs fouled Monk on a Wildcats' fast-break opportunity. Both Anderson and Kentucky Coach John Calipari went on the court to keep the peace after some jawing between players after Arkansas' Moses Kingsley fouled Kentucky's Bam Adebayo with less than six minutes left.
"It's Arkansas-Kentucky," Watkins said. "They don't like us and we don't like them."
Arkansas faded as Barford’s first matchup with the Wildcats didn’t end the way he wanted, but the junior put together a second straight strong first half, signs that last year’s No. 1 junior college player is growing more comfortable after entering January in a mini-slump.
Barford scored 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting in the first half of win at Tennessee on Tuesday, then followed it up with the first-half explosion against the SEC’s highest-ranked team.
“I think he’s figuring it out,” Anderson said. “He sees what he’s capable of doing for our basketball team.”
The next step will be putting it together for all 40 minutes.
“Consistency is what we’re trying to find with these guys,” Anderson said.
Sports on 01/08/2017