Hog calls

No time for hangover after Kentucky test

Arkansas' Manuale Watkins (21) looks for an opening on Kentucky's Isaiah Briscoe (13) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/James Crisp)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Louisville, Ole Miss and Texas A&M comprise company that Arkansas seeks to avoid.

All three lost their next game after playing Kentucky. They were Kentucky's last three opponents before Arkansas.

Arkansas lost Saturday night's SEC game 97-71 to the No. 6 Wildcats in Lexington, Ky.

Next the Razorbacks (12-3, 1-2) host the Mississippi State Bulldogs (10-4, 1-1) in Tuesday's 8 p.m. SEC Network game at Walton Arena.

It's difficult to match the next game intensity after the buildup and effort expended against Kentucky, whether an opponent beats Kentucky, as Louisville did, or loses large like SEC rivals Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Arkansas just did.

Arkansas certainly expended effort at Rupp Arena.

Coach Mike Anderson's Razorbacks played above themselves for a half to match the level of John Calipari's roster of NBA-bound Wildcats.

Arkansas held some first-half leads and survived a scoring drought from 8:04 to 4:01. The Razorbacks trailed 41-38 at the half.

Obviously the second half was a different story.

There seems a tendency in Arkansas to view Saturday night's basketball game as another meltdown after the Razorbacks' second-half collapses on the football field going from up 24-7 at half to losing 28-24 at Missouri then plummeting from up 24-0 at half to lose the Belk Bowl, 35-24 to Virginia Tech in Charlotte, N.C.,

Not the same.

The Razorbacks fizzled against an inferior, 4-8 team on the football field in Columbia, Mo.

They self-destructed during the second half of the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, making it incredibly easy for Virginia Tech's 35-0 comeback.

The Razorbacks' second half obviously didn't approach their first-half performance, but chalk it up mainly to a superior Kentucky team and its NBA bound freshman point guard De'Aaron Fox (27 points, 6 assists) exerting superiority in the comforts of home.

Anderson gave the Wildcats and Fox due credit, but did note that Kentucky's comforts of home were considerable at the free-throw line. Kentucky attempted 40 free throws, hitting 28; Arkansas was 17 of 21.

"You expect to have some of that on the road," Anderson said. "But to have 40 free throws. ... That was a big discrepancy. We did some fouling, but I thought they did some fouling, too."

Teams tend to foul frequently when they can't keep opposition off the offensive boards.

Kentucky outrebounded Arkansas 44-29, including 15 offensive rebounds.

"You look at the offensive rebounds they got," Anderson said. "You can't do that. Especially on the road, because a team like Kentucky, they feed off of that."

Anderson said the Hogs' effort never diminished, but his Razorbacks have much to learn after reviewing Saturday's second half film of fouling too much, rebounding too little and beaten too often in transition.

The biggest lesson looming, however, is not to allow one loss to Kentucky turn into two.

Mississippi State, rebounding from a 68-58 SEC opening home loss to Alabama to clobber LSU 95-78 Saturday in Baton Rouge, La., appears tough enough without Kentucky hangover help.

Sports on 01/09/2017