SEC Network viewers heard Arkansas coach Mike Anderson practically beg and plead for his team to get more athletic and physical.
The network’s second-half Wired segment featured snippets of Anderson - wearing a microphone - in the huddle during the Hogs' home game with Mississippi State. The common theme was he was frustrated with his team for not being more aggressive rebounding and on defense. He was upset that his team couldn’t impose its will against the second-youngest team in college basketball.
“Most of those guys are freshmen and sophomores,” he told his team.
Arkansas, a 10-point favorite entering the game, was embarrassed in front of a sparse crowd at what used to be an intimidating Bud Walton Arena. The loss marked the first time since 2012 the Razorbacks have lost back-to-back home SEC home games.
The young Bulldogs were the ones playing with energy and confidence. Mississippi State sophomore guard Quindarry Weatherspoon torched the Hogs for 25 points on 6-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.
“We had no answer for Weatherspoon,” Anderson said after the game.
That performance comes after Kentucky freshman guard De’Aaron Fox scored 27 points in a blowout against the Hogs last Saturday. Arkansas’ cupcake nonconference schedule masked the fact that its backcourt defense is inconsistent.
Senior Dusty Hannahs and junior transfer Daryl Macon are great shooters but not defenders. Senior guard Manny Watkins fits the mold of the gritty, gutty dirty work guy and can defend, but there wasn’t enough of that attitude on the floor Tuesday.
But there should be “an answer” for Weatherspoon. The mid-1990s Hogs teams led by Nolan Richardson, and assisted by Anderson, made scoring 27 points almost impossible. Those guards made opponents earn every basket.
Heck, they made them earn every touch.
That intensity isn’t there, and that allowed Weatherspoon to have a field day. That intensity is supposed to be a trademark of this program.
“In the scouting report, we talked about how they were going to shoot 3-point shots, and we need to be there,” Anderson said.
The other alarming stat for Arkansas fans was that the young Bulldogs out-rebounded the Hogs 41-29. That’s what seemed to inflame Anderson the most in the huddle. He knew that was going to continue to be a problem if the Hogs continued to keep letting MSU have its way on the glass.
He seemed downright puzzled at his team’s effort and how a group of underclassmen could push them around.
“We weren’t getting the rebounds,” senior center Moses Kingsley said. “They were getting the rebounds. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”
The biggest question is can these inadequacies be fixed or will it continue to be a trend? Anderson has had success making teams better as the season goes along.
He and his staff have to find some way to play better perimeter defense, both on the ball and guarding shooters. If that means different schemes or different personnel or different schemes, that is up to him to figure out.
As far as the rebounding, that is mostly effort. Arkansas has some strong, athletic players. They should be competitive on the glass, but there were times Tuesday it seemed like the Bulldogs were hungrier.
Anderson will find five players who will box-out and give the effort needed to clean that up.
The good news for Arkansas is it plays a pitiful Missouri team (5-10, 0-3) Saturday at Bud Walton Arena. The Tigers have lost at home to North Carolina Central, Eastern Illinois and David Lipscomb. In three SEC games they have been competitive with an 11-point home loss to LSU, a six-point loss at Georgia and a five-point home loss to Auburn on Tuesday.
This is a must-win for Arkansas if it has any hope at the NCAA Tournament. I have already mentioned in this space the small margin for bad home losses.
After Tuesday night the Hogs should be motivated to play and can take advantage of the reeling Tigers. It’s a potential get-well game that could help the Hogs work on their defensive and rebounding woes with winnable games at Texas A&M and home against LSU next week.
If they play like they did Tuesday, though, nothing will be guaranteed.