FAYETTEVILLE — Five observations, with video, from Arkansas' 99-86 win over LSU.
— Moses Kingsley, floor spacer
Moses Kingsley took four mid-range jumpers in the first five minutes of the game. The 6-foot-10 senior hit the first two. He was just getting started.
Kingsley scored a season-high 24 points to become the 40th Razorback to surpass 1,000 points for his career, thanks in part to a jumper that has become a major part of his game the last few weeks.
More than half of his 18 shots Saturday were jumpers. Kingsley made 3 of 9 mid-range jumpers (missing his final 3) and hit his only 3-point attempt, a make that improved him to 5 of 8 from downtown this season, including 4 of 5 the last 5 games.
The jumpers started dropping more consistently beginning with the loss at Kentucky, where Kingsley hit a few shots, including a 3. Since, he hasn’t hesitated in pulling the trigger from the mid-range and has shown a good feel for when to attempt 3s.
Opposing teams are starting to notice the new tendencies. Here, LSU’s big closes out hard on Kingsley and a quick pump fake sends him flying, a sign of the respect the Tigers had for Kingsley’s jumper.
Kingsley uses the pump fake to free himself for a nice little floater. The whole sequence is an interesting development.
His jumper had to this point been largely inconsistent and he forced a few tough looks in the second half Saturday, but the newfound accuracy from the mid-range when he’s balanced and open can provide a gravity that keeps opposing bigs from sinking into the paint and gumming up driving lanes for guards.
The Hogs’ spacing is improving thanks to Kingsley’s shooting as defenses are starting to respect his shot. It’s also allowed him to spend less time with his back to the basket, probably the weakest part of his offensive game and often a source of early season frustration. Saturday, the Hogs finished just 5 possessions with Kingsley post-ups a few days after having 7 at Texas A&M. Both are relatively small numbers.
Arkansas is trending away from force-feeding him the ball in the post, a positive sign. And he isn’t forcing it on post-ups, showing a willingness and ability to make smart passes out of double teams.
LSU’s defense is giving up an SEC-worst 117.4 points per 100 possessions in conference play. Arkansas popped the Tigers for a 130.3 offensive rating, a testament to the spacing and shot quality the Hogs had. Kingsley played a big role in that.
— Musical chairs at the 4
Dustin Thomas didn’t start and didn’t play in the first half, sitting as a result of a team violation. He returned in the second half, but Arlando Cook started both, not a surprise given his strong play and Thomas’ struggles in College Station.
Cook was productive, scoring 8 points and grabbing 6 rebounds before fouling out in 19 minutes. The Hogs were a plus-10 with him on the court.
He has a tendency to give up offensive rebounds to opposing bigs, but his activity and motor can help make him a net positive.
Thomas was active in his 6 second-half minutes, scoring 2 points and grabbing 4 rebounds, including 2 offensive. But the Hogs were minus-9 with him in the lineup and he committed 4 fouls in his limited playing time, a commonplace issue he can’t seem to shake against good competition.
Trey Thompson and Moses Kingsley played together for 4:10 and the Hogs tied LSU 9-9 during that time. The duo is minus-4 in a little more than 17 minutes as a frontcourt pairing so far this season. Individually, Thompson was solid, as usual, finishing with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal in 16 minutes. He is averaging 9.7 points, a team-best (among rotation players) 9.7 rebounds and a team-high 3.2 blocks per 40 minutes the last 5 games.
The most interesting development as a result of Thomas’ first-half benching was Adrio Bailey being used as the sixth man. The bouncy 6-6 freshman grabbed 4 rebounds and had an assist off the bench. Arkansas was plus-5 during his 8 first-half minutes.
He floats around a bit on offense, but is easily the Razorbacks’ most athletic frontcourt player.
The most impressive part of his stint were a pair of quality passes.
On the first, he catches a feed from Dusty Hannahs under the basket. Rather than go up, he spots Daryl Macon open on the wing and threads a quick, on-target pass to him for an open 3.
That’s an impressive play. It would’ve been easy to try to finish, but he had the vision to spot Macon and was able to make the play.
Later, he grabbed an athletic rebound and immediately spied Anton Beard streaking down the court. Without hesitation, he fired an on-the-money outlet pass that Beard caught up to and finished in transition.
Personally, the first pass was my favorite because it was completely unexpected and showcased his awareness. The second was also impressive. Can’t go wrong with either.
It would’ve been nice if he’d have gotten some run in the second half after playing as well as he did, but his strong showing may earn him time moving forward.
Either way, it was an interesting glimpse into the future.
The 4 spot has been a guessing game all year, with neither Cook or Thomas playing well enough on a consistent basis to claim the lion’s share of the minutes.
Cook had 14 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists in 40 minutes in the Hogs’ 2 wins this week. He is the hot hand at the moment.
— Second-half defensive woes
Oof. LSU shot 66.7 percent from the floor after halftime, including hitting 5 of 8 from 3-point range. In less than three minutes, the Tigers trimmed a 17-point deficit to 6 and conjured a bit of late-game tension in what looked like a blowout.
They had help, of course. Arkansas gave up easy baskets. Sometimes it was as simple as beating the Hogs down the court against pressure.
That can’t happen but it did several times in the second half. The pressure occasionally gave the Tigers trouble, but more often than not it allowed them to attack an unset Arkansas defense in what amounted to semi-transition.
It is fair to point out that LSU didn't score in the final 2:30, so perhaps the pressure zapped the Tigers' energy. But it also gave them avenues to easier looks against a defense that was scrambling.
Of course, some of the issues were just the result of LSU’s Skylar Mays having a career game. The 6-4 freshman poured in a career-high 22, 8 points better than his previous best outing. He was impressive all night, a constant headache in the pick-and-roll.
Wow! That’s big-time.
The Tigers became the latest team to pick on Arkansas’ at-times lax 3-point defense. They entered the night shooting 34.4 percent and hit 7 of 20 on Saturday (35 percent).
Arkansas drops Cook here against the pick and roll, a rarity for the Hogs, with Barford fighting over the screen. Barford could have done a better job staying attached to Sampson’s hip, but he isn’t the problem. Between Cook playing center field and Kingsley sliding across the lane to help, the Hogs have the roll man bottled up, but Daryl Macon digs way down off the corner shooter, leaving him open for a 3.
But the pick-and-roll is the toughest action to defend in basketball. Even the best defenses will break down against it. Other, simpler errors are more egregious.
Here, Cook doesn’t stay connected with his man and is caught napping for a split second, then can’t get through the pindown screen. Brandon Sampson hits 1 of his 3 3-pointers.
The brief lack of focus cost 3 points.
Here, the Hogs get caught napping again as Wayde Sims sneaks behind the zone. The lob forces emergency help and leaves Antonio Blakeney, the Tigers’ best player, open in the corner for the 3, the best shot in basketball.
Arkansas has shown it is capable of playing good defense when it is locked in, but the lapses are too common. The Hogs likely relaxed a bit after building the big lead. The second-half defensive issues weren’t pretty and featured a few reoccurring issues for the team. LSU gouged the Hogs for 111.7 points per 100 possessions, an ugly number that dropped the Razorbacks’ KenPom adjusted defensive rating to No. 114 in the nation (102.1). They’re sitting at No. 13 in conference play with an ugly 111.5. The game featured the two worst defenses in the conference, statistically. No wonder points came in droves.
The second half will give Anderson something to harp on to keep the team from getting ahead of itself after three straight wins.
— Barford comes through late
With Arkansas giving up buckets left and right late in the second half, Jaylen Barford stepped to the plate with an answer to quell the Tiger run and reassert the Razorbacks.
He scored all 14 of his points in the second half, including 5 of Arkansas' 8 in the final 2:39, an impressive feat considering he played a game-high 35 minutes (more on that in a bit). This bucket put the Hogs up 94-86 after LSU had again cut the lead to 6.
Hashtag Clutch.
His acrobatic finishes around the rim have become commonplace. He had a few especially nifty ones Saturday. Here’s one:
And another, complete with a handshake for a cheerleader.
Smooth.
Arkansas has plenty of offensive options. Kingsley was great Saturday. Anton Beard need only 7 shots to score 16 points and had 7 assists against 0 turnovers in what was his best game as a starter this year. Dusty Hannahs and Daryl Macon had their moments.
But Barford was the one who stepped up when the game got a bit dicey late. Macon has been the go-to player several times down the stretch of games. It was good to see another player, especially Barford, assume the role Saturday.
He put together big first halves at Tennesse and Kentucky, but saved his best for last — when the Hogs needed it — Saturday.
— Hogs hot from 3
LSU came into the game having used 2-3 zone increasingly frequently in recent weeks, seemingly an attempt to rectify the season-long defensive issues that have haunted the Tigers.
Arkansas did a nice job against zone and man Saturday, hitting 6 of 12 3-pointers in the first half as it built a 10-point halftime lead.
Daryl Macon, in particular, is good at parking himself in an open space in a zone and being ready to catch and fire.
Here, against man, Arkansas frees Dusty Hannahs with a stagger screen. LSU’s defender winds up having to run through three Razorback screens and Hannahs is wide open by the time he loops around and catches the ball.
Nice offense.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt when players can get their own shots off with range. Macon is good at that. Hannahs is pretty decent:
That is from the U. That is range.
Arkansas finished 8 of 16 from 3-point range, a solid night albeit one that wound up being short on attempts because of the second half. LSU went away from the zone as the game wore on, taking away some of the easy looks the Hogs enjoyed early.
But the game served as a reminder of the shooting on the roster. Macon hit 3 3-pointers. Watkins and Beard had 2 each, with Kingsley chipping in a make on his only attempt.
They have capable shooters. Generating 3s needs to be an emphasis.
Stray Thoughts
— Anderson closed small, going with a Barford, Beard, Macon, Hannahs, Kingslely lineup for the final 2:30. The group outscored LSU 7-0 and outrebounded the Tigers 5-2. That lineup is an impressive plus-15 in a little more than 5 minutes this season.
— Manny Watkins was sick and only played 2 first-half minutes before realizing he wasn’t going to be able to go. The 3-point streak is dead, crying emoji. The illness could’ve theoretically opened up some minutes for C.J. Jones, but Anderson instead opted to play his veteran guards bigger minutes. Barford went 35, Beard 34 and Macon 31. Jones got 3 minutes of run midway through the second half, but had a few defensive gaffes and missed his only shot, a 3-pointer. He checked in with Arkansas up 16, left after the lead was cut to 10 and didn’t play again as LSU tightened it late. The appearance marked marked one of the rare occasions this season that the Razorbacks have been outplayed with Jones on the floor. Hard to argue with Anderson’s decision to go with experience late, but playing without Watkins seemed like an opportunity to give the freshman a little more run. Instead, Jones' defensive falters earned him a quick hook.
— Breaking the school record for free throw percentage seems like an increasingly unlikely occurrence. The Hogs made 25 of 35 on Saturday, including just 14 of 24 showing in the second half after a perfect first half. Misses from Kingsley (4 straight) and others came at inopportune times in the second half when LSU was scoring nearly every possession. The Hogs had been ahead of the pace early in the year but are now down to 75.7 percent for the season, behind the school-record 77.6 set by the 1961-62 team.
— Arkansas won the rebounding battle for a third straight game, this time in emphatic fashion. The Razorbacks outrebounded LSU 44-30 and shored up the defensive glass in the second half, giving up just 1 offensive rebound after the Tigers pulled down 10 in the opening 20 minutes. Of course, it probably didn’t hurt that LSU hit two-thirds of its shots, but still. Baby steps. The Hogs have made progress on the boards lately, with the bigs doing a better job of boxing out and the guards have been better at swooping in to help clean the glass.
— Really nice crowd. Estimated actual attendance was 16,099. Easily the largest student crowd of the year, the result of a free pizza promotion. Was a smart move by the UA considering this was the biggest football recruiting weekend of the year. The visitors and their families got to witness a big crowd that featured a loud, full student section. Will be interesting to see if this is a springboard to boost what has been lackluster student attendance much of the year. The game was a fun one to watch thanks to the offensive fireworks.