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Hogs close shop early vs. '24-7' Cowboys

Oklahoma State's Phil Forte drives into three Arkansas defenders during an NCAA college basketball game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday Jan. 28, 2017. (Tyler Drabek/Tulsa World via AP)

No doubt Saturday's SEC-Big 12 Challenge was not good for the Arkansas Razorbacks, but at this point in the season it did make for some interesting viewing.

There could only be 10 games because the Big 12 is mathematically challenged with 10 teams and showing no interest in actually having 12.

Seven of the games were determined by seven points or less, with the closest game being Baylor's 78-75 victory over Ole Miss. That was a strong showing by the Rebels, who are tied for 10th place in the SEC, while Baylor is tied with Kansas for first place in the Big 12.

The Bears' only loss occurred at West Virginia, which is tied for third, but on their home court the Mountaineers also beat Kansas, which has two losses. The other Kansas loss was the season's first game when the Jayhawks lost to Indiana 103-99, but they rocked and chalked to 19 consecutive victories before the loss to the Mountaineers.

Kansas beat SEC leader Kentucky 79-73 in Lexington, Ky., and that could be a pretty big statement if the Wildcats were hoping to be a No. 1 seed in March Madness.

West Virginia beat Texas A&M, which is tied for 10th in the SEC, 81-77, giving the Big 12 a clean sweep for its three ranked teams.

Iowa State, which is tied with the Mountaineers for third place, went to Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., and went home with a loss, 84-78. Vanderbilt is in that four-way SEC tie for 10th place.

An improving Tennessee team, which is tied for sixth place in the SEC, beat Kansas State, the fifth-place team in the Big 12, 70-58. The Volunteers are a team to keep an eye on as college basketball enters February's feeding frenzy.

Tennessee is riding a three-game victory streak that includes a victory over Kentucky.

Texas Tech, coached by the same Chris Beard, who led UALR to an NCAA Tournament victory last season, is tied for sixth place in the Big 12. It beat 13th-place LSU, 77-64.

As nice a guy as he is, LSU Coach Johnny Jones has to be feeling the heat in his fifth season. He is 89-60 overall, which is OK, but he's 41-38 in SEC play and has been to the NCAA Tournament once, and that was two years ago. Does anyone have former Mississippi State Coach Rick Stansbury's phone number?

TCU, the Big 12's seventh-place team, was beaten 88-80 by Auburn, and the Tigers are part of that SEC logjam for 10th place.

Oklahoma, Texas and Oklahoma State are fighting it out for the Big 12 cellar.

Florida, the SEC's third-place team (second place South Carolina did not participate), blew by the Sooners 84-52, and the only thing on Oklahoma's March calendar is spring break.

Georgia, which is in a tie for the SEC's sixth spot, squeaked by Texas 59-57. The Longhorns, at 2-6, are in a three-way tie for last in the Big 12.

Which leaves the Hogs' surprising loss to the Cowboys. Oklahoma might have endured the largest margin of defeat at 32 points, but that wasn't a surprise.

The Razorbacks' effort was not typical of a Mike Anderson-coached team, and he made numerous substitutions to try different combinations. But the Hogs seemed flat on defense, especially half-court defense.

The Cowboys had too many uncontested layups and dunks, and some of that was because the Hogs were defending the perimeter and OSU exploited that with 24 assists.

The Razorbacks had only seven assists, and that's a 24-7 no team needs.

Overall, Kansas and Baylor helped themselves last Saturday for the Big 12. Florida's victory was a positive for the Gators. Everything else seemed about right, except for the Razorbacks, who slowed down at the wrong time.

Sports on 01/31/2017