FAYETTEVILLE -- This is Frank Martin's sixth season as South Carolina's coach, but he's been taking on Mike Anderson's teams for a lot longer than that.
Tonight's game in Walton Arena between the Gamecocks and Arkansas Razorbacks will be the 10th time in the last 11 seasons Anderson's and Martin's teams have played at least once.
It will be their 16th game against each other overall.
Anderson and Martin's matchups go back to their Big 12 days -- when Anderson coached at Missouri and Martin at Kansas State -- and have continued in the SEC.
"Frank and I are really good friends away from this, but once you get between the lines, it's Arkansas versus South Carolina," Anderson said. "He's a competitor, just like I'm a competitor.
"He wants his team to go out and compete at a high level and win and the same thing here. His teams mirror him. I'm hoping my team will mirror me."
Anderson is 8-7 against Martin. They were 4-4 against each in the Big 12 and now Anderson's Razorbacks are 4-3 against Martin's Gamecocks.
"Any time you play Mike's teams you know two things," Martin said. "Defensively they're going to be relentless and offensively they're going to do an unbelievable job of sharing the ball.
"Their player movement and ball movement on offense is tremendous and you had better be disciplined defensively or they start making shots and that starts setting up their press.
"And if you turn it over against them, you're in deep, deep trouble. It's definitely not one of the funner teams to play against because of how consistent they are with how well they play."
Not since Corliss
Daryl Macon, a senior guard from Little Rock, is the first Razorback to score 20 or more points in five consecutive games since All-American forward Corliss Williamson did it during the 1994-95 season.
Macon has scored 20 points against Ole Miss, 25 at Georgia, 22 against Oklahoma State, 20 at Texas A&M and 22 at LSU.
Three-point defense
LSU made the most three-point baskets against the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville this season when the Tigers hit 15 of 30 last Saturday in a 94-86 victory, but defending the perimeter has been a constant issue for the Razorbacks in SEC play.
Arkansas has allowed eight or more three-point baskets in eight of 10 SEC games, including Florida going 13 of 25, Auburn 11 of 20 and Ole Miss and Missouri each 11 of 29.
SEC opponents are shooting 40.4 percent (180 of 246) on three-pointers against Arkansas and have outscored the Razorbacks 540-405 from beyond the arc.
Coach Mike Anderson said the Razorbacks need to do a better job of giving extra effort defensively on the perimeter and reacting quicker to ball movement.
"Our rotation seems like it's off a half step, and with teams in our league, guys are capable of shooting it," Anderson said. "It seems the teams we play aren't shooting the ball well before they play us, but it seems like they get their rhythm.
"So you've got to have that energy to get to that next pass whether you contest a shot or run them off the three-point line. The anticipating and getting there.
"I think we have some guys that have lacked that third and fourth effort that's got to take place when you play the style of basketball we play. It's called fixing things on defense, and we haven't done it."
Anderson said he believes the issues on defense are more mental than physical.
"Everything we do is in," he said of the defensive schemes. "I think it's more of the mental approach now. You've got to have that want-to to stop people.
"Earlier in the year, we had a really good balance in how we were playing. Then I thought we tried to beat people by outscoring them ... We have to get more guys involved.
"I think that will really put energy in the building, put energy in the floor. You play defense with energy, you play defense with toughness, you play defense with heart."
South Carolina has hit 68 of 207 three-pointers (32.9 percent) in SEC games.
"I don't know Mike's reasons why things go right and wrong on his team," South Carolina Coach Frank Martin said when asked about the Razorbacks' struggles with three-point defense. "I know this -- teams have been trying to attack them on the interior. So maybe it's collapsing their defense, which then is allowing people to get open and hit step-in threes.
"But when they're locked in and their young guy [6-11 freshman Daniel Gafford] doesn't get in foul trouble inside, they sit down and guard with the best of them."
Getting to the line
When the Razorbacks play South Carolina junior forward Chris Silva tonight, they will have faced the top three players nationally in free throws attempted along with Bucknell senior forward Zach Thomas and Oklahoma freshman guard Trae Young.
Thomas, who hit 5 of 9 free throws in Arkansas' 101-73 victory over the Bison, leads the nation in free-throw attempts and has hit 175 of 231.
Young and Silva are tied for second nationally in attempts. Young, who hit 8 of 9 in the Razorbacks' 92-83 victory over the Sooners, is 173 of 207 on the season. Silva has hit 154 of 207.
"He's their go-to guy," Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said of Silva. "We have to do a good job on him and keep him off the boards."
Silva is averaging 7.8 rebounds per game, including 3.1 on the offensive end.
In the Gamecocks' 77-72 victory at Florida, Silva had 18 points and 12 rebounds. He had 4 offensive rebounds and hit 8 of 9 free throws.
"Chris Silva is as hard a guy as there is in college basketball to block out," Florida Coach Mike White said. "Sometimes it takes even putting two guys on him."
More balance
Senior guards Jaylen Barford and Macon have been scoring 50 percent of the Razorbacks' points in SEC games. Barford is averaging 19.9 points and Macon 18.4 in conference play for a combined 38.3 of the Razorbacks' 76.8.
"We can't be a one- or two-man team," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "Or a three-man team. We've got to get more people involved.
"But it's got to be from an offensive standpoint and defensive standpoint. That's one thing we've got to understand. We've got to do both. It's a balance."
Two-sport Gamecock
South Carolina 6-4 sophomore guard Evan Hinson, who has started the previous nine games, is also a reserve tight end for the Gamecocks.
Since joining the basketball team, Hinson has averaged 3.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 11.0 minutes in 13 games. In SEC play the 240-pound Hinson is averaging 4.4 points and 2.1 rebounds.
Sports on 02/06/2018