FAYETTEVILLE — Mike Anderson reviews Arkansas' win over South Carolina and previews Saturday's game against Vanderbilt:
Mike Anderson
-We played Vanderbilt three times last year, and they came in here and played well. We want to make them a lot more uncomfortable on Saturday.
-They've got some guys that can really shoot, and they do a good job moving without the ball. I like the makeup of their team.
-Our perimeter defense, which has been lacking of late, is going to be a big key. And when our bench is involved it really swings games in our favor. Arkansas got 16 bench points from three players in Tuesday's win.
-On Gabe: He's really improved in practice and bringing a toughness and he fixes things on defense. He's a tremendous passer. And he can play defense. It's his time. As he's gotten those minutes he's done some positive things. He's been really practicing well. This is the time of the year when you need energy, and when you can get that from a 6-8, 6-9 it's a boost.
-Dustin Thomas will play. Practices have been pretty competitive, but in terms of who starts we'll have to see who practices well. Gabe had a big impact on the game and didn't even score. His basketball IQ was huge for our team.
-Gabe takes so many charges because he understands weak-side help and he anticipates things. His instincts are really good and if you get a big guy back there that can really help it can turn into big plays.
-Bryce Drew has done a good job bringing those young kids on. They've scored 80+ in the last four games. Sometimes it can be addition by subtraction. We know they shoot the ball well. We know Fayetteville grad Payton Willis is probably looking forward to playing here.
-We've got to find Jeff Roberson (18 points, 6.5 rebounds in SEC play) in transition and in the halfcourt. He gets into transition well. We've got to be able to match up well and keep him off the 3-point line and make him work like we did with Chris Silva on Tuesday.
-Gabe is just playing the game. The shots will come. You don't have to go get the game; the game will come to you. There will be chances for him to score, but this time of the year defense is what wins games. He's hungry and that gets contagious.