FAYETTEVILLE — A few thoughts and notes following Arkansas' win over Vanderbilt:
Daryl and Jaylen
Soak in what Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon are providing for Arkansas while you can because what we're seeing right now is truly special.
The senior guards combined for 37 points and knocked down 8 of their 12 looks from distance. Daryl Macon reached the 20-point mark for a seventh straight game, placing himself a game shy of the program's longest such streak - Corliss Williamson scored 20+ eight games in a row during the Razorbacks' national championship season.
Daryl looked determined to get there tonight and really had to work for it after scoring just six before the halftime break. His 17 shot attempts tonight are the most in a league game since the conference opener against Tennessee (18).
Meanwhile, Jaylen has become near-automatic from 3-point range, and continues to wow with his range. This is a guy that shot under 27 percent from deep a season ago. To make the jump he has is flat incredible.
After making 4 of 6 attempts tonight, Barford is shooting 48 percent from distance in SEC play. Jaylen is making a strong case for first team All-SEC right now, and it's hard to argue against it.
Gafford putting it together
Daniel Gafford is kind of quietly stringing together some of his best basketball in SEC play.
Saturday marked the third straight game Gafford finished in double figures after a stretch of three games against Georgia, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M in which he scored just 11 points.
His 16 points were one shy of a high in conference games, but he did a lot more than just score the ball. Gafford was a rebound shy of a double-double and also recorded a career-high seven blocks. Gafford averaged five blocks per game in two wins this week.
He added to his highlight reel, too, late in the game with a block of Fayetteville High grab Payton Willis. Gafford then hammered home a windmill dunk worthy of a high spot on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays. His athleticism and willingness to run the floor and beat his matchup down the floor never ceases to amaze me.
With a trying stretch of games upcoming, Gafford is going to play a key role in how Arkansas finishes. And if he performs as he has over the last 10 days, the Hogs will be in good shape.
Limiting leading scorers
Arkansas picked up a pair of really vital wins this week, and did it by limiting South Carolina and Vanderbilt's stars.
Chris Silva struggled more on Tuesday than he had in weeks, finishing with just eight points on a single make from the floor. Saturday, Commordores leading scorer Jeff Roberson didn't fare any better.
Roberson was a focal point for Mike Anderson in the days leading up to the game, and Arkansas really made things difficult for him. Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew said he didn't think Roberson had his legs under him in the loss. He was averaging 18 points and 6.5 rebounds entering the game and totaled just eight points on 2 of 10 shooting - 0 of 5 from 3.
The Commodores did not have a player reach double figures Saturday, which drew a stunned response from Daryl Macon postgame. Roberson and Riley LaChance combined to shoot 5 of 21 in the loss. The Hogs did a solid job this week taking away opponents' No. 1 option.