Energy guys bring energy
Bringing your own energy is big when playing on a neutral floor, and Adrio Bailey and Darious Hall did that for Arkansas in its 69-64 win over South Carolina.
Adrio didn't have a great night shooting the ball - finished 2 of 6 - but he was active on the defensive glass and it led to a nice night at the free throw line. He was 5 of 6 from the stripe, contributing to an impressive 23 of 26 performance at the line.
Bailey knocked down a big free throw line jumper to put the Razorbacks up four after South Carolina clawed back from 15 down to within two with six minutes to play. Adrio was a team-best +16 in the win. I would have to think he will be the primary 4 as Arkansas makes its run through the postseason.
Darious Hall can be out of control at times, but the Razorbacks couldn't have done without his production. Hall added just one bucket in the second half in only five minutes, but he went into halftime with seven points on a 3, midrange jumper and a dunk.
That's another thing I like about Hall's game. He's shown the ability to be able to score at all three levels, and that's impressive considering his game on the offensive end is still a work in progress.
Darious is never short on energy, and Adrio has plenty of spring in his step. A couple of Adrio's rebounds were unbelievable.
"They were critical on the defensive end," Daryl Macon said. "Those are two guys that's never worried about the offense. They've always wanted to show folks what they can do on the other end of the floor. So I've got to congratulate those guys on that."
Barford's big second half
Jaylen Barford was pretty quiet in the first half against South Carolina, but my goodness did he ever close with a statement.
Barford scored 13 of his game-high 17 points after halftime to keep Arkansas from sinking as the Gamecocks fought back from a 15-point deficit. His deep 3 to beat the shot clock was ridiculous, but it's also not completely unbelievable that he hit it. He and Macon have been great in those situations all season.
"I guess it was kind of like a horse shot," Barford said. "So I used that. I knew it was good when it left my hands."
Jaylen followed up that insane bucket with a steal on the other end and a layup to extend Arkansas' lead to 66-59 with just under three minutes to play.
He was 5 of 8 from the floor in the second half and 2 of 3 from deep, and his shotmaking was vital as Daryl struggled with his jumper. Macon was just 2 of 10 and 0 of 5 from distance.
The Razorbacks didn't play great. According to Macon's postgame interview with the SEC Network crew, Arkansas didn't play to its standard. But it says something that it found a way to win.
Facing Florida
Arkansas hasn't had a great deal of success against Florida in recent years.
Actually, Arkansas' last win over Florida came in 2013 when the Gators were No. 2 in the country and in Bud Walton Arena for Super Tuesday. That was a wild night.
Friday night, the Razorbacks will look for their first win over Florida since then and first over the Gators on a neutral floor since the 1999 SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Arkansas won that game 75-74 behind 17 points from Kareem Reid.
Something that could be a positive heading into tonight's game is Jaylen Barford's game at Florida in January. Barford matched a career high with 28 points and knocked down five 3s. He should be confident.
I think the key to getting a win tonight is recognizing and slowing 3-point shooters. Egor Koulechov and Jalen Hudson are snipers, and Kevaughn Allen is more than capable of knocking down jumpers - especially against Arkansas.
"I'm sure those guys will be looking forward to playing," Anderson said. "They're rested up. Should be an entertaining game. They're a dynamic 3-point shooting team, so our defense is really going to have to step it up."
Staying loose
Daryl Macon was asked about Jaylen Barford's wild 3 just before the shot clock sounded with under five minutes to play and gave a response we've come to expect given his openness throughout the season when addressing the media.
"I want to say clutch, but I got to truly say I taught him that," Macon said. "I usually make those shots, and I think he looked at me, and he said, 'I can make this same shot.' So I actually think he got that shot from me to be honest. There it is."
Barford, following the shot, picked off a South Carolina pass and scored on the other end to extend Arkansas' lead. After Barford described that sequence, Macon interjected.
"Want to tell him about the shot?"
"He seen it," Barford responded. "It was wet. He seen the shot."
Mike Anderson was then asked what it's like having Daryl and Jaylen keep things loose postgame and have their personalities shine through.
"I let those guys go on (my radio show), and people get a chance to witness their personalities," he said. "So now some of you guys get a chance. They're a good group. You can see they're very thoughtful kids.
"As a coach, you've got to have that. I'm on them enough myself in practice, but the game's got to be fun, and they're having fun."