FAYETTEVILLE --The University of Arkansas men's basketball team will come out of its longest break between games this season to play Florida International on Saturday night.
When the Razorbacks (4-1) tip off against the Panthers (7-1) at 7 p.m. in Walton Arena, it will have been eight days since Arkansas' last game -- a 78-60 victory over Texas-Arlington on Nov. 23.
UP NEXT
Arkansas men vs Florida International
WHEN 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE Walton Arena, Fayetteville
RECORDS Arkansas 4-1; FIU 7-1
SERIES First meeting
TELEVISION None
INTERNET SEC Network-plus
RADIO Razorback Sports Network
The Razorbacks played three games in six days -- beating Indiana and Montana State along with Texas-Arlington -- before their current break from play.
Last week's three games, along with Arkansas' 81-58 victory over California-Davis, all were played in Walton Arena, but were part of the Hardwood Classic that allowed the Razorbacks to schedule three extra opponents.
All of the tournament's games had to be scheduled within a two-week span, which began when Indiana beat Montana State 80-35 on Nov. 9.
That meant Arkansas had to complete its four games by last Friday when it played Texas-Arlington.
"Obviously, we could have probably had some games scheduled in between," Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said. "But I think it works out."
Florida International comes into the game after winning 81-80 at Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday night.
Arkansas will look to extend its winning streak to five games after opening with a 73-71 overtime loss to Texas at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.
"We're not going to be rusty, because we know what it's going to be like come game time," said Razorbacks freshman guard Isaiah Joe, who is averaging 12.8 points. "We know what to expect. We've put all the time into practice."
Anderson said the Razorbacks had to adjust to practicing all of this week after playing three games in swift succession.
"They've been going, going, going and all off a sudden they have a lull," Anderson said of his players. "We've just had to challenge them in practice.
I think that's the key. Put some scrimmaging periods in there where it's still game-like situations. You've got to be creative with that.
"So I'm sure our guys are anxious to play somebody other than themselves."
Arkansas junior forward Adrio Bailey, averaging 11.2 points and 3.6 rebounds, said Anderson hasn't let up on the team this week.
"Coach is always making sure we stay like the 'Fastest 40,' " Bailey said, using the team's marketing slogan. "So even though we had these days [without playing games], we're still going to be in the gym working.
"You never want to lose focus. You never want to get too comfortable with the few wins we do have. We're still constantly trying to get better each and every day."
Anderson said the Razorbacks have focused on offensive execution, shooting free throws and rebounding.
"You can never shoot enough free throws," he said.
This week was a positive, Anderson said, in terms of the Razorbacks showing improvement.
"There's some games where we kind of got away from what we're doing in terms of ball movement and people movement," he said. "But each and every game I can see us starting to pick up on the things we're trying to do.
"We're rebounding the ball a lot better. We're getting much better shots."
The week of practice has been especially beneficial for freshman guard Jordan Phillips, who wasn't able to practice until Nov. 19 as he continued to recover from a knee injury.
"Sometimes you've been out for so long, you want to do something so bad that it doesn't go the way you want it to go," Anderson said. "I don't want him to be pressing. So I just tell him, 'Go at your own pace.'
"I think he's doing a good job of getting in there and working with the coaches. Even after we get through practicing he's working on doing some extra stuff to try to get into a rhythm."
Sports on 11/30/2018