FAYETTEVILLE -- University of Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson went out of character Saturday night with some locker room dance moves that were recorded and distributed on social media by the basketball program after the Razorbacks upset No. 19 LSU 90-89 in Baton Rouge.
Anderson, not known for extravagant post-game behavior, was also drenched with bottles of water by his players, which was point guard Jalen Harris' idea according to his teammates.
"I was just having fun with our guys," Anderson said. "That's all.
"It's one of those instinctive things. Our guys were excited. They doused me with water, and so I just [thought], 'You know what, let's have a little fun.'"
Arkansas guard Keyshawn Embery-Simpson said he thought he recognized Anderson's moves.
"I guess he was trying to do 'The Shoot,' I'm guessing," he said.
"He was trying to do 'The Shoot.' It's a dance from Memphis," added forward Gabe Osabuohien. "It was fun. It was a little bit of a celebration, but we enjoyed it to midnight, and we're back at it."
Anderson's moves were graded by his granddaughter, Miikayla, who is 13.
"I know I got critiqued by my granddaughter," he said. "She said 'Popi, we're working on that this week.'"
Anderson said he couldn't recall his players dousing him with water after a victory, but it might have happened once when he was at Missouri.
"It's different for me, let me put it that way," he said. "I'm so into the moment. After that game, my mind's already on Vanderbilt.
"But with this team here, I think they poured their heart and guts out in that game, so I wanted it to be a fun day for them."
Sills update
Arkansas freshman guard Desi Sills didn't come back into the game at LSU after taking a hard fall when he attempted to block a shot by Skylar Mays with 12:55 left in the second half.
Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said he expects Sills to play against Vanderbilt tonight.
"I think he's going to be OK," Anderson said. "He bruised some ribs or something. It knocked the wind out of him, I know that."
Foul calls
Arkansas' 32-7 deficit in made free throws at LSU on Saturday was the second-widest negative margin in that department since 1981-82, according to Hogstats.com.
The widest margin was a discrepancy of 26 -- 40 to 14 -- in a 104-80 loss to No. 3 Massachusetts on Nov. 25, 1994.
Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson was asked whether he talked to the referees when the foul and free-throw discrepancy kept piling up.
"I say plenty to them," Anderson said Saturday. "Trust me. Trust me."
Anderson was asked again Monday about the discrepancy.
"I voiced my opinion, trust me, I did," he said when asked how he was able to complain but not draw a technical foul. "They knew what time it was. That's the bottom line right there."
Gabe's assists
Arkansas forward Gabe Osabuohien had a career-high six assists at LSU. He initially was credited with five assists in the box score, but picked up a sixth after a review of the game tape.
"The key to getting my assists was we were shooting the ball very well at LSU," Osabuohien said. "So I was able to find the open shooters, Isaiah [Joe] and Keyshawn [Embery-Simpson]."
The Razorbacks shot 58.3 percent (35 of 60) from the field, with Joe and Embery-Simpson a combined 12 of 22. Arkansas 6-11 sophomore Daniel Gafford shot 11 of 15.
"We have Dan in the paint," Osabuohien said. "When he gets the ball, it's almost guaranteed a bucket or a foul."
Rebounding
Arkansas beat Georgia and LSU in its past two games despite being outrebounded 56-32 by the Bulldogs and 44-20 by the Tigers.
"The thing that glares at you is the rebounding," Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said. "So we've got to be able to correct that.
"Seems like maybe you can correct something over here and something else opens up. That's the sign of a team that's learning as they go."
Georgia had 23 offensive rebounds -- getting the ball on half of its 46 misses. LSU had 19 offensive rebounds on 33 misses.
"Accountability is going to be big," Anderson said. "Guys that do it [rebound] are going to be out on the floor. I think that's the big key right now."
The Razorbacks had 14 blocked shots against Georgia -- their most ever in an SEC game -- and held the Bulldogs to 29.2 percent shooting.
"They missed a bunch of shots, so there's going to be a lot of rebounds, but I think it can be an issue," Anderson said. "It can come back to haunt you."
Back in lead
Gabe Osabuohien regained the lead in charges taken for the Razorbacks with three at LSU, raising his total to 17 this season. Isaiah Joe is second with 14 charges taken.
Found a home
Jordan Phillips, a 6-7 guard who played in seven games off the bench for Arkansas as a freshman this season, has enrolled at Texas-Arlington, the Mavericks' basketball program announced in a Twitter post.
Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said Jan. 8 that Phillips had decided to transfer.
Phillips, who is from Fort Worth, will be eligible to play for UTA as a sophomore for the 2019-20 season after the fall semester ends.
Phillips had become the 10th player in Arkansas' rotation after recovering from knee surgery to repair a meniscus tear. Before knee surgery last summer, he also was sidelined for several weeks because of a hip injury in the spring.
After being cleared to practice with the Razorbacks on Nov. 19, Phillips played a total of 38 minutes and had 10 points and 5 rebounds.
Sports on 02/05/2019