FAYETTEVILLE — Despite its shortcomings during a three-game losing streak, Arkansas coach Mike Anderson is still confident those coming off his bench can provide quality, efficient minutes over the Razorbacks' final six games.
Monday, Anderson said he wouldn't put Desi Sills, Keyshawn Embery-Simpson, Reggie Chaney or Gabe Osabuohien on the floor if he didn't believe in them. But as it has been for a majority of this season, the Razorbacks' bench has been wildly inconsistent during its current three-game SEC losing streak.
In losses at South Carolina and Missouri, plus Saturday's 77-67 home loss to Mississippi State, Arkansas has been outscored 51-29 in bench points. Arkansas got only eight points from reserves in the losses to the Gamecocks and Bulldogs.
"That’s been the, I think, biggest question mark, the biggest thing with this basketball team," Anderson said Monday. "This is the time of year where it’s got to be consistent because our guys that are starting out are playing a lot of minutes. I think right now we’re seeing the results of that. When our bench produces we’ve got much more balance on our basketball team.
"So I think that’s, going down the stretch, our bench, we’re going to have to rely on them."
Anderson's usage of Chaney and Osabuohien has been a big topic of discussion this season seeing that Chaney was one of the more heralded members of Arkansas' 2018 class and thought to be a potential missing piece to the puzzle at the 4 spot, where the Razorbacks have ranked 300-plus in the nation in recent years in terms of scoring at the position.
Osaobuohien, last season, was a little-used forward who, almost out of necessity, saw his role increase following the departures of Darious Hall, Trey Thompson, Dustin Thomas and Arlando Cook. The sophomore has shown flashes of improved play this season, including a six-assist game at LSU and a 13-point night at Ole Miss.
Of late, though, Arkansas has struggled mightily with him in the lineup. During their second losing streak of at least three games in SEC play, the Razorbacks have been outscored 87-41 with Osabuohien on the floor. He was a minus-25 at South Carolina in 20 minutes, minus-9 in 10 minutes at Missouri and minus-12 in eight minutes on Saturday.
Mississippi State went on a 12-1 run in Osabuohien's four second-half minutes after Daniel Gafford was forced to sit with three fouls.
Anderson has long said that Osabuohien's production off the bench is critical to Arkansas' success, and after he turned the ball over three times in his first minute of play against the Bulldogs, he's working to instill confidence in Osabuohien. Following his third turnover Saturday, Anderson took time to encourage the Toronto native as Mississippi State shot free throws.
"From that stand point you want to remember (the mistakes), but you want to have short-term memory and do the things you’ve been doing all year long to help your team win," Anderson said. "Gabe, no question about it, is an impact player for us coming off the bench."
Since blocking five shots in the 70-60 win against Georgia on Jan. 29, Chaney has been up and down at best. He has not played more than 18 minutes in any game this month and is averaging just 3.2 points per game in that span. When asked about Chaney last week, Anderson simply cited inexperience for his inconsistency.
Chaney is averaging 4.8 points and three rebounds per game in SEC play this season, but those numbers climb to 6.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and nearly two blocks in the Razorbacks' 14 wins.
Anderson, still, is also hopeful Sills and Embery-Simpson can alleviate some of the minutes load from Arkansas' starting guards. Embery-Simpson added 16 points in the win at LSU on Feb. 2 and hit the game-winning 3-pointer to beat Vanderbilt, but is 1-of-8 from distance in three games since.
Sills, who has battled injuries to his ribs and left wrist following hard falls at LSU and Vanderbilt, has scored three points or less in the team's last seven games. His last bucket was a 3-pointer against Georgia and he's 0-of-4 from the floor in the last five games.
"Our bench has got to be critical in these next six games," Anderson said. "We’ve got to get them out there, and they’ve got to go out and play and continue to play through their mistakes. But hopefully there's somebody that will give us a lift.
"We’ve got to have more of those (key) moments from those guys."