No excuses.
Not even for officiating.
The University of Arkansas Razorbacks were outscored in both halves, outplayed in both halves on both ends of the court, and now Mike Anderson has lost four games in a row for the first time since coming to Arkansas.
Ole Miss came out with more intensity, pounded the ball inside and came away with an 84-67 win in Oxford, Miss.
The Rebels had little trouble with the Razorbacks’ press, but this is not Ole Miss Coach Kermit Davis’ first rodeo. Before becoming Cinderella at Middle Tennessee State — where he twice won first-round NCAA Tournament games — he spent five seasons as John Brady’s top assistant at LSU from 1997-2002.
Saying he knows Arkansas is like saying the Rebels are the surprise team of the SEC. They were picked to finish last. They are tied for third at 4-1 with Kentucky and South Carolina.
Davis’ strategy was to double-team Daniel Gafford, who arguably was the best player on the court but struggled mightily against the Rebels. He had only nine points, and five of those came at the free-throw line. He was 2 of 6 from the floor and had 5 turnovers.
Meanwhile, the Rebels pounded the ball inside and attacked the basket, finishing with 44 points in the paint to just 28 for the Razorbacks.
A lot of teams don’t shoot as many threes on the road, but the Arkansas shooters have short memories. On Saturday, they had very short memories.
Arkansas attempted 23 three-pointers — and no, there was not a slew of them late while trying to cut into the deficit — and made only six. Gafford got six shots, plus three he was fouled on that don’t count in the stats. That’s nine total shots for the NBA lottery pick, and 23 three-pointers for others.
Ole Miss was just as fearless while making only 7 of 22 from beyond the arc, but the Rebels did go inside. They also outrebounded the Hogs 40-31, and 13 were offensive.
The biggest difference in this game was Ole Miss played like Arkansas, and Arkansas played like the same team that lost to Tennessee, LSU, Florida, Georgia Tech and Western Kentucky. That’s not a good thing.
The Rebels controlled the tempo. Sometimes they pushed it, sometimes they walked it up. It all depended on the circumstance and Davis, the first-year coach who understood his team and the opponent.
A year ago, Ole Miss finished last in the SEC. Andy Kennedy left the Rebels as head coach before season’s end, saying he couldn’t help the Rebels anymore.
In a short time, Davis has gotten his team to buy into the fact that defense leads to points, that high-percentage shots are better, and you can shoot three-pointers if you have a safe lead.
As for the Razorbacks, they come home after four consecutive SEC losses to prepare for a home game against Missouri, which is a winnable game. Then they must travel to Texas Tech for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Red Raiders are ranked and ready under Chris Beard.
Radio shows are not going to be a parade for Anderson this week. A statement could be made by how many of the 13,000 season-ticket holders show up for the 8 p.m. tip Wednesday night against Anderson’s old team.
In his eighth season, Anderson has made the NCAA Tournament only three times to the tune of a 2-3 record. He knows fans expect and deserve better. He was hired to return the Hogs to the glory days when he was the top assistant to Nolan Richardson. That was the best era of Razorbacks basketball.
Anderson doesn’t like being 10-7 and 1-4 in the SEC, and he’s the one who has to fix it.