FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas guard Mason Jones is on a tear unlike any other in his Razorbacks career entering Tuesday's showdown with No. 11 Auburn in Bud Walton Arena.
The junior became the first Arkansas player since 2002 to score 30-plus points in back-to-back games on Saturday, and he has scored at least 19 points in five consecutive games going back to Jan. 18.
Over the Razorbacks' last three outings, Jones has scored at the rim and worked his way to the free throw line almost at will. In that span, he is 14 of 16 on attempts in the lane and taken 44 free throws, of which he has made 31.
Jones' 44 attempts are the most of any player in the SEC over the last 10 days. They are also a byproduct of the 30 fouls he has drawn since the TCU game - 9 vs. the Horned Frogs and Alabama, 12 vs. South Carolina.
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said Monday that is a credit to Jones' creativity with the ball in his hands, noting he can be "unorthodox" when playing off the bounce.
"Certainly drawing free throws helps a team in so many ways," he added. "Probably the general fan doesn’t understand, when you draw free throws attempted it helps your defense, because the other team’s not playing in the flow of the game and your defense can get set.
"With any player, you obviously want guys that can shoot the ball from the perimeter, but then you want guys that can draw fouls. That’s so important. His ballhandling, he can go left, he can go right, he can shoot the midrange. He can get all the way to the rim and finish. He’s just a versatile guy. We’ve seen teams try to go big on him. We’ve seen teams try to go small on him.
"He’s found a way to score the ball regardless of who’s been on him for the most part."
Through 20 games played, the analytics say Jones is among the nation's best at creating contact and attracting whistles. He is drawing an average of 7.3 fouls on opponents per 40 minutes played, according to KenPom.
That figure places him 10th nationally and second in the SEC behind Auburn forward Austin Wiley.
Asked if Jones' crafty nature reminds him of a former player at Nevada or beyond, Musselman essentially said no. Entering the 2019-20 season, Musselman and his coaching staff did not envision Jones playing what he calls the point-forward position.
But over time and through staff experimentation, slowly working Jones through various actions, he has created his own role. And in that unique role, Jones' play has sparked conference player of the year discussion at the midway point in the league schedule.
"Watching the film and stuff (of last season), I didn't think that he was going to be able to handle the ball in pick-and-rolls," Musselman said. "He got a few chances early and he did well, then 1-2 pick-and-rolls in one of our earlier games turns into him handling the ball 5-6 times in the pick-and-roll.
"Then he's handling the ball in pick-and-roll 20 times. He's earned it."
Aside from his ability to score using ballscreens, he is doubly dangerous because of his court vision, which Musselman has complimented a number of times this season. In conference-only games, he sits at No. 7 in the SEC in assist rate, per KenPom, picking up an assist on 26.5 percent of Arkansas' scores.
His jump from sophomore to junior season has been remarkable. His usage rate is up nearly 10 percent over last season as well. Now in the heart of SEC play, Jones leads the Razorbacks in scoring (19.8) and assists (69).
"Some experiments fail, and the 'Mason Jones with the ball in his hands' experiment has not failed," Musselman said. "It's been successful. And most of it has to do with all the work he put in in the offseason.
"It's awesome when a guy works hard and then his game elevates, which is what's happened with Mason."