FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas freshman guard Desi Sills had seen the floor for more than 20 minutes only twice in the first 25 games of his Razorbacks career.
But when Mike Anderson turned to his bench in search of some grit and a jolt of energy as Arkansas’ play turned stale at Auburn, Sills was ready and waiting. His nine-point, three-rebound, two-assist second half against the Tigers then led to the first two starts of his career against Texas A&M and Kentucky.
In those starts, Sills averaged 11 points on 50 percent from the floor, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Sills knocked down 3-of-5 triple tries in Tuesday's loss at Rupp Arena and 1-of-2 against the Aggies last weekend, marking just the second time he’d made a 3 in back-to-back games this season.
Sills’ recent reemergence as a perimeter threat is also interesting considering he was 1 of his last 10 from distance in the 13 games between the Texas A&M meetings. In that span, he did not attempt a single 3 in eight games.
Anderson said Thursday that Sills has been performing well in practice and he's thrilled to see that play carry over into games.
"I think he's brought some toughness, another defender, and he can create, not only for himself, but he creates for others," Anderson added. "He fixes things on defense and he shows you he can score as well. He gets to the free throw line, so it's confidence."
Sills has in fact gotten to the line with great regularity of late. His aggressiveness attacking the rim has led to 12 trips to the line, second most on the team the last three games behind only Daniel Gafford's 13. His play has also sparked an offense that has struggled for much of SEC play - 11th in the league in offensive efficiency.
Arkansas has scored at a 1.16 point per possession clip with Sills in the lineup the last three games. Anderson has harped on his team valuing the basketball in recent weeks, too, and with Sills on the floor, the Razorbacks' turnover rate is an impressive 14.3 percent over his 119 offensive possessions.
Defensively, the Razorbacks have allowed 1.11 PPP in that same span, but been able to create a bit of havoc for opposing ballhandlers. Arkansas' defensive turnover rate in his 122 defensive possessions is 26.2 percent.
"What he brings is the toughness I think you've got to have," Anderson said, "especially in environments we go into and the teams we're playing."
Osabuohien’s defensive anticipation
Gabe Osabuohien was in an unenviable position entering Tuesday night's game at Kentucky.
The Wildcats feature not only one of the best 4 men in the country in PJ Washington, but a host of other big-bodied forwards who, when the opportunity presents itself, can really use their frames and physicality to carve out space under the rim and get easy buckets.
No other player across the country had been playing quite at the level Washington was heading into the game. He'd scored at least 20 points in eight of Kentucky's previous 11 games and shot better than 50 percent on 2-point looks in all but one game - 4/12 vs. South Carolina.
Arkansas' little-used forward from a year ago was suddenly matched up with a potential SEC Player of the Year candidate. Advantage Kentucky, right?
As it turned out, not exactly. Washington finished the game just 2-of-5 from the floor for nine points and was visibly frustrated throughout the game. Now, Osabuohien isn't the lone forward who should receive credit for slowing Washington, but he was a bit of a nuisance from the jump in contesting entry feeds, which took Washington a bit out of his rhythm.
Osabuohien has made an interesting habit - thanks to his length - of jumping entry feeds after the initial post seal over the last three games, a defensive gamble that has, for the most part, paid dividends for the Razorbacks and allowed them, at times, to run in transition once the ball is knocked free.
Below is a mashup of a few of those instances since the Auburn loss, plus a couple solid anticipation plays on the perimeter:
Certainly there are a number of things in regards to Osabuohien's game that are less than ideal, like his shot selection (2-of-12 from 3 in SEC play) and at-times out of control dribble drives, but he's added another element to his defensive repertoire to go with his charge taking (20 as of Tuesday).
In SEC play only, Arkansas has allowed 1.07 points per possession over Osabuohien's 371 defensive possessions with teams shooting 56 percent inside the arc and 38 percent from 3-point range. However, the Razorbacks' defensive turnover rate is nearly five percent higher (25.1 percent) when he is on the floor, and this move is one reason why.
Throw in the Texas Tech game in late January and that figure jumps to 26.2 percent.
After the first half of the loss at Auburn, Mike Anderson elected to infuse a bit of energy into the lineup, and that included Osabuohien and Sills. Against the Tigers and Aggies, Arkansas forced a turnover on 31 percent of its defensive possessions when they shared the floor. The Razorbacks were plus-6 in that span.
Arkansas has been fairly effective forcing turnovers the last 2.5 games, and should Osabuohien remain in the lineup (16-plus minutes the last 3 games), you'll likely see him continue to jump passing lanes in this way and kickstart the break.
Isaiah Joe + forward pick-and-roll
Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy, when asked about Isaiah Joe's 20-point night against the Aggies last Saturday, said the freshman sharpshooter was at the heart of the Arkansas scouting report.
Coaches across the SEC have already taken notice of Joe's ability to knock down the 3 and are gameplanning to specifically limit his catch-and-shoot opportunities. Less than 20 percent of Joe's made 3s are off the bounce, so teams are attempting to run him off the line and forcing him to put the ball on the floor - essentially daring him to create points in other ways.
And he's struggled mightily at times doing so due to a lack of upper-body strength. But, in a few instances of late, he's combatted that approach by working with Daniel Gafford and Reggie Chaney in high ballscreens. The return has been positive, too.
The most noteworthy case came against Texas A&M with Arkansas down 52-48 in the second half and searching for offense late in the shot clock. Being the marked man he is, Aggies guard TJ Starks goes over the top of Gafford's pick to erase any chance of Joe pulling the trigger from deep, and with forward Josh Nebo stepping in front of Joe to take away the dribble drive, it leaves Gafford unattended as he slashes through the paint.
Joe hits Gafford with a bounce pass leading him toward the rim and from there it's an easy bucket for arguably the best rim runner in the league, plus the foul.
The three clips following the PnR described above are more cases for Arkansas to use Joe in pick-and-roll action with forwards - specifically Gafford and Reggie Chaney - more regularly. Forcing opponents to have to account for and defend your two best players at once seems like optimal halfcourt offense.
This can work not only because Joe is one of the premiere 3-point shooters in the SEC, but because he is an unselfish and willing passer and routinely looks for the roll man. He hit Gafford for a bucket around the restricted area early against the Wildcats, then, later, hit Chaney for a nice midrange jumper as he drew attention from Ashton Hagans and Washington on the perimeter.
Lastly, in the clip beginning at the 16-second mark, Joe will have the option to work himself into a 3 or a midrange jumper should his defensive matchup slack a bit off the pick. Joe missed the jumper in the example provided, but it remains a shot you will live with 10 out of 10 times.
Joe is 5-of-9 on midrange jumpers over the last three games, including a 3-of-4 night against the Aggies in which he went to his left and right hand off the bounce for scores. We'll see if this turns into something Arkansas goes to with a little more regularity in the halfcourt.
Also, a special shoutout to my buddy Pinto for doing his best to tweet the Joe-Gafford pick-and-roll into existence.
Saturday home troubles
"It's nice to finally get a win here," said a soft-spoken Billy Kennedy after the Aggies' seven-point win last weekend.
Kennedy had fallen short in his previous five trips to Bud Walton Arena with Texas A&M, including the Razorbacks' 74-71 upset win over the No. 5 Aggies in January 2016.
Arkansas also ran No. 21 Texas A&M off the floor last season in Fayetteville. But last Saturday was sweet for Kennedy, and it's the latest case of the Razorbacks failing to defend their home floor in Saturday showcases.
Ironically, along the hallway just outside the Bud Walton Arena interview room is a graphic of Kennedy's quote from 2016 in which he declared the arena "The toughest place to play in the SEC."
Prior to this season, Arkansas was virtually untouchable in Bud Walton Arena on Saturdays under Mike Anderson, winning 42 of 47 games by an average of better than 13 points. The Razorbacks are 2-4 in such games this season and have lost four of their last five.
"I always talk about that this is one of the places that people come here thinking they don’t have a chance," Anderson said after the loss. "So I’m disappointed. I really, really am."
Discarding the 121-89 win over FIU on Dec. 1, opponents are averaging 81.2 points per game against the Razorbacks in these games, including 94 from LSU in an overtime loss and the Aggies' 87.
Arkansas' defense is the root to many of those problems, allowing 1.12 points per possession to Western Kentucky, Texas State, LSU, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Those five teams combined to shoot 55.4 percent on 2-point field goals and 39.4 percent from 3-point range.
Conversely, Arkansas has shot a woeful 27.7 percent from deep in those games and turned the ball over on just shy of 20 percent of its offensive possessions. Even if you add Isaiah Joe's historic shooting performance against FIU, Arkansas is still shooting 33 percent from deep in Saturday home games this season.
Arkansas' two remaining home games - Ole Miss, Alabama - both fall on Saturdays. It would be in the Razorbacks' best interest to win at least one of those games in hopes of avoiding a sub.-500 season, which, as we all know, Anderson has never had in 17 years as a head coach.
Good, bad and ugly from February
Good: Isaiah Joe. The freshman standout from Fort Smith Northside is four 3-pointers away from tying Scotty Thurman's single-season program record for 3s made. Joe sits at 98 with three regular season games to play plus at least one game in the SEC Tournament and, barring something unforeseen, will bypass the record with flying colors. Joe is currently in a tie for third-most 3s in a season with Pat Bradley. In second place is Rotnei Clarke, who hit 100 3s in 2010. Joe broke Arkansas' single-season freshman record for 3s made in a loss at Missouri on Feb. 12. His 98 3-pointers this season place him ninth nationally regardless of class.
Also Good: Daniel Gafford. He averaged 17.5 points and just shy of nine rebounds per game in February in a career-high 232 minutes. The 17.5 point-per-game average is the highest in his career in the months of January-March. Gafford finished with at least 23 points in four of eight February games and shot better than 50 percent from the floor in all but one - 2-of-7 vs. Mississippi State.
Bad: 3-point shooting. This Arkansas team has a real chance to be the second worst 3-point shooting team not only in Mike Anderson's tenure, but in his head coaching career. The Razorbacks rank 249th nationally in 3-point accuracy at 32.9 percent. It is Anderson's worst 3-point shooting team since the 2012-13 season (30 percent). Anderson's first two teams at UAB had a tough time from distance, shooting 32.9 and 33 percent, respectively.
For the month of February, Joe shot 29-of-70 from 3-point range - 41.4 percent. The rest of the roster made 29 3-pointers on 103 attempts. Mason Jones finished the month 15-of-48 from deep, and Jalen Harris, Adrio Bailey and Gabe Osabuohien combined to make 3-of-26 3-point attempts (11.5 percent). Harris himself made just 1 of 16 triple tries.
Ugly: Defense. In eight conference games, Arkansas allowed opponents to score at a 1.11 point per possession clip, the highest mark in the month of February dating back to 2014. It's also the highest figure in any month since giving up 1.14 PPP in five games last March. Missouri and Texas A&M, well into the bottom half of the conference in offensive efficiency, scored at 1.22 and 1.26 PPP rates against the Razorbacks in wins.
Also Ugly: 3-point defense. Opponents combined to shoot 41 percent from distance against Arkansas in February. Arkansas' perimeter defense has progressively gotten worse as the season has gone on. Opponents shot 29.8 percent from deep in November, 30.7 in December and 36.1 percent in January.