FAYETTEVILLE -- Usually when his Razorbacks struggle, Mike Anderson harps on defense.
Not this time. Not these last three games, 78-77 and 69-65 losses at Walton Arena in Fayetteville to Western Kentucky sandwiching a far more difficult than the 79-67 final score victory over Texas-San Antonio at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
Particularly against Georgia Tech, these young Razorbacks lived up to their billing as better defensively than last season's squad graduating six seniors.
"Defensively we held them to 69 points," Anderson said.
And they stung the Yellow Jackets, extracting 20 Georgia Tech turnovers.
"We had ample opportunities to take over the game," Anderson said. "We missed open shots. We just didn't score. And we didn't take care of the basketball (16 turnovers). That's what came back and killed us was the unforced turnovers."
The crux of it -- Georgia Tech, like Western Kentucky and for a good portion, Texas-San Antonio, too -- controlled the tempo and the Razorbacks by slowing them down with a zone defense.
On paper, Arkansas sports three key ingredients that should mix for an antidote against zones. The Razorbacks sport a nationally coveted center, 6-11 sophomore Daniel Gafford of El Dorado, to be an inside focal point. They have a pass-first point guard, Jalen Harris, who has been leading the nation in assists/turnover ratio.
And they have a three-point shooting zone buster, freshman guard Isaiah Joe.
Only problem -- like the SEC teams will starting with Texas A&M, Jan. 5 in College Station, Texas, after the Razorbacks complete their December nonconference at Walton with Texas State today and Austin Peay next Friday night -- the last three teams thoroughly read the ongoing scouting book compiling on Gafford, Harris and Joe.
The book on Gafford, as authored by heavier Western Kentucky and Georgia Tech centers Charles Bassey and James Banks, is bang him around. And though new -- with Harris a sophomore transfer from the University of New Mexico redshirted last season at Arkansas, and Joe a true freshman -- reading material on those two guards already abounds.
"People have scouting reports," Anderson said. "They're going to get after Daniel. They're going to push him around, and he's got to be able to counter that."
While Harris' principal offensive job is to distribute, zone defenses tend to play 5 on 4 whether on Gafford or Joe and dare Harris to shoot from three-point land. He's hit but 2 of 24.
"He's getting good shots because they're backing off him," Anderson said.
They'll keep backing off until Harris converts good looks at shots into points.
Meanwhile, the more that zones back off Harris, the more perimeter defenders pester Joe.
"They're challenging Isaiah," Anderson said. "They're getting after him a little bit, which is good because that's what we're going to see in the SEC. You've got to make the adjustment as teams keep coming at you."
These Hogs have a two-week learning curve, cramming to keep the SEC from taking them to school.
Editorial on 12/22/2018