Vance Jackson capitalized on a season high in minutes played for the University of Arkansas with his best game since the season opener Wednesday night in Knoxville, Tenn.
The 6-9 grad transfer scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds in the Razorbacks’ 79-74 loss at No. 9 Tennessee. Jackson played a season-high 33 minutes. His previous had been 23 minutes.
Jackson was more aggressive with his shot and driving. He also converted 3 of 6 three-pointers to lead the Razorbacks from beyond the arc.
“I’m hungry, you know what I’m saying?” Jackson said. “I’m hungry for playing time. I’m hungry to be out there on the court.
“I feel like I’m a big piece for us to win. So, I’m just trying to take advantage of every given opportunity.”
Jackson’s three-pointer at the 11:31 mark of the first half gave Arkansas an 18-13 lead and snapped a streak of six consecutive misses from that range for him dating back to the Abilene Christian game Dec. 22.
He went 0 for 2 at Auburn, did not take a shot against Missouri on Saturday, and was 0 for 2 against the Vols before his shot swished through from the right wing.
Jackson also drove into the lane and made a couple of scoop shots against Tennessee’s tough interior defense and grabbed nine defensive boards.
“Vance Jackson gave us a huge lift both offensively and on the backboard,” Coach Eric Musselman said. “I think he needed a confidence boost. He did exactly what we wanted. His struggles at times have been on the defensive side, and he’s really worked hard to do what we want from a technique standpoint from lowering his hips. He was hungry for his minutes.
“I thought Vance did a great job, and certainly he’s earned the trust of our staff and earned the right to move himself up in our rotation without a doubt.”
Topsy-turny
The Razorbacks were the second-best team in the SEC behind Tennessee in ball security entering Wednesday’s game with only 11.3 turnovers per game, but the Hogs had 11 in the first half alone and wound up with a season-high 20.
Tennessee turned its 20-5 advantage in turnovers gained into a 19-4 edge in points off turnovers.
“If we take a little bit better care of the ball, really the only area that I’m upset with is just our turnovers tonight,” Coach Eric Musselman said. “Everything else I thought we did a pretty doggone good job to give ourselves a chance to win against a top 10 team in the country.”
The Razorbacks’ previous season high in turnovers had been 16 against North Texas, and they had averaged 9.5 turnovers in their first two SEC games.
Swat, layup
The Razorbacks got a four-point swing in the last five seconds of the first half. Connor Vanover blocked a Jaden Springer shot from in tight at the 0:05 mark. The ball wound up in the hands of JD Notae, who drove the length of the court and made a left-handed layup just before the final horn with two defenders around him.
8 seconds lost
Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman was fuming as the Razorbacks lost eight seconds after a JD Notae layup with 1:34 remaining.
The ball rolled by the foot of Tennessee’s John Fulkerson and went behind the goal standard. As Fulkerson turned to talk to a referee, the clock operator did not stop the clock. It took eight seconds for the Vols to inbound.
New group
Jaylin Williams made his first start at forward for the Razorbacks, joining guards Moses Moody, Desi Sills and Jalen Tate, and center Connor Vanover. The freshman started in the Justin Smith spot after classmate Davonte Davis got that assignment in the last game.
Williams was active early in the game, drawing a couple of fouls (one on a charging call), nabbing a defensive rebound and going 2 for 2 from the floor. He finished with 3-of-3 shooting, 2 rebounds, a blocked shot and 4 turnovers in 14 minutes.
Taking Yves
Arkansas guard Jalen Tate found himself guarded by Tennessee forward Yves Pons, a premier shot blocker, after a switch early in the game.
Tate drove into the lane and went right up in Pons’ chest and got his short bank shot to fall at the 18:06 mark to give Arkansas a 4-2 lead.
ESPN analyst and former Arkansas player and women’s coach Jimmy Dykes said Pons had given up just nine points as the on-ball defender through the Vols’ first eight games.
A few minutes later, Tate took a shot in the lane and Pons, who was not guarding him, swatted it away.
Later in the first half, Vance Jackson also scored with a left-hand scoop in the lane on Pons.
Series update
Tennessee improved its all-time lead to 23-21 over Arkansas, including 14-4 in Knoxville.
9-2 start
Tennessee outscored the Razorbacks 9-2 through the first media timeout of the second half to turn a 40-33 deficit into a 42-42 tie.
The Razorbacks had four turnovers during that stretch, some of them under no pressure, such as JD Notae stepping out of bounds in the corner, and Desi Sills losing the handle on a ball and having it fall out of bounds.
Smith update
During the second half, ESPN announcer Tom Hart said Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman told him forward Justin Smith’s right ankle surgery went well and he should be back “sooner than expected,” after the early projection was three to six weeks.
Musselman clarified after the game, saying, “His surgery went well, but it’s really too early for us to tell what the timeline is gonna be. He’s still got to get on the underwater treadmill and he’s still in a boot.
“I think the doctors and training staff is really happy thus far with the lack of swelling maybe and the lack of pain. But there’s … so many steps we need to go through. But certainly when they went into the surgery, it was good news rather than maybe what it could have been I guess.”