TAMPA, Fla. — JD Notae is at an even 1,000 points in two seasons playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Notae, a 6-2 senior guard who transferred from Jacksonville (Fla.) University after the 2018-19 season and redshirted, scored five points in the Razorbacks’ 82-64 loss to Texas A&M Saturday in the SEC Tournament semifinals in Amalie Arena.
Notae, an All-SEC first-team choice by the coaches and media, was held to a season-low on Saturday when he was limited to 27 minutes after having three fouls in the first half.
Notae’s three-point play with 19:35 left gave him 1,000 points for his two-year Arkansas career. He is the 45th player to score 1,000 points as a Razorback and sixth to do it in two seasons.
Other Razorbacks to score 1,000 or more points in two seasons are Mason Jones (1,146), Jaylen Barford (1,087), Daryl Macon (1,070), Bobby Portis (1,047) and Dusty Hannahs (1,047).
Notae now has 1,929 points in four seasons as a college player, including his first two seasons at Jacksonville.
Old-school scouting
Texas A&M Coach Buzz Williams watched Arkansas’ 79-67 victory over LSU on Friday from press row so he personally could scout the Razorbacks.
Most teams have assistant coaches attend the games to scout.
“I know everybody makes fun of me,” Williams said. “I think I’m probably the only head coach that still attends games.
“That’s one of the NCAA rules that you are allowed to do. If you are in a tournament, you can ‘live’ scout, and when I was younger and coaching, you could actually go scout games and watch somebody. That went away a long time ago.
“So I’m kind of like a little kid when I can actually watch a team and don’t feel the stress of having to win or lose. It’s just good for me to get a feel for things that you can’t pick up on tape.
“For somebody that needs as much help as possible, being able to watch a game live is really healthy for me.”
Too relaxed
Arkansas was playing its second game in two days, while Texas A&M was playing its third game in three days, but the Aggies played with more energy than the Razorbacks, especially in the first half when they took a 36-24 lead.
“They were just a tougher team, and we just got too relaxed, too comfortable,” Arkansas senior guard Au’Diese Toney said. “They just made us pay for it.”
Aggies Coach Buzz Williams said there was no reason for his players to be tired.
“For our guys, they would rather play than practice,” Williams said. “And for us to be able to play three games in a row instead of three days of practice, they think that’s more fun, so it was never a topic of conversation.”
John at the mic
John George, the public-address announcer at Arkansas men’s games the last 41 seasons, is serving in the same capacity at the SEC Tournament for the 16th consecutive year.
“I was just excited to work at the SEC Tournament for a year or two,” George said. “I had no idea I’d still be doing it all these years later.
“I don’t have a long-term contract. But every year I get a call asking if I’d like to come back. I hope I continue to do this well enough to where the SEC keeps asking me back.”
George, 65, said it’s been exciting to have fans back at full capacity the SEC Tournament again after it was canceled two years ago following the first-round games because of the coronavirus pandemic and allowed limited crowds last year.
“It really is a lot more fun again this year,” he said. “This year we’re more back to normal.”
At Arkansas home games, George naturally has extra enthusiasm for the Razorbacks, but he has to be totally neutral at the SEC Tournament.
“It’s a lot different than doing the Arkansas games,” George said. “You have to treat all the teams the same.
“When you work at the SEC Tournament, you’re representing the entire conference. You want to make [it] a good experience for all the fans here.”
Well dressed
Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman was dressing casually for games — polo shirts and pants instead of suits — before the coronavirus pandemic.
Now most coaches are wearing pullovers or polos, but Texas A&M Coach Buzz Williams is still dressing up.
Williams not only wears a suit and tie, but a vest as well.
“I’m blessed way more than I deserve, and I’m from a town without a stoplight,” said Williams, who grew up in Van Alstyne, Texas, which has a population of about 3,000. “And I was a manager at a junior college and a manager at an NAIA school, and so I am not judging anyone, But for me, I want to be as respectful as possible to the game and to all of the people that have helped me along the way, and I never thought it would turn into what it’s turned into.
“And so for me, the same that I ask of our players, to give their best every day. To me that’s in spirit, that’s in body language, that’s in tone of voice. So I want to be as respectful to the game and to all of the coaches that I admired as a kid growing up.
“Bill Snyder wore a three-piece suit to work every single day. Eddie Sutton wore a sport coat and shirt and tie to work every single day. My junior college coach wore a shirt and tie to work every single day.
“I would love to wear a polo. I would love to wear a T-shirt, matching belt, matching shoes, and tweet them out. I think that’s really cool, and there’s some traction from a recruiting standpoint.
But for me, because I never thought that this would be the case, I want to wear the best suit that I have.”
Vitale honored
Long-time ESPN analyst Dick Vitale, who is battling cancer and other health issues, was presented a basketball signed by the SEC’s 14 coaches before the Arkansas-Texas A&M game on Saturday.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey made the presentation at mid-court as Vitale waved to fans.
Vitale, 82, hadn’t appeared at a game since Dec. 12 when he called Baylor’s 57-36 victory against Villanova.
All even
Arkansas is 29-29 in SEC Tournament games after going 1-1 this week with a victory over LSU and loss to Texas A&M.
The Razorbacks are 3-2 in SEC Tournament games in Coach Eric Musselman’s three seasons.
Arkansas beat Vanderbilt 86-73 in 2020 before the rest of the SEC Tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year the Razorbacks went 1-1, beating Missouri 70-64 and losing to LSU 78-71.
History with Texas A&M
Saturday marked the 164th meeting between Arkansas and Texas A&M, who were rivals in the Southwest Conference and now are in the SEC.
The Razorbacks hold a 105-59 edge, but the Aggies are 2-1 against Arkansas this season.
Texas A&M beat the Razorbacks 86-81 in College Station, then Arkansas got payback with a 76-73 victory over the Aggies in Fayetteville.