FAYETTEVILLE -- Finally the Arkansas Razorbacks finished a game Miles ahead of any they had played.
Keaton Miles, who has spent most of his time at the end of the Arkansas bench, held up his end in Auburn, Ala., on Tuesday night when summoned for six key first-half minutes of a 101-87 SEC victory over the Tigers.
"How about Keaton Miles?" Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said during Tuesday's postgame radio show. "A guy that has been sitting out there awhile. We got in some foul trouble -- it seemed like the whole bench had two fouls -- and I said, 'Hey, let's put Keaton out there' and he answered the call.
"As a coach you couldn't be more proud of a guy who hasn't played much this year, and then all of a sudden he is out there in a game that was a big game for us."
Miles' six minutes included a bucket, a rebound and especially some physical defense in an intensely physical game.
"I thought he came out and did a tremendous job defensively," Anderson said Thursday after game film review. "Just mixing it up and he had a dunk. He had an opportunity to go out there with guys in foul trouble, so it was good see him ready when his number was called."
It was certainly expected that Miles' number would be called more often this season after he transferred from West Virginia and redshirted last season, but the athletic, junior forward has played a total of only 45 minutes for 12 of Arkansas' 24 games. Some early season injuries and forwards outperforming him in practice kept the Dallas native sliding to the end of the bench.
"Injuries and competing," Anderson said. "You've got to compete. It's not given."
It is a given when opportunity knocks that one in Miles' plight had better be prepared to answer.
"You never know when your number is going to be called," Anderson said. "Keaton is a testimony of a guy just staying ready."
Teammates appreciate the spare part staying ever-ready, especially when he helps them win a game.
"That's big," junior guard Anthlon Bell said of Miles' contribution. "Coach says any time that your number can be called, and Keaton was ready. He always says he's ready. He just needed the chance and he produced."
Of course, it's no given that Miles gets that chance again. Then again, if there is any game that Arkansas needs all hands on deck it seems it would be tonight's SEC rematch with the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, Miss.
Certainly Ole Miss had all hands decking Arkansas on Jan. 17 at Walton Arena. Nine Rebels scored at least six points, and five scored between 10 to 18 as Ole Miss whipped the Razorbacks 96-82 and handed Arkansas its lone loss in Fayetteville this season.
"Everyone on their team had a great game," Arkansas junior guard Michael Qualls said. "Everybody on their team did their part and did what they are supposed to do. That's the same we're going to do."
Sports on 02/14/2015