FAYETTEVILLE -- When it comes to 1,000-point scorers, the Arkansas Razorbacks have plenty of options.
Sophomore forward Bobby Portis is option No. 1 of course, but the SEC's player of the year is one of four Razorbacks with more than 1,000 career points.
1,000-Point Club
Arkansas has four players who have scored more than 1,000 career points. Here is a rundown:
PLAYER;CLASS;POINTS
Alandise Harris;Sr.;1,207
Ky Madden;Sr.;1,089
Michael Qualls;Jr.;1,053
Bobby Portis;So.;1,014
"We've got some guys that can really fill it up on any given night," junior Michael Qualls said. "We're a force to be reckoned with, and we're going to carry that over to the NCAA Tournament."
The No. 5 seed Razorbacks (26-8) play their first NCAA Tournament game since 2008 when they take on Wofford (28-6) at approximately 9 p.m. Thursday in the West Regional at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
"I think it's very rare in today's game to have what Arkansas does, especially in leagues like ours, because most of the guys that are talented enough to score 1,000 points don't stick around," Georgia Coach Mark Fox said. "Arkansas has a very balanced team."
Senior forward Alandise Harris leads the Razorbacks' career scorers with 1,207 points, including 653 his first two seasons at Houston before he transferred to Arkansas.
Senior guard Ky Madden has 1,089 points to rank 30th on the Razorbacks' all-time list -- Harris isn't on the list because he has 554 points at Arkansas -- followed by Qualls (33rd with 1,053) and Portis (36th with 1,014).
"The scary part of that is Bobby scores in bunches," Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said. "This guy can get 18 points in a half."
Anderson was an Arkansas assistant coach the last time the Razorbacks had four 1,000-point scorers on the same team during the 1990-91 season with Todd Day, Lee Mayberry, Oliver Miller and Ron Huery.
Portis is one of three Razorbacks to hit 1,000 points as a sophomore, along with Day and Scotty Thurman.
"We know that Bobby is the go-to guy, but we need everybody to do their part for us to continue winning," Madden said. "If the rest of us do what we're supposed to do too we're going to be dangerous."
Portis (26) , Qualls (20), Harris (14) and Madden (9) combined for 69 points in the Razorbacks' 80-72 victory over Tennessee in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
Portis' streak of scoring 10 or more points in 27 consecutive games ended in the semifinals against Georgia when he was held to a season-low four and shot 1 of 14 from the field, but the Razorbacks won 60-49 behind Qualls' game-high 15 points and eight from Harris.
"Even with all of Bobby's accolades, those guys still have the ability to play together," LSU Coach Johnny Jones said. "They do a great job of sharing the basketball.
"It's not like Bobby has to go out there and score 30 points a game for them to be successful. Any of those guys and step up and have a big game."
Portis had a career-high 35 points against Alabama last season, then had 32 against Vanderbilt this season. Qualls scored 30 points in an overtime victory over Alabama this season.
Harris' high with the Razorbacks is 21 points. He scored 28 against Texas-El Paso when he played for Houston.
Madden averaged a team-high 12.7 points last season, when his top scoring games were 24 points against Auburn and 23 against Florida.
"Whenever one of us isn't doing it, somebody else can," Qualls said. "I feel like that's going to be one of the biggest factors in the NCAA Tournament."
Sports on 03/18/2015