Hog Calls

Hogs tighten defense after spanking

Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson yells to his team during an NCAA college basketball game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)
Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson yells to his team during an NCAA college basketball game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Even now the Arkansas Razorbacks still get defensive about Texas A&M embarrassing them 92-69 in their SEC men's basketball opener Jan. 2 in College Station, Texas.

"Ever since the A&M whipping, we turned on our defensive mindset," Arkansas senior point guard Jabril Durham said Tuesday. "Everybody came back, and we had a team meeting and talked about you knowing everybody's role and everybody realized that we have got to play defense in order to win."

Other than Vanderbilt, and the Commodores forced overtime but lost 90-85 to Arkansas at Walton Arena, no SEC team has surpassed 76 on the Hogs. Arkansas lost 76-74 Saturday at LSU and previously prevailed 82-68 and 94-61 over Mississippi State at Walton Arena and over Missouri in Columbia, Mo., going into Thursday night's game at Walton against reigning SEC champion Kentucky.

A&M's assault on the Hogs in College Station reinforced Coach Mike Anderson's message that even the sometimes sensational three-point shooting by Anthlon Bell and Dusty Hannahs and center Moses Kingsley's inside scoring seldom suffice without sufficient stops and rebounding.

"We're not going to be a team that can just win with offense," Durham said. "Our record (because of the loss at LSU) doesn't show that, but we've been playing great defense as of late. We actually played defense great against LSU as well. We just didn't finish."

Durham, with a team-leading 37 steals, has been at the forefront.

"He's everywhere," Anderson said.

Kingsley has been to, blocking 47 shots for the 9-8 Hogs.

To explain what has turned the team's performance around defensively, Anderson turns first not to the front of the line but back on the bench.

Guards Anton Beard, a freshman starter last season who is now a sophomore coming off the bench behind Durham, and junior reserve Manny Watkins were Anderson's bluest blue-collar players last season. They still are.

"Our guys coming off the bench are giving us a big-time lift," Anderson said. "Anton brings a grit and grime kind of mentality, and Manuale Watkins with him. Now we are seeing (freshman reserve guard) Jimmy Whitt getting a lot more familiar with what is going on."

Anderson also cited improved defense and rebounding from interchangeable forwards Keaton Miles and Trey Thompson and backup big man Willy Kouassi.

"Those minutes that those guys are giving us have been real, real important in our continuing development of our defense," Anderson said.

Even 47 percent three-point shooters Bell and Hannahs -- between them netting 85 rebounds, 20 steals, 40 assists plus Bell blocking 4 shots -- make plays not just involving three-point shots.

Redshirted last season after transferring from Texas Tech, Little Rock native Hannahs' Arkansas stats reflect him far more well-rounded as a Razorback than as a Red Raider.

Experience, Bell and Anderson said, has taught Bell to play better defense and truly realize even as a senior that his playing time couldn't consistently pick up until his defense picked up.

Sports on 01/20/2016

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