In the Lane

Auburn thrives on miscues

Auburn forward Chuma Okeke (4) dives for the ball against Arkansas forward Daniel Gafford (10) and Arkansas guard Daryl Macon (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Auburn forward Chuma Okeke (4) dives for the ball against Arkansas forward Daniel Gafford (10) and Arkansas guard Daryl Macon (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

AUBURN, Ala. -- The Arkansas Razorbacks' stock in trade has been forcing teams into mistakes with their self-described "Fastest 40 minutes" attack.

But the Auburn Tigers did a better job of creating havoc with their defensive pressure in Saturday's 88-77 victory over the No. 22 Razorbacks.

Auburn outscored the Hogs 16-0 in points off of turnovers in the first half while building a 47-30 lead at halftime.

The Razorbacks closed the gap in the second half with a 9-0 run in points off of turnovers.

Arkansas did not employ much full-court pressure against quick point guard Jared Harper, who had eight assists and two turnovers.

"We're a team that's going to be unpredictable," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "Everyone thinks that's all we do is press. But no.

"I thought [Harper] did a good job with his quickness. He took care of the basketball for them. There were times when we did get after it a little bit and it kind of disrupted what they wanted to do."

Auburn had only nine turnovers in the game.

'4-14' shirts

Auburn's Mustapha Heron and Desean Murray both wore T-shirts bearing the phrase "4-14" on the fronts during post-game interviews.

The numbers reflect the prediction for Auburn's SEC record by Kyle Boone of CBS Sports. Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl wore a similar shirt earlier in the week and had them made for the players.

"Two days ago we all got them," Heron said.

"We're only going to have one guy wear them in warm-ups," Pearl said. "4-14 isn't going to define us. We finished 11th in the league last year. We have 16 more games, and we're capable of winning or losing every one of them. That's how good our league is."

Bench bounce

The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville reserves scored 23 points, the highest total for the Razorbacks in an SEC game.

Trey Thompson led the way with eight points, his highest total since scoring eight against Troy on Dec. 16. Darious Hall chipped in seven points and six rebounds.

Adrio Bailey added 2 points and 3 rebounds, and Arlando Cook had 4 points and 5 rebounds before going out with an injury. C.J. Jones scored two.

"A guy like Darious Hall, I saw him really step up and play with the kind of aggressiveness that I want to see," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "Then I saw Arlando Cook. He started the second half and I thought he was really big in us turning it around and coming back. Then Adrio Bailey came and filled in.

"We saw a different version of Trey Thompson. He was more assertive. So you add those guys to playing at that level and the Jaylens and Daryl and [An]Ton, they come do what they're supposed to do as well as Daniel, then I think our team gets better. That's what you want. You want this team to continue to grow and get better. We'll learn from it."

Rank remarks

Auburn has a chance to be ranked for the first time since 2003 after beating the Razorbacks to improve to 14-1 with its 12th consecutive victory.

"It puts a bigger target on our head," Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl said about the possibility of the Tigers earning a national ranking Monday. "A win over Auburn is worth way more for the opponent. But our team's goal is much bigger than being ranked in January. For this team, there's no chance to be too confident."

Cook slip

Arkansas forward Arlando Cook slipped on the court while leading a fastbreak inside the lane about midway through the second half and didn't return.

"I think it was probably an ankle," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "I can't comment on it right now."

After walking off with a pronounced limp, Cook walked around flexing his leg. He finished with 4 points on 2-of-3 shooting and 5 rebounds.

'T' time

Arkansas guard Daryl Macon picked up a technical foul for calling a timeout with 35 seconds remaining when the Hogs were out of timeouts. It marked the third time an Arkansas player had drawn a technical foul this season.

Streak breaker

Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl and two Tigers in post-game interviews said they were unaware that the Tigers beat Arkansas at Auburn Arena for the first time after being 0-5 against the Razorbacks in the 8-year-old venue.

"I didn't know that," Auburn guard Mustapha Heron said. "I just know that they beat us last year."

Said Pearl: "My focus was the fact they had beaten Minnesota and Oklahoma. They had lost to some really good teams."

Series stats

Arkansas leads the all-time series by a margin of 33-18. The Razorbacks hold a 33-17 edge since joining the SEC for the 1991-92 season.

Tip-ins

• About the first 15 minutes of the game was televised on ESPN News rather than ESPNU because Oklahoma State's 96-87 victory over Iowa State had several long replay delays and also went into overtime.

• Auburn extended its winning streak at Auburn Arena to 10 games, tying the school record in the venue.

• Arkansas started a lineup of guards Jaylen Barford, Anton Beard and Daryl Macon, and forwards Daniel Gafford and Dustin Thomas for the seventh consecutive game.

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Sports on 01/07/2018

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