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WALLY HALL: Mississippi State's Perry leaves impression

Probably one of the more intriguing things about the University of Arkansas Razorbacks basketball season is Eric Musselman.

After the not-too-surprising 77-70 loss to Mississippi State on Wednesday night, his candor and honesty in his press conference was once again refreshing.

He addresses issues he and the fans see during the game.

He did seem frustrated. But as great of a job as he is doing, he can't make someone be taller, and a lack of height has been a factor in every loss the Razorbacks have encountered.

It almost wasn't that way.

Reggie Perry, the 6-10 sophomore who had 26 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots, came very close to being a Razorback.

He played several years for Bill Ingram's Arkansas Hawks and committed to Arkansas early on.

Perry played summer ball with Isaiah Joe and Desi Sills. They are close friends.

The problem was Perry's mom was between jobs, and she couldn't find anything in Northwest or Central Arkansas.

It wasn't a deal that she get a job and her son go to the UA. It was just simply they are a tight-knit family, she needed to work and wanted to be close to her son.

She couldn't find work here, and there was no way Mike Anderson would bend the rules and make a call. Anderson was a rule-abider.

It's not sure where she got a job, but Perry's decision was overnight, and now he's the only SEC player averaging a double-double with 16.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

It would not be surprising if this is his last collegiate season.

The Razorbacks can get back on track at home Saturday in front of a sellout crowd for the Big 12/SEC Challenge against TCU, which recently beat Texas Tech.

The Hogs get a chance for payback on MSU on Feb. 15 at Bud Walton, a game that is already sold out.

There are tickets available for the Jan. 29 game with South Carolina and Feb. 4 against Auburn, as well as the final two home games against Tennessee on Feb. 26 and LSU on March 4.

It may not have been a surprise the Hogs lost to Mississippi State, but it wouldn't have been a surprise if they they had won either.

This group of Razorbacks plays hard, has good chemistry and understands the need for defense.

. . .

Mason Jones, who is playing all over the court this season, is the Razorbacks' leading scorer, averaging 18.3 points per game.

That is good for No. 4 in the SEC.

Joe is No. 6, averaging 16.8, and Jimmy Whitt is No. 11 at 15.1.

The only other Razorback to make the scoring list is Desi Sills, who is tied at 41st, averaging 9.2 points.

. . .

The biggest statistic for the Hogs as far as wins and losses is that Jones is also the team's leading rebounder with an average of 6.2 per game.

That ranks No. 17 in the SEC.

The thing is, the Razorbacks are hitting the boards hard and using every trick available. They just need more size inside, but Musselman is finding ways to overcome it.

The biggest difference in the MSU game was that the Bulldogs made 27 of 31 free throws, Arkansas shot only 11 and made six.

The Razorbacks actually had eight more field goals than the home team.

. . .

Darrell Walker assured his University of Arkansas at Little Rock Trojans would remain in first place going into Saturday's game at South Alabama.

The Trojans avenged an earlier loss in Troy, Ala., with an 81-63 win over Troy on Wednesday.

Walker used 11 players and 10 scored.

Ruot Monyyong had 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, while Jaizec Lottie scored 14, had 5 assists and 4 steals to lead the Trojans to 8-2 in Sun Belt Conference play.

Sports on 01/24/2020

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