NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It's been two years since the University of Arkansas basketball team played Vanderbilt in Memorial Gym.
That means eight of the nine Razorbacks who normally play -- all except junior forward Adrio Bailey -- never have experienced the 67-year-old facility's odd setup for the team benches.
The Razorbacks who are playing at Memorial Gym for the first time tonight at 7:30 when Arkansas takes on the Commodores will find out what it's like to have the benches on the baseline.
"I heard Vanderbilt's gym is very difficult," Arkansas sophomore guard Mason Jones said. "Communication is going to be a big thing knowing you can't hear the coach and only just the players out there.
"As long as we keep communicating like we have the last couple of games, we should be good. I feel like Coach [Mike] Anderson is trusting us more and more as the games go on, so we don't have to look at him every play."
Anderson, who has taken Arkansas teams into Memorial Gym three times and has a 2-1 record, joked the Razorbacks might enjoy not being able to hear him when they're on the other end of the court.
"I think you've got to trust the guys out there on the floor," Anderson said. "They've played enough games now where they know what the game plan is, and now obviously they've got to go out and execute it."
Anderson said the visiting teams have been helped "a little bit" by a rule change that's been in place for four years allowing coaches to be on the sideline on their end of the court -- though that also means the coach can't communicate as well with his assistants and the players on the bench.
"The court is still 94 feet," Anderson said. "The basket is still 10 feet high. So they've got to go out and play the game."
Sports on 03/06/2019