Stop saying Mike Anderson never changes anything

[Biggus Piggus]

It has been untrue for quite a while:

* The 2014-15 team leaned heavily on two starters, shortening the rotation and altering the defensive approach to accommodate less rest.
* The 2015-16 team was incapable of sustaining pressure defense and tried a number of alternatives.
* Then there's this team.

Just because you see Arkansas play pressure defense here and there does not mean MA always does the same thing. Even the switching halfcourt man-to-man isn't a constant.

Last night, Arkansas won with another unique formula:
* Minimizing fouls - team fouls came in at a 19-19 tie. The Hogs got 21 free throw attempts to Texas A&M's 19.
* Focusing on defensive rebounding - the Aggies had been an overpowering offensive rebounding team. Arkansas took 78% of the available defensive boards, which is outstanding.
* Focusing on shot denial - Arkansas blocked six shots and held the Aggies to 13 2-pt baskets, 43% shooting, while allowing only 30% from long range.
* De-emphasizing pressure - the ballhandling-poor Aggies had only 12 turnovers.

My posts yesterday suggested that if Arkansas took the bait and focused on pressure against aTm, it would be a mistake, because the Ags were so strong on the boards that the Hogs would lose too many rebounds while trying to force TOs.

I fully expected Arkansas to press, pile up fouls and get murdered on the boards. Wow, that was wrong. The Hogs played tough halfcourt defense and held aTm to one shot often. In fact, the Aggies had one offensive rebound in the whole second half - and that was off a blocked shot.

Yes, there's the maddening part about how the Razorbacks probably would have dominated Mississippi State, had they employed this strategy. But you want 'em to adjust, right? Stop doing the wrong things.

MA seems to recognize now that his team can't press. He still groped for combinations that would work. The Hogs only scored 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the game. As a starting PG, Anton Beard was ineffective. PF Dustin Thomas was completely intimidated by the Aggies' frontcourt.

The game was tied 32-all after Tyler Davis turned it over and Moses Kingsley made a shot in the paint, right at the beginning of the second half. Before long, despite several Arkansas substitutions aTm had run out to a 12-point lead, 48-36.

Dusty Hannahs and Manny Watkins began the Arkansas comeback with back-to-back threes. Starters Beard, Kingsley and Thomas were on the bench. The Razorbacks fought back with three guards plus Trey Thompson and Arlando Cook.

When you least expected it, Manny Watkins jumped up and became an outside threat. After Hannahs' trey, Thompson blocked a layup attempt, and Watkins got the rebound. After a timeout, the Hogs worked for a shot, and Watkins knocked a 9-point deficit down to 6. The Ags went back up by 9. Cook rebounded a miss by Hannahs, passed to Watkins - and he nailed another three.

In all, Watkins was 3-3 from 3-point range. Understand, Watkins never made a trey in his college career until last Saturday. Going into last night's game, his career mark was 1-12 from outside the arc. Watkins manned up and did what the Razorbacks needed to avoid slipping over the precipice.

Watkins' line - 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals.

PF Cook also did what was necessary. Cook played 21 minutes and provided 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. Cook and Watkins were important elements in the defense that kept Texas A&M from scoring much of anything in the game's final stretch.

Texas A&M nursed a healthy lead for most of the second half - it was 56-50 after Tonny Trocha-Morelos made a shot with 6:52 to play.

Here are the Aggies' remaining possessions:

Missed layup by Hogg
Offensive foul/turnover by Trocha-Morelos
Turnover by Trocha-Morelos (Cook steal)
Missed 3-pointer by Trocha-Morelos
Turnover by Williams (Cook steal)
Turnover by Gilder (Watkins steal)
Missed layup by Williams
Missed layup by Hogg (Cook block), Hogg rebound, Kingsley foul, Hogg 2-2 FT
Kingsley foul, Hogg 2-2 FT
Missed jumper by Hogg
Missed 3-pointer by Gilder (who had hit 4-5)

In the first 53 possessions, Texas A&M scored 56 points (1.06 pts/possession). Over the last 11, the Aggies were 0-6 from the floor, 4-4 at the line, with four turnovers and one offensive rebound (0.36 pt/possession).

Kingsley, Macon, Cook, Watkins and Hannahs were the primary players down the stretch. Barford, Thompson and Beard also saw a little time.

Kingsley made a three, Macon 2-2 FT, and Kingsley tipped in a Macon miss to put the Hogs up 57-56. After Watkins' steal, Macon made another 2-2 FT. Another stop, another Macon 2-2 FT, and Arkansas led 61-56.

The closing moments were sloppy. Kingsley fouled Hogg after Cook's block, giving him FT. Gilder stole the ball from Hannahs while Arkansas was trying to work down the shot clock. Kingsley fouled Hogg again, giving him two more FT. Barford was fouled with 26 second left, the Hogs clinging to a 61-60 lead. He missed both free throws, but A&M lost the rebound out of bounds. No matter, Macon turned over the ball a few seconds later. Macon was fouled with 5 seconds left, and he made 1-2 FT.

That gave the Aggies a chance to tie or win. Gilder tossed up a 3-point attempt with a second left, but he missed.

This Arkansas team cannot put together a group of five that will work against all matchups. The Hogs are going to have to come up with a different way to attack each opponent.

However, it was a revelation that the Macon | Hannahs | Watkins | Cook | Kingsley grouping could play shutdown defense and rebound well against a bigger, stronger lineup. Those five can serve as an anchor for this team.

[Biggus Piggus]

Minutes allocation:

28 F Kingsley (12 pts 4 reb 2 blk)
27 G Hannahs (9 pts)
26 G Macon (16 pts 4 reb)
23 G Barford (4 pts 3 reb)
23 G Watkins
21 G Beard (2 pts, 0 ast / 2 TO)
21 F Cook
19 F Thomas (4 pts 2 reb)
12 F Thompson (0 pts 3 reb 2 blk)

Texas A&M minutes:

39 G Gilder (16 pts)
38 F Hogg (10 pts 5 reb, 2-12 FG shooting)
28 C Davis (14 pts 7 reb)
28 F Williams (9 pts 10 reb)
22 F Trocha-Morelos
21 G Hampton
18 G Collins
3 G Smith
3 F Miller

Gilder, Williams and Trocha-Morelos had three turnovers apiece. The Aggies finished +1 in turnover margin though.

[azhog10]

Obviously the ability we have to keep guys minutes down, stay in the game, allow us to push pass teams in the end. The tempo to this game wasn't slow, scoring was, but the tempo was fairly up and down and far from a walk it up game by both squads.

[The_Iceman]

Agreed. Last nights game plan was much better than what we saw against Mississippi state. Agree with most of your points. I do think fouls were minimized because a&m did not have guards capable of penetrating our defense.

[forrest city joe]

It has been untrue for quite a while:

* The 2014-15 team leaned heavily on two starters, shortening the rotation and altering the defensive approach to accommodate less rest.
* The 2015-16 team was incapable of sustaining pressure defense and tried a number of alternatives.
* Then there's this team.

Just because you see Arkansas play pressure defense here and there does not mean MA always does the same thing. Even the switching halfcourt man-to-man isn't a constant.

Last night, Arkansas won with another unique formula:
* Minimizing fouls - team fouls came in at a 19-19 tie. The Hogs got 21 free throw attempts to Texas A&M's 19.
* Focusing on defensive rebounding - the Aggies had been an overpowering offensive rebounding team. Arkansas took 78% of the available defensive boards, which is outstanding.
* Focusing on shot denial - Arkansas blocked six shots and held the Aggies to 13 2-pt baskets, 43% shooting, while allowing only 30% from long range.
* De-emphasizing pressure - the ballhandling-poor Aggies had only 12 turnovers.

My posts yesterday suggested that if Arkansas took the bait and focused on pressure against aTm, it would be a mistake, because the Ags were so strong on the boards that the Hogs would lose too many rebounds while trying to force TOs.

I fully expected Arkansas to press, pile up fouls and get murdered on the boards. Wow, that was wrong. The Hogs played tough halfcourt defense and held aTm to one shot often. In fact, the Aggies had one offensive rebound in the whole second half - and that was off a blocked shot.

Yes, there's the maddening part about how the Razorbacks probably would have dominated Mississippi State, had they employed this strategy. But you want 'em to adjust, right? Stop doing the wrong things.

MA seems to recognize now that his team can't press. He still groped for combinations that would work. The Hogs only scored 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the game. As a starting PG, Anton Beard was ineffective. PF Dustin Thomas was completely intimidated by the Aggies' frontcourt.

The game was tied 32-all after Tyler Davis turned it over and Moses Kingsley made a shot in the paint, right at the beginning of the second half. Before long, despite several Arkansas substitutions aTm had run out to a 12-point lead, 48-36.

Dusty Hannahs and Manny Watkins began the Arkansas comeback with back-to-back threes. Starters Beard, Kingsley and Thomas were on the bench. The Razorbacks fought back with three guards plus Trey Thompson and Arlando Cook.

When you least expected it, Manny Watkins jumped up and became an outside threat. After Hannahs' trey, Thompson blocked a layup attempt, and Watkins got the rebound. After a timeout, the Hogs worked for a shot, and Watkins knocked a 9-point deficit down to 6. The Ags went back up by 9. Cook rebounded a miss by Hannahs, passed to Watkins - and he nailed another three.

In all, Watkins was 3-3 from 3-point range. Understand, Watkins never made a trey in his college career until last Saturday. Going into last night's game, his career mark was 1-12 from outside the arc. Watkins manned up and did what the Razorbacks needed to avoid slipping over the precipice.

Watkins' line - 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals.

PF Cook also did what was necessary. Cook played 21 minutes and provided 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. Cook and Watkins were important elements in the defense that kept Texas A&M from scoring much of anything in the game's final stretch.

Texas A&M nursed a healthy lead for most of the second half - it was 56-50 after Tonny Trocha-Morelos made a shot with 6:52 to play.

Here are the Aggies' remaining possessions:

Missed layup by Hogg
Offensive foul/turnover by Trocha-Morelos
Turnover by Trocha-Morelos (Cook steal)
Missed 3-pointer by Trocha-Morelos
Turnover by Williams (Cook steal)
Turnover by Gilder (Watkins steal)
Missed layup by Williams
Missed layup by Hogg (Cook block), Hogg rebound, Kingsley foul, Hogg 2-2 FT
Kingsley foul, Hogg 2-2 FT
Missed jumper by Hogg
Missed 3-pointer by Gilder (who had hit 4-5)

In the first 53 possessions, Texas A&M scored 56 points (1.06 pts/possession). Over the last 11, the Aggies were 0-6 from the floor, 4-4 at the line, with four turnovers and one offensive rebound (0.36 pt/possession).

Kingsley, Macon, Cook, Watkins and Hannahs were the primary players down the stretch. Barford, Thompson and Beard also saw a little time.

Kingsley made a three, Macon 2-2 FT, and Kingsley tipped in a Macon miss to put the Hogs up 57-56. After Watkins' steal, Macon made another 2-2 FT. Another stop, another Macon 2-2 FT, and Arkansas led 61-56.

The closing moments were sloppy. Kingsley fouled Hogg after Cook's block, giving him FT. Gilder stole the ball from Hannahs while Arkansas was trying to work down the shot clock. Kingsley fouled Hogg again, giving him two more FT. Barford was fouled with 26 second left, the Hogs clinging to a 61-60 lead. He missed both free throws, but A&M lost the rebound out of bounds. No matter, Macon turned over the ball a few seconds later. Macon was fouled with 5 seconds left, and he made 1-2 FT.

That gave the Aggies a chance to tie or win. Gilder tossed up a 3-point attempt with a second left, but he missed.

This Arkansas team cannot put together a group of five that will work against all matchups. The Hogs are going to have to come up with a different way to attack each opponent.

However, it was a revelation that the Macon | Hannahs | Watkins | Cook | Kingsley grouping could play shutdown defense and rebound well against a bigger, stronger lineup. Those five can serve as an anchor for this team.

Best post in a long time.+1000 Mike knows what he is doing.

[azhog10]

Agreed. Last nights game plan was much better than what we saw against Mississippi state. Agree with most of your points. I do think fouls were minimized because a&m did not have guards capable of penetrating our defense.

I wouldn't say they weren't capable, I'd say they for whatever reason just didn't want to. Hogg and Gilder both were able to get to the rim at times last night. Idk if our pressure rattled them, or if the early 3pt success from Gilder had him stuck in shooting mode. I agree tho TAMU's PG position or lack of it, helped us last night.

That said they should and are a team that gets the ball inside. Davis was in and out of the game late, and we did a much better job of keeping it out of the post or doubling down and causing turnovers when it did.

[lynbug]

Got to agree.  I was pleasantly surprised that we shut them down the last six minutes of the game.  But I was also surprised that dependable Dusty and Daryl missed FTs down the stretch, actually giving the Aggies a last second chance to beat us, in spite of the scoring drought.  So.....who knows what will happen from game to game.

[DiamondHogFan]

We just need consistency.  We appear to be a tournament bound team at times, then at other times we look like we don't know that a basketball is round.  It's hard to watch, but impossible to turn off because you never know what is going to happen.

[Hogimus Prime]

Noticed when the Hogs did press it was more of a 2-2-1 zone press

[Exit Pursued by a Boar]

I fully expected Arkansas to press, pile up fouls and get murdered on the boards. Wow, that was wrong. The Hogs played tough halfcourt defense and held aTm to one shot often. In fact, the Aggies had one offensive rebound in the whole second half - and that was off a blocked shot.

Yes, there's the maddening part about how the Razorbacks probably would have dominated Mississippi State, had they employed this strategy. But you want 'em to adjust, right? Stop doing the wrong things.

MA seems to recognize now that his team can't press. He still groped for combinations that would work. The Hogs only scored 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the game. As a starting PG, Anton Beard was ineffective. PF Dustin Thomas was completely intimidated by the Aggies' frontcourt.

This team is almost better when it assumes the identity of the old John Chaney Temple teams.  It is pretty dang salty with its half court D, and it can score in the half court. Last night it was not so good with free throws, but other than that, slowing it down doesn't seem to hurt them.

EFBAB

[Biggus Piggus]

Agreed. Last nights game plan was much better than what we saw against Mississippi state. Agree with most of your points. I do think fouls were minimized because a&m did not have guards capable of penetrating our defense.

Arkansas's foul problems - much of the season - had been concentrated among the big men, usually getting beaten and fouling from behind, or being outworked for rebounds and going over the back.

The Arkansas bigs had 11 fouls against MSU, 8 fouls vs. Mizzou, 12 fouls vs. aTm. Arkansas's guards had 10 fouls against MSU, 17 fouls vs. Mizzou, 7 fouls vs. aTm.

I agree with you about A&M's limitations at guard. When they needed to protect the lead, they had nobody who could draw fouls other than Hogg, who is one of their primary ballhandlers at 6-8.

[Biggus Piggus]

The impressive thing to me was that Arkansas went into the last seven minutes of the game, trailing by 6, and then played stifling defense for the rest of the game.

It was Arkansas's best defensive performance by far of the SEC season. Texas A&M is far from the worst offensive team in the league. The Hogs shut them down much better than they handled Missouri, the far-and-away worst SEC scoring team (and one of the worst in college hoop).

Many similar or lesser opponents remain on the schedule. After the way SEC play began, I thought the Hogs were going to settle for trying to outscore people. Now which way do they go?

[Dirty]

Great post BP

[The_Iceman]

The impressive thing to me was that Arkansas went into the last seven minutes of the game, trailing by 6, and then played stifling defense for the rest of the game.

It was Arkansas's best defensive performance by far of the SEC season. Texas A&M is far from the worst offensive team in the league. The Hogs shut them down much better than they handled Missouri, the far-and-away worst SEC scoring team (and one of the worst in college hoop).

Couldn't agree more. The defense was great. The type of defense I expected when Mike was hired, and what I expect all game when you go 10 deep on the roster.

If we play that defense going forward, we will be 12-6 or better in conference like we need to be.

[azhog10]

Last 7 possessions (last 5 minutes), not counting the missed free throw and last second heave by TAMU. Arkansas went with a full court man 5 times (trapping once), half court man once, and a 2-2-1 once. We used the 2-2-1 more than that one time, but we played full court man and trapped out of it more than any other full court defense.

[azhog10]

The impressive thing to me was that Arkansas went into the last seven minutes of the game, trailing by 6, and then played stifling defense for the rest of the game.

It was Arkansas's best defensive performance by far of the SEC season. Texas A&M is far from the worst offensive team in the league. The Hogs shut them down much better than they handled Missouri, the far-and-away worst SEC scoring team (and one of the worst in college hoop).

Many similar or lesser opponents remain on the schedule. After the way SEC play began, I thought the Hogs were going to settle for trying to outscore people. Now which way do they go?

Down 6 with just over 5 minutes to go as well.

[cableguy]

Agreed. Last nights game plan was much better than what we saw against Mississippi state. Agree with most of your points. I do think fouls were minimized because a&m did not have guards capable of penetrating our defense.

Right. A&M guards weren't very good at penetrating.  Our guard play was not good but I think A&M defense had a lot to do with that. Beard has to learn the art of a pull up jumper instead of driving in on big men that are known for blocking shots.

[lynbug]

Right. A&M guards weren't very good at penetrating.  Our guard play was not good but I think A&M defense had a lot to do with that. Beard has to learn the art of a pull up jumper instead of driving in on big men that are known for blocking shots.

That's his play and he's not gonna give it up easily. someone will have to teach him the art of diversity......and looking for someone with a better shot.

[GuvHog]

Last 7 possessions (last 5 minutes), not counting the missed free throw and last second heave by TAMU. Arkansas went with a full court man 5 times (trapping once), half court man once, and a 2-2-1 once. We used the 2-2-1 more than that one time, but we played full court man and trapped out of it more than any other full court defense.

Actually this team isn't trapping as much as Mike's previous teams did. They're actually playing solid full court man to man defense with some zone mixed in. Backing off on the trapping seems to have improved this teams man on man defensive play. In the second half, they started double teaming A&M's big men down low forcing the ball out to the perimeter which put the pressure on A&M's guards. That was a really good move.

[Biggus Piggus]

Right. A&M guards weren't very good at penetrating.  Our guard play was not good but I think A&M defense had a lot to do with that. Beard has to learn the art of a pull up jumper instead of driving in on big men that are known for blocking shots.

Sometimes Beard distributes, sometimes he does not.

[Kevin]

Also saw post to post trapping

[Biggus Piggus]

Last 7 possessions (last 5 minutes), not counting the missed free throw and last second heave by TAMU. Arkansas went with a full court man 5 times (trapping once), half court man once, and a 2-2-1 once. We used the 2-2-1 more than that one time, but we played full court man and trapped out of it more than any other full court defense.

MA has been switching defenses all season. What has been hard is getting whoever's on court to play those different defenses well.

[razoredge178]

Dusty should be playing 40m a game. Its a travesty that CMA sits him on the bench so much. If we had 3 or 4 pure shooters to compliment him, perhaps he could take a break. But we don't.

[Raiserback]

Biggus - I don't post very much but just wanted to say thank you for the time and effort you put in to your posts. I always look forward to them.

[BannerMountainMan]

Got to agree.  I was pleasantly surprised that we shut them down the last six minutes of the game.  But I was also surprised that dependable Dusty and Daryl missed FTs down the stretch, actually giving the Aggies a last second chance to beat us, in spite of the scoring drought.  So.....who knows what will happen from game to game.

you know Macon made 9 of 10 down the stretch. Only miss down the stretch was last one, made 9 in a row

[The_Iceman]

Dusty should be playing 40m a game. Its a travesty that CMA sits him on the bench so much. If we had 3 or 4 pure shooters to compliment him, perhaps he could take a break. But we don't.

I completely disagree. Dusty off the bench and in limited minutes is best for him and the team. He just needs better screens set for him to allow him to get his shot of cleaner.

[Biggus Piggus]

you know Macon made 9 of 10 down the stretch. Only miss down the stretch was last one, made 9 in a row

Macon was 9-12 at the line in the second half. He missed his first two tries and his last.

[Biggus Piggus]

I completely disagree. Dusty off the bench and in limited minutes is best for him and the team. He just needs better screens set for him to allow him to get his shot of cleaner.

Arkansas has nobody who is a perfect matchup for every game. The shuffling must continue.

[azhog10]

MA has been switching defenses all season. What has been hard is getting whoever's on court to play those different defenses well.

This i absolutely agree with. Last night we still trapped, CMA did a better job of mixing up the defenses, but the biggest difference was everyone being on the same page and know where the shooters were. We also didn't hesitate on the post traps. On the air time of some of the passes in, we were already there waiting. Made it hard for TAMU to find the open guys on the trap. The matchup zone slowed them down and made them work late into the shot clock and force hurried shots. Then, we rebounded well considering how well of an offensive rebounding team TAMU is.

[razoredge178]

I completely disagree. Dusty off the bench and in limited minutes is best for him and the team. He just needs better screens set for him to allow him to get his shot of cleaner.

Says who? You? Our W-L record? Our other pure shooters who can also drive the paint and have incredibly soft touch around the basket?

[azhog10]

I completely disagree. Dusty off the bench and in limited minutes is best for him and the team. He just needs better screens set for him to allow him to get his shot of cleaner.

Gonna disagree here. Dusty is good anywhere from 25-30. Anymore or any less is bad news. If it's more, his legs are gonna go a bit on him, if it's less, it means he can't play defense well enough to be on the floor. Dusty needs to be out there, but only if he can play defense. Some teams are just bad matchups for him defensively. It's not just Dusty, other guys have bad matchups, but we need Dusty on the floor long enough to get something going and a little bit longer so he can continue whatever he got going.

[lynbug]

you know Macon made 9 of 10 down the stretch. Only miss down the stretch was last one, made 9 in a row

Yeah, after I read another post I remembered that it was Barford that missed two importantFTs.  Macon did miss two at some other time......but, sorry for the misstatement.

[Biggus Piggus]

This i absolutely agree with. Last night we still trapped, CMA did a better job of mixing up the defenses, but the biggest difference was everyone being on the same page and know where the shooters were. We also didn't hesitate on the post traps. On the air time of some of the passes in, we were already there waiting. Made it hard for TAMU to find the open guys on the trap. The matchup zone slowed them down and made them work late into the shot clock and force hurried shots. Then, we rebounded well considering how well of an offensive rebounding team TAMU is.

Dusty and Manny are the least-fouling players on the team. They led the comeback.

[azhog10]

Dusty and Manny are the least-fouling players on the team. They led the comeback.

I agree. But depending on who we are playing Dusty gets blown by, or gives up offensive boards. A night like last night, he played good defense and made some clutch baskets. He needs to be on the floor and if we can find ways to keep him successful defensively the reward will be huge.

[gmarv]

Arkansas has nobody who is a perfect matchup for every game. The shuffling must continue.

coach A seems to be getting better at mixing and matching thou (could be wishful thinking). 

[Biggus Piggus]

I agree. But depending on who we are playing Dusty gets blown by, or gives up offensive boards. A night like last night, he played good defense and made some clutch baskets. He needs to be on the floor and if we can find ways to keep him successful defensively the reward will be huge.

Right-o.

[Letsroll1200]

Sometimes Beard distributes, sometimes he does not.

Sometimes Beard decides that he is a two guard instead of a point guard that has the ability to score. Beard decided from the jump that he was going to play the 2 guard vs. A&M.

[HoopS]

In a nutshell - some literally don't know what they're watching in this sport and others just like to echo them.

[rude1]

Says who? You? Our W-L record? Our other pure shooters who can also drive the paint and have incredibly soft touch around the basket?

Let it go Dusty is getting more minutes here than he would for any other winning program. He is atrocious defensively, giving up as many as he gets, and he is an offensive stopper, as he grinds the offense to a halt while he pounds the ball with the dribble probing for a shot. Decent role player that some wish was a star.

[The_Iceman]

In a nutshell - some literally don't know what they're watching in this sport and others just like to echo them.

I know what I watched when I attended the Mississippi State game. Made me never want to come back. Then I re-watched it on dvr, and heard a coach that was totally lost.

However, I was impressed with what I saw against a&m. Offensive movement and execution was still a mess, but on defense I saw a focus and discipline I haven't seen all year.

I want Mike to succeed. I want to make the tournament this year and every year Mike is the coach until he retires. My standard is NCAA or Fired. Doesn't matter if he is the last team in or the first team out. The line is clear and uncompromising to me.

[Biggus Piggus]

Let it go Dusty is getting more minutes here than he would for any other winning program. He is atrocious defensively, giving up as many as he gets, and he is an offensive stopper, as he grinds the offense to a halt while he pounds the ball with the dribble probing for a shot. Decent role player that some wish was a star.

I guess Arkansas shut down aTm in the last 11 possessions despite Hannahs. Drrrr.

[rude1]

I guess Arkansas shut down aTm in the last 11 possessions despite Hannahs. Drrrr.

So you are going to attribute that to Dusty being on the floor?

[Biggus Piggus]

So you are going to attribute that to Dusty being on the floor?

Didn't fricking hurt. They had five players out there who knew how to make all the defensive switches.

[hogwood]

Biggus - I don't post very much but just wanted to say thank you for the time and effort you put in to your posts. I always look forward to them.

Ditto.

[ShadowHawg]

I have noticed in close games that we go away from the press completely during the last 3 minutes or so in order to make sure we make them go against a set half court defense.

[wheelspigharvey]

Biggus - I don't post very much but just wanted to say thank you for the time and effort you put in to your posts. I always look forward to them.

Drax. Them. Sklounts.

[realistichog]

We beat a team that is now 1-5 in very weak conference and all of a sudden MA is a great coach pushing all the right buttons. Beat S. Carolina, Florida or Vandy on the road then I will be impressed.

[Youngsta71701]

We beat a team that is now 1-5 in very weak conference and all of a sudden MA is a great coach pushing all the right buttons. Beat S. Carolina, Florida or Vandy on the road then I will be impressed.

Haven't heard? Every team we beat is the worst team in the SEC. Last week it was Missouri. Yeah, that's how you sound. And I think most are starting to figure out that Mississippi State is not that bad after all.

[Biggus Piggus]

We beat a team that is now 1-5 in very weak conference and all of a sudden MA is a great coach pushing all the right buttons. Beat S. Carolina, Florida or Vandy on the road then I will be impressed.

Did anybody say that? It's a great leap from "stop saying MA never adjusts" to "MA is a great coach pushing all the right buttons." But that straw man you had is now scattered all over the floor.

[The OTR]

Best post in a long time.+1000 Mike knows what he is doing.

Second best post in a long time.  +10,000. 

That was a gutsy win against a pretty good team that has probably underachieved this year.  Their two big men will probably both be drafted in the coming years.  We gutted it out.  Can't say anything but good things about this team so far.  And it looks like Mississippi State is better than most thought so that loss wasn't as bad it as appeared at the time.

We may or may not get an NCAA berth this year but we are playing tough basketball right now. I like what Mike is doing and I know Joe and Biggus do as well.  They know the game better than a lot of you and so do I.  Maybe some of you will see the light if we keep educating you.