Hogs expect to feel heat at Mizzou
FAYETTEVILLE — From 1989 through 1992 the home team always lost the annual Arkansas- Missouri nonconference game alternating between Fayetteville and Columbia, Mo.
Arkansas coach Mike Anderson, then a Razorback assistant and later Missouri’s coach, hopes that the game reverts to form in the second year that the team clash in a home- and- home series as Southeastern Conference rivals.
Missouri joined SEC leader Florida as the only team to beat Arkansas at Walton Arenba this season with a down- to- the- wire, 75- 71 triumph Jan. 28. Anderson’s Razorbakcs ( 15- 8, 4- 6) and Frank Haith’s Tigers ( 16- 7, 4- 6) clash at 6 p. m. today at Mizzou Arena in Columbia ( ESPN2 — Resort Channel 29).
Prospects for an Arkansas victory would appear slight given that last season after escaping the Tigers, 73- 71 at Walton Arena, a sellout crowd jammed Mizzou Arena to boo their coach while the Tigers put it on the Hogs, 93- 63.
“I felt the hate,” Arkansas sophomore guard Michael Qualls, a freshman last season, said. “Mike Anderson used to coach there and with all that there’s a lot of pressure. So you feel the hate.”
So with the Hogs losing in Fayetteville — outrebounded 42- 26 and with Mizzou guards Jabari Brown and Earnest Ross each scoring 24 points and Jordan Clarkson recording 11 points and six assists — how in the world can Arkansas expect to win tonight in Columbia?
“We’re a different team than we were playing at that time.” Anderson said. “I just think we’re playing lot better than we were. We were in ( and not winning, including vs. Missouri) a lot of games that were a possession here, a possession there, a stop here and a stop there and ( Missouri) came in and did what they had to do.”
Now Arkansas has won its last two, 65- 58 over Alabama at Walton and, at long last , its first SEC road win, 77- 75 at Vanderbilt.
Meanwhile since beating Arkansas in Fayetteville, the Tigers have been afflicted with the close-but-no- cigar blues. They have lost three consecutive games — at home against now- No. 14 Kentucky, on the road against No. 3 Florida and in a gauntlet of hosting then No. 11 now No. 14 Kentucky, visiting nationally No. 3 and unbeaten in the SEC Florida and Saturday’s 91- 88 setback at Ole Miss despite 63 combined points by Brown ( averaging 20.1), Ross and Clarkson.
“They’ve been in some games the that have been a possession here, a possession there,” Anderson said. “They’re probably saying the same thing.”
Missouri blue- collar forwards Jordan William and Ryan Rosburg, after combining for 21 rebounds against
Arkansas, were outboarded 21- 11 by Aaron Jones and Sebastian Seitz at Ole Miss.
Arkansas likely can’t clean the boards at that rate on Mizzou but cannot afford to be erased by 16 rebounds again.
“Just box out and hit someone primarily,” Arkansas 6- 10 freshman center/ forward Bobby Portis said of how the Hogs must battle on the boards in Columbia. “That game we didn’t do a good job of boxing out on the free- throw line. They got like three offensive rebounds on the free throw line and stick backs.”
Brown, Ross and Clarkson are all big ( 6- 5) and good and hard to contain but the Tigers didn’t find it any picnic against Portis, Qualls and junior guard Ky Madden in Fayetteville. Madden scored 20 and Portis, a 35- point scorer two games ago against Alabama, and Qualls each scored 16.
Arkansas shot 12 of 29 threes to Mizzou’s sevenof 15 in Fayetteville, a stat disliked even off the 36- 21 scoring advantage.
Arkansas was so perimeter oriented that Mizzou not only dominated the boards but the free- throw line, attacking the basket to attempt 27 free throws, and make 22, to Arkansas’ 13 of 19.
“We’ve got to be in attack mode,” Anderson said. “That means attacking the basket and attacking the glass as well.”