FAYETTEVILLE - The baker’s dozen or so NBA scouts attending last Saturday’s game at Walton Arena did not cook Arkansas’ goose.
Western Kentucky did with Arkansas lacking the energy here and missed free throws there to alter the outcome, Arkansas coach Mike Anderson surmised at his Miked Up radio show Monday night at Sassy’s Barbecue Grill in Fayetteville.
He had surmised the Saturday after WKU’s visiting Hilltoppers edged his now 6-2 Razorbacks 78-77.
Anderson was asked Monday if the squadron of scouts inspecting Arkansas star sophomore center Daniel Gafford of El Dorado and freshman star center Charles Bassey of Nigeria affected the Razorbacks’ play.
“I don’t think so,” Anderson said. “Western Kentucky had a lot more energy. I’ve always said I want to see how well we perform those nights we don’t shoot the ball well (30-of-69 from the field and 9-of-16 from the free-throw line to WKU’s 29-of-58 and 11-for-17). We didn’t play our best basketball, but at the same time, we had the opportunity to finish off that game.”
The Hogs couldn’t in part because they didn’t execute well.
And in part they couldn’t because Western Kentucky’s tempo winning, zone defense didn’t allow them to execute and shoot like they executed and shot in last Wednesday’s 98-74 win over Colorado State at the 5,000-foot altitude in Fort Collins, Colo.
“Western Kentucky is a very talented basketball team,” Anderson said. “They went to the Final Four of the NIT last year. So that team came with the right mindset and our guys were kind of full of themselves over some of the things that had taken place. Our guys had won six in a row and were playing pretty good basketball and were coming off a big win at Colorado State and they got brought back to earth pretty quick. I think that caught up with us, but that it still came down to a couple of free throws. But the people (scouts) there, I don’t think that affected our basketball team.”
More than too many scouts watching them, Anderson believed it was hearing too many compliments after feeling higher than the altitude in the postgame Wednesday night in Colorado. They played decidedly lower leveled back home on Saturday afternoon.
“That old pat on the back,” Anderson said. “I talk about it that sometimes it sets you back. You’ve got to understand you’ve got to bring it each and every day. So these are lessons these guys have to learn. I will say in Monday’s practice they responded well and that they’ve done a pretty good job in the classroom up to this point.”
The Razorbacks are all involved in UA final exams this week concluding before they depart Friday to visit Children’s Hospital in Little Rock and playing the University of Texas-Antonio Roadrunners in Saturday night’s annual Arkansas game at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
Practices this week of course are structured around exams, but Anderson still used Monday’s workout to work the Razorbacks about setting the tone with their defense instead of being fiddled to the opponent’s tune.
“They had a day to get away from it Sunday,” Anderson said of the mandated off day. “We got back on the floor Monday and we got right back to that good, hard work and started playing that hard defense we’ve got to get back to.”
Like he did two weeks ago when the Hogs had a full week of practice before a game, freshman guard Jordan Phillips, seems to be making up for lost time. Phillips has played catchup upon missing half of Arkansas’ first eight games trying to come back from torn meniscus knee surgery in October.
“I’ll tell you somebody who today looked more and more comfortable is Jordan Phillips,” Anderson said Monday night. “I’m really excited about him. We just want to see him take these practices to the game.”