Beyond the Box Score: Fouls, bench points, and DJ Waggner the difference in loss to Kentucky

Kentucky received unexpected help from deep in tonight’s 112-102 loss.

Arkansas exploded for its second-best offensive performance of the year. Unfortunately, it came up just short.

Just 4 days after losing to an 8-20 Vanderbilt team, the Razorbacks went toe-to-toe with No. 16 Kentucky on Saturday. Both teams produced decent leads over the other. Arkansas led by as much as 9, and Kentucky led by 11 at one point. The lead changed 17 times, and there were 12 ties. It was the very definition of “back-and-forth.”

For the 3rd consecutive game, Khalif Battle blew up the stat sheet with a 34-point, 8-rebound, and 2-steal performance, including knocking down 17-18 free throws. Tramon Mark joined in on the fun and scored 23 points with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals.

The Wildcats, however, had 7 of their 10 players that recorded minutes score in the double-digits. Antonio Reeves led Kentucky with 22 points.

In almost every category, Kentucky and Arkansas were very similar, but a few stuck out at first glance. We’ll go examine a few stats that made the difference in today’s game.