Makhi Mitchell has never played college basketball as well as he’s played college basketball over the last three weeks.
The Arkansas basketball team’s graduate senior scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Razorbacks to a 78-71 win over Texas A&M on Tuesday. Mitchell has scored in double figures in six of his last seven games as Arkansas has gone 3-3 in its last six.
Tuesday’s win over the Aggies also provided the Razorbacks (13-13, 4-9 SEC) with a season sweep over A&M. The result is unusual considering the Aggies entered the game as a projected No. 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Both teams were projected to finish in the top five in the SEC before the season.
Texas A&M (15-11, 6-7) didn’t lead in the second half, but pulled as close as three at the final media timeout. Straight back from commercial, Tramon Mark buried a 3-pointer with 2:18 left and made the ensuing free throw to build Arkansas’ lead back to two possessions. The Aggies wouldn’t come within one possession again.
Mitchell scored 10 points by halftime as he and Khalif Battle (10 points) helped the Hogs to a four-point lead at the break. The margin was hardly enough to put Texas A&M away, though.
Arkansas took the game’s first double-digit lead with less than six minutes to play as the Aggies went cold. Texas A&M was in the midst of a stretch in which it shot 1 of 9 from the floor as the Hogs upped the pressure on a home team that could ill-afford a loss.
The key for the Razorbacks was defense. Texas A&M’s guard duo of Tyrese Radford and Wade Taylor combined for 23 points but on 8 of 28 shooting. As a team, the Aggies shot just 33% from the floor.
Mitchell finished with a double-double, chipping in 13 rebounds. He was joined in double figures scoring by Tramon Mark (28), who scored 22 in the second half, and Battle, who finished with 13.
Arkansas is back at Bud Walton Arena on Saturday to host Missouri, a team the Razorbacks beat in Columbia on January 31.