Tag: Arkansas Furman

Photo gallery: The best photos from Arkansas’ win over Furman

The Hogs’ win wasn’t the stuff of legends, but, man, were there plenty of highlights.

Arkansas’ win over Furman on Monday night was not exactly the stuff of legends.

But the Razorbacks dropping 57 points in athe second half of a 14-point win meant plenty of highlights shared afterward.

Arkansas’ win lifted the Razorbacks to 6-3 overall with about a month left until SEC play. Another win over Oklahoma on Saturday would put Arkansas back near where it wants to be heading into conference play, assuming the Hogs don’t lose a should-win game between now and then.

Because on Monday, when the NCAA released the first NET rankings of the year, Arkansas was down in the 120s, basically putting the Razorbacks on a double-digit-seed line were the Big Dance to happen now.

Of course, it isn’t and Arkansas has plenty of room to grow. But the nonconference season has gone as such that another SEC year like the team had last year and things are going to be tricky.

For now, enjoy the highlights.

Sleep-walking Arkansas wakes up enough to dispatch Furman

A 15-1 run midway through the second half was a necessary spurt for Arkansas to put away the Paladins.

The first 30 minutes of Arkansas’ game against Furman on Monday night were lackluster. The Razorbacks were winning, but coach Eric Musselman was animated on the sidelines.

A 15-1 run midway through the second half didn’t make Musselman less demonstrative, but it did provide enough of a cushion the end result was no longer in doubt. Arkansas dispatched the Paladins, 97-83.

Furman had gone back and forth with the Razorbacks for the first 10 or so minutes before Arkansas created a little gap and took a five-point lead into the break.

The margin was oddly small considering the Hogs ultimately shot 61%. Furman stuck around for a while thanks to burying 12 3-pointers, eight of which came in the first half. A 15-6 offensive rebounding edge, helped, too.

Arkansas’ athleticism was too much in the end. Khalif Battle led the team with a season-high 25 points, while Trevon Brazile chipped in 13 and Chandler Lawson added 19.

Tramon Mark played in his first game since injuring his back in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Mark was Arkansas’ leading scorer for the season when he was hurt and he scored seven points in 26 minutes in his return.

Alex Williams and JJ Pegues had the best nights for Furman. Pegues scored a team-high 21 points and Williams scored 20 on 7 of 14 shooting, including a 5 of 8 mark from downtown.

Musselman was frustrated enough, even with the outcome no longer in doubt, that he picked up a technical foul with 1:38 left.

The Razorbacks have the rest of the school-week off. They play Oklahoma in Tulsa on Saturday.

Re-energized Arkansas ready for December, Furman

The Razorbacks look to keep riding Duke wave as Furman visits Bud Walton Arena on Monday.

Two years ago, December was a devilish month for the Arkansas basketball team. Last year, the end of the month bit the Hogs.

Now, in Eric Musselman’s fourth year at the helm, the Razorbacks are playing their best basketball of the early season heading toward winter break. And following a win over Duke last time out, Arkansas is ready for the final march before SEC play.

The journey begins Monday against Furman, a school Arkansas has never played.

Furman heads to Fayetteville with just a 4-4 record, but their four losses aren’t exactly shabby. The Paladins lost to Princeton, a Sweet 16 last season, practically at the buzzer, earlier in the week. They also lost to Liberty, the preseason favorite in Conference USA, and Alabama-Birmingham, a potential NCAA Tournament team in the American Athletic Conference. Their other loss was to Wyoming, a team projected to finish near the bottom of the Mountain West.

Arkansas’ resume looking sharper after Wednesday’s win over Duke. Before that, the Razorbacks had lost three of four: to North Carolina, Memphis, and North Carolina-Greesnboro. Those losses dropped the Hogs to a projected 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament in ESPN’s Bracketology. An update should be posted Monday or Tuesday and will almost certainly have Arkansas higher, considering Duke was a projected No. 2-seed.

The Razorbacks will play Oklahoma, Lipscomb, Abilene Christian and North Carolina-Wilmington in the rest of December before SEC plays begin against Auburn on Jan. 6.

Monday’s tip against Furman is set for 7 p.m.