Tag: JD Notae

Arkansas tames Tigers, preps for massive game Saturday against Tennessee

No. 23 Arkansas blasts Missouri for second time this season, bounces back after loss to Alabama.

Missouri may have lain a trap. Arkansas wasn’t about to fall into it.

The freshly-minted Top-25 Razorbacks had no trouble in Columbia against the Tigers on Tuesday night. Three days after having a nine-game winning streak snapped by Alabama, Arkansas attempted to start a new one, beating Mizzou, 76-57.

All of the Hogs’ scoring came from five players. Stanley Umude led with 23 points. Jaylin Williams and Trey Wade each had double-doubles with 12 points and 11 boards for Wade and 13 and 11 for Williams. JD Notae had 17 points and Devo Davis had 11 off the bench.

Arkansas (20-6, 9-4) beat Missouri in both meetings this year after knocking out the Tigers by 44 in Fayetteville to start the winning streak.

The Hogs have five games remaining, next against Tennessee at Bud Walton Arena on Saturday. All five remaining opponents – including Tennessee twice – are either locks for the NCAA Tournament or on the bubble (Florida).

Javon Pickett led Missouri with 13 points as the Tigers pulled back within 12 points in the second half as Arkansas went without a field goal for more than six minutes. But when the drought was snapped, Missouri could come no closer.

Arkansas’ tip Saturday against Tennessee is at 3 p.m.

Beyond the Box: Upon Further Review

Arkansas had its chances. No one can deny that. The Razorbacks battled back from a 13-point deficit late in the 2nd half and briefly took the lead before finally dropping a road contest at Alabama on Saturday.

Arkansas had its chances. No one can deny that. The Razorbacks battled back from a 13-point deficit late in the 2nd half and briefly took the lead before finally dropping a road contest at Alabama on Saturday. It’s a tough loss for the Hogs, who came in on a 9-game heater, but it’s not a bad loss. Alabama has a very strong team that could easily make a deep run into March.

But we first – those official reviews undoubtedly hurt the Hogs. It was so bad at the end of the game one easily could have expected the officials to award Auburn the ball.

With scant evidence the initial call was incorrect, the officials overturned an out-of-bounds call at the 1:43 mark late in the game. Devo Davis appeared to have saved the basketball, throwing it off an Alabama player as he headed out of bounds. This came 20 seconds after it appeared Bama had knocked the ball out of JD Notae’s hands on a drive to the bucket (a play scored as a turnover).

Then, with 3.4 seconds left after Notae (badly) missed a three-point attempt, it appeared that the Crimson Tide’s JD Davison knocked the ball from Au’Diese Toney’s hands. In this instance, the officials decided there was not enough evidence to overturn the call.

Had the officials made the correct call, the Hogs would have been able to run an out-of-bounds play from under the basket.

Alas, the ball did not bounce their way today.

Let’s take a look at some numbers that may not jump out in the traditional box score.

Beyond the Box: Oh, What a Night

If your going to dance on the home team’s logo at mid-court, do it after a win. Never do it before the game. Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers learned that lesson the hard way last night.

If your going to dance on the home team’s logo at mid-court, do it after a win.

Never do it before the game.

Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers learned that lesson the hard way last night. In front of a record crowd at Bud Walton Arena, the Arkansas Razorbacks took down the No. 1 team in the AP poll in an overtime thriller.

So disrespectful was the pregame logo dancing, Eric Musselman cited it in his immediate post-game interview on ESPN2.

Between the dance and the interview we saw 45 minutes of intense basketball. It was at times sloppy and other times beautiful. In the end it was an instant classic for Razorbacks fans.

Let’s take a look at what we can see beyond the traditional box score.

Having JD Notae Played a Key Role in Rematch

Notae was unavailable the first time around, but his presence in the rematch at Bud Walton Arena was definitely felt. in the win over MSU.

Arkansas basketball earned their eighth straight win Saturday by grinding out a win at home against Mississippi State. Keyword being “earned”.

The team used a “spread the wealth” method when it came to scoring. The final score was not high, but all of Arkansas’ eight participants scored at least five points in the 63-55 win over the Bulldogs.

The win not only extended the winning streak, but it was a “revenge game”, as Arkansas got payback for a loss on December 29 at Mississippi State to open the conference season. One of the factors in the win was guard JD Notae.

Notae was unavailable the first time around, but his presence in the rematch at Bud Walton Arena was definitely felt. Notae led all scorers with 14 points, he also added six rebounds and four assists. How much of a difference does Notae make in a game? Head Coach Eric Musselman says that it “changes everything.”

“He puts so much pressure on the defensive game plan of the opponents,” said Musselman during his postgame press conference. “I could tell that (Mississippi State) worked hard on pick-and-roll defensive coverage, and I thought their pick-and-roll defensive coverage was good. (Ben) Howland spent time on it. They were worried about JD Notae with the ball in his hands, which is good, that opens things up for other people.”

The game was tied at 25 going into the locker room at halftime, and Mississippi State stayed close behind Arkansas until the final minute of the game. Musselman says that Notae’s ball movement in the second half ultimately helped them pull away.

“I thought JD moved the ball better in the second half,” said Musselman. “We told him, “respect the defense”, they are doing a great job (covering) you, it’s your job now move that thing and let the ball have some eyes and have some freedom to it.”

Arkansas will put their eight game winning streak to the test on Tuesday, as they welcome No. 1 Auburn to Bud Walton Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Nail. In. The. Coffin. Arkansas puts Mississippi State away late

Arkansas was down, dirty in beating Mississippi State for seventh straight.

They can’t all be pretty.

Arkansas won its eighth straight game Saturday, going on an 8-0 run late in the second half to create distance from Mississippi State and take the teams’ second meeting of the season, 63-55.

Mississippi State (14-8, 5-4)won the first game between the two in December. Arkansas (18-5, 7-3) was in the midst of its roughest stretch of the season, losing five of six games from December 11 to January 8. The Razorbacks now haven’t lost since.

The Bulldogs were within a single point with less than two minutes to play, but Jaylin Williams was left unguarded on the win and popped a 3-pointer with 1:40 left to make it a two-possession game.

Chris Lykes followed with another 3 and Au’Diese Toney added a pair of free throws to make it a comfortable finale and send a snow-weary crowd to joy.

Arkansas shot just 38% from the field in the rematch, including a 4-of-19 night from 3-point range. The free-throw line was unkind, as well, as the Hogs went 13 of 22. Still, the Razorbacks ended up outscoring Mississippi State 32-24 in the paint and 18-8 on the fastbreak.

The Bulldogs went more than four minutes without a field goal before snapping that 8-0 run with a 3-pointer just before the final media timeout.

JD Notae led Arkansas with 14 points. Williams and Lykes had 10 apiece.

Next up for Arkansas is No. 1 Auburn at Bud Walton Arena on Tuesday night.

Arkansas shows bark and bite in win over Georgia

Arkansas has zero trouble with Georgia on the road in seventh straight win.

By the end of Arkansas’ 99-73 win over Georgia, a casual box score observer likely couldn’t tell the game was ever close.

The Razorbacks (17-5, 6-3) almost doubled up the home team in the second half, 46-26, en route to a seventh straight win. In the first half, the Hogs never led by more than six points.

Stanley Umude was the biggest reason for the outburst. He had 15 points in the first half, but scored eight of the team’s first 10 points within three minutes of coming out of the locker room. By the end he had a season-high 31 on 12 of 20 shooting, including a 6-of-8 night from 3-point range.

JD Notae, Jaylin Williams and Au’Diese Toney joined him in double figures, scoring 23, 14 and 10, respectively. Williams just missed his sixth double-double of the year with eight rebounds, but he was also limited to just six minutes in the first half because of foul trouble.

Kario Oquendo led Georgia with 17e points.

The Razorbacks next play Saturday when Mississippi State, the team that beat Arkansas to open the SEC portion of the schedule, travels to Bud Walton Arena. That game is followed by another home game Tuesday against No. 1 Auburn. The Tigers will have been coming off a visit to Georgia on that date.

Beyond the Box: The Defense Never Rests

Even the most ardent, sunny Razorbacks fan would have to admit that the first 19 minutes of last night’s game at Ole Miss was difficult to watch. Neither team could find any rhythm offensively. The teams combined to score only 21 points in the first 10 minutes. Then they combined for 12 points in the final 76 seconds. 

Even the most ardent, sunny Razorbacks fan would have to admit that the first 19 minutes of last night’s game at Ole Miss was difficult to watch. Neither team could find any rhythm offensively. The teams combined to score only 21 points in the first 10 minutes. Then they combined for 12 points in the final 76 seconds.

The Rebels kept things going early in the second half, scoring seven straight points before the Arkansas defense went into clamp-down mode. Over the next 13 game minutes the Razorbacks allowed only two field goals and went on a 13-0 run that pretty well sealed the game. The defense from Eric Musselman’s squad was outstanding.

It’s quite the turn of events after an 0-3 SEC start. During that stretch the Hogs allowed 82.3 points-per-game. In the midst of their current 5-game winning streak, they’ve allowed only 57.6ppg. And only once in that stretch did Arkansas allow more than 60 points when they gave up 73 to Texas A&M in an OT win last week.

Let’s go beyond the box score and take a look at some standout performances from last night’s SEC road win in Oxford, Mississippi.

Oxford Coma: Hogs Wake Up in Second Half

Arkansas (15-5, 5-3) used its suddenly-stingy defense and the offensive grit to grind out a 64-55 road win against Ole Miss on Wednesday night.

Arkansas  used its suddenly-stingy defense and the offensive grit to grind out a 64-55 road win against Ole Miss on Wednesday night.

JD Notae led all scorers with 25 points while sophomore Jaylin Williams filled the stat sheet with 18 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, three assists, and two steals. Matthew Murrell led Rebels scorers with 14 points.

In their last four non-overtime games, the Razorbacks (15-5, 5-3) have only given up 54 points per game on average.

This was Arkansas’s fifth consecutive victory, all of which have come in SEC play. The Razorbacks will step out of conference play on Saturday when they host West Virginia at Bud Walton Arena. That game is scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.

It was a sluggish first half before the teams traded six buckets in the final 2:49, capped by Notae’s deep 3-pointer as time expired before halftime. That buzzer-beater pushed Arkansas’s lead to seven points at the break.

Ole Miss wasted little time cutting into that Hog advantage in the second half, scoring the first six points before Arkansas finally got to the free throw line after attempting no charity shots in the first 20 minutes. After Au’Diese Toney sank two freebies, the Hogs got a defensive stop, and Notae drained a 3-pointer to run the lead back up to six.

After a back-and-forth contest for the first 10 minutes of the second half Arkansas began to take control. The Razorbacks ran off 13 straight points over the next five minutes, putting the game out of reach. The Rebels did not eclipse the 40-point mark until the 4:05 mark in the second half.

Trey Wade had an impressive night for the Hogs, adding 12 points on a perfect shooting night at 5-for-5 from the field. The Wichita State transfer added four assists and five rebounds.

In his post-game interview with SEC Network, Coach Eric Musselman had already turned the page and began focusing on Saturday.

Whew: Arkansas needs overtime, but beats Texas A&M for fourth straight W

Four Arkansas players scored in double figures as the Hogs won their fourth straight game, beating Texas A&M.

A nearly sold-out Bud Walton Arena crowd exited the building at about 10 p.m. Saturday and wiped collective sweat off their brow.

Arkansas never allowed Texas A&M to lead in regulation, but an Aggies 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds left sent the game to overtime before the Razorbacks held off any further A&M charge and won,76-73.

The win was Arkansas’ (14-5, 4-3) fourth in a row after starting 0-3 in conference play. The last time it lost was against Texas A&M (15-4, 4-2) in College Station during the first week of January.

Arkansas built its big lead early in the first half before Texas A&M pulled within three points three different times in the second half. With about four minutes left, the Aggies finally tied the game as Arkansas was in the midst of a 1-for-10 stretch.

But a JD Notae lay-up snapped the cold streak with about four minutes left and put the Hogs ahead, 58-56. Jaylin Williams nabbed a steal on the other end and Stanley Umude canned a pair of free throws immediately after to move Arkansas back ahead by four.

Notae, who fouled out with about a minute left, led four Arkansas players in double figures with 17 as coach Eric Musselman shortened his bench to practically just one reserve Saturday to that point. Williams also notched his fourth double-double in the last five games, scoring 14 points and collecting 11 rebounds. His jumper with 11 seconds left put Arkansas ahead by three and he had three assists, three blocks and six steals.

Aggies freshman guard Wade Taylor IV led all scorers with a career-high 25 points. Stanley Umude had 15 for Arkansas and Au’Diese Toney added 12 more.

The two teams were side-by-side in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology update Friday on ESPN.com.

Arkansas next plays Wednesday at Ole Miss (9-9, 1-5).

Arkansas had made a 3 in every game since 1989…until Tuesday

Arkansas’ streak of 1,092 straight games with a 3-pointer was snapped Tuesday against South Carolina.

The last time the Arkansas basketball team didn’t make a 3-pointer in a game, the Razorbacks weren’t even in the SEC.

Until Tuesday.

Arkansas dispatched South Carolina in Bud Walton Arena for its third straight win, 75-59, and moved back to .500 in conference play after dropping its first three.

But after 11 tries from beyond the arc against the Gamecocks, the Razorbacks made zero. The game marked the first in 1,093 games that a Hogs hoops team failed to make a single 3-pointer in a game. The year was 1989. Arkansas’ streak of 1,092 games was third longest in Division I college basketball, trailing Duke and UNLV.

JD Notae attempted the last try for the Hogs on Tuesday with 4:49 left as Arkansas attempted just four from distance in the second half.