Dick Vitale joins Halftime and talks his time in Fayetteville, the Ark-Ken matchup, coaching against Bill Musselman, and more!
Whitt finds lots of points, Chaney finds playing time as Hogs roll past Vandy
On a night when Arkansas’ usual scorers weren’t, Jimmy Whitt, Jr., stepped up big and Reggie Chaney got out of the doghouse and paced a 75-55 win over Vanderbilt at Bud Walton Arena.
Whitt had a collegiate career-high 30 points while Chaney got 14 points. Chaney alone scored one point more than the Razorbacks’ usual scorers Isaiah Joe (12) and Mason Jones (1).
The Commodores came in pretty much ready to not let Joe and Jones have their usual big nights.

“They did a great job of crowding Mason and crowding Isaiah, which allowed Reggie to get some looks around the rim,” Hogs coach Eric Musselman said later. “It certainly allowed Jimmy, as well.”
Whitt just thought getting his big number was, well, cool. Especially doing it where he started his career before transferring to SMU before returning this season as a graduate transfer.
“It was cooler that I did it here rather than anywhere else, being able to come in my last year and reach a milestone like that in front of the fans I started with, I think it hit me right there and that was the coolest part for me,” Whitt said.
Chaney simply hadn’t been playing well and saw his playing time virtually disappear after a horrible game at LSU that included a technical for slapping the ball that had clearly ticked off Musselman.
He had to play his way back into what is admittedly a small rotation of seven or eight players on a big night. Musselman clearly had questions about him.
“I knew I had to earn that trust back,” Chaney said later. “In practice I’ve been going really hard.
“He still believed in me tonight and played me, so I went in and I had to do what I had to do. Tonight I came in and gave my best hustle and earned a little bit of his trust back.”
Arkansas needed it.

First half notes
• Chaney scored eight points off the bench with 7:10 to play in the first half. His season high coming into the game was six on two occasions He had only scored eight points the previous five games combined.
• Arkansas used a 12-3 run from 9:53 to 2:39 to go up nine, 29-20.
• Vandy’s Maxwell Evans answered with an old-fashioner 3-point play and a 3-point for the Commodores.
• Desi Sills got Arkansas back on track with a 3-pointer. The teams traded baskets and the Hogs lead by six, 34-28, at the break.
• Whitt scored 17 first-half points, including two dunks. He was also credited with his first 3-point attempt of the season, a desperation shot as the buzzer sounded to end the half.
• Chaney finished with eight points and Sills had seven with a team-best five rebounds.

Second half notes
• The Commodores got within four, 37-33, with 17:24 in the second half. The Razorbacks answered with an 8-0 run — its largest run of the game — to take a 12-point lead. The Hogs led by double digits the final 16:10 of the game.
• Joe hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Whitt had a dunk for the run.

Game notes
• Arkansas’ starting lineup was Whitt, Joe, Sills. Jones and Adrio Bailey for the 15th time this season.
• Arkansas won the tip. It was the ninth time in 16 games. Arkansas is 7-2 in such games.
• Bailey scored the first points of the game on two free throws at 19:17. Arkansas has scored first 11 times and is 9-2 in such games. It was the first time Bailey scored the team’s first points.
• Arkansas out-rebounded Vanderbilt 38-30. It was just the fourth time Arkansas has out-rebounded an opponent this season.
• Vanderbilt entered the game first in the SEC in 3-point percentage (.375) and second in the SEC in 3-pointers made (9.5). The Razorbacks held Vandy to just 5-of-20 (25%).
• Arkansas leads the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage defense (22.8%).

• Vanderbilt had zero steals. They entered the game fifth in the SEC by averaging 7.6 steals per game. The last time an Arkansas opponent had zero steals was North Texas on Jan. 3, 2004.
• Arkansas tied a season high with 19 assists. They also had 19 in the season-opener against Rice.
• Arkansas shot a season-low 53.3% from the free throw line (8-of-15). The Razorbacks were 29th in the NCAA in free throw percentage entering the game.
• Arkansas is 3-1 in SEC play for the first time since 2015-16. Arkansas will be looking for its first 4-1 in SEC play since opening 9-1 in league play in 1997-98.
• Arkansas is 14-2 overall for the first time since 1997-98 as well. The ’97-98 team lost game 17 to fall to 14-3.
• All 12 Razorbacks saw game action.
Information, notes, from Razorback Sports Communications are included in this story.
Musselman recapping Hogs’ 75-55 win over Vanderbilt on Wednesday night
Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman on team adjusting without the usual scorers as Jimmy Whitt, Jr., lights up Commodores for 30 points in win at Bud Walton.
Whitt, Chaney after big nights leading Razorbacks to win
Arkansas players Jimmy Whitt, Jr. (30 points, 8 rebounds), and Reggie Chaney (14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) recapping their big nights as Whitt scores 30 for first time since high school.
Stackhouse on Vanderbilt trying to figure out personnel after injuries
Commodores coach Jerry Stackhouse after 75-55 loss to Arkansas on Wednesday night on trying to figure out personnel after losing top scorer for rest of season.
Jackson enters transfer portal after citing ‘lot of problems’
Arkansas freshman wide receiver TQ Jackson announced via Twitter on Wednesday he has entered the NCAA’s transfer portal and will be leaving school, citing depression and problems.
✊???? pic.twitter.com/DVKn0RkGr4
— T.Q???? (@TQJ3_) January 15, 2020
The tweet sounded as if the problems were personal and not related to football.
Jackson, from Jefferson, Texas, was highly-touted coming in but only saw action in three games, catching a single pass for just 2 yards.
Fellow freshmen Treylon Burks and Trey Knox put up big numbers. Another four-star recruit in the same class, Shamar Nash, is still on the team and could factor into the plans going forward.
The Razorbacks have four-star wide receiver Darin Turner from Memphis signed in December.
???? Halftime Pod — Muss getting it, Clay Henry with a great story, plus Bobby P is back
Phil & Tye on Muss understanding Razorback fans, Clay with a funny ticket story, plus Bobby P is back in CFB…
Razorbacks hosting Vanderbilt at Bud Walton before Kentucky comes to town
Who: Arkansas Razorback (13-2, 2-1 SEC) vs. Vanderbilt Commodores (8-7, 0-2 SEC)
What: Razorbacks have won four straight versus Vandy and eight of the last nine.
When: Wednesday – Jan. 15 – 7:30 pm
Where: Fayetteville, Ark. – Nolan Richardson Court at Bud Walton Arena
• TV: SEC Network (Roy Philpott and Mark Wise)
• CLICK HERE to Watch ESPN/SEC Network Online
• Radio: ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs, 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home with Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman
• Online: HitThatLine.com Listen Here
• Sirius/XM: XM Channel 374, Streaming Online on channel 374
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas returns to Bud Walton Arena, playing five of its last seven on the road, to host Vanderbilt on Wednesday.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm and the game will be telecast on the SEC Network.
Pregame coverage starts at 7 p.m. at ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
You can hear the game online HERE.
Including Vanderbilt, Arkansas will play five of its next seven contests at home, including a pair of back-to-back homestands — Vanderbilt and Kentucky this week followed by TCU (Jan. 25) and South Carolina (Jan. 29).
The game features two of the longest streaks for making 3-pointers in the NCAA. Vanderbilt has made a triple in 1,078 consecutive games — the second-longest active streak in the NCAA — and is one of three schools to make at least one 3-pointer in every game since the NCAA added the line uniformly in 1986-87.
Arkansas has made a trey in 1,026 consecutive games, which ties Western Kentucky for the fourth-longest active streak in the NCAA.
The series
• This will be the 39th meeting between Arkansas and Vanderbilt — all but two have come since Arkansas joined the SEC. The Razorbacks own a 26-12 advantage in the series and are 15-3 versus the Commodores in Fayetteville.
• Arkansas has won four straight and eight of the last nine. In a scheduling quirk, five of seven games in the span were played in Bud Walton Arena from 2015-2019.
No help for opponents; Hogs winning turnover battle
• In SEC play, Arkansas opponents have been held to single-digit assists in each game. • Texas A&M 8 – LSU 8 – Ole Miss 6.
• In SEC play, Arkansas has forced 46 turnovers (15.3) while committing just 26 (8.7) for a league-best +6.47 turnover margin.
No. 24 in NCAA NET, No. 9 in RPI
• Arkansas’ NCAA NET jumped four spots to 24th after a 76-72 win at Ole Miss.
• Arkansas’ NET is 2nd-best among SEC schools behind Auburn (6). Others of note: Kentucky (26), LSU (28), Florida (53), Georgia (54) and Missouri (57).
• Arkansas’ NET of 24 is better than five teams ranked in the in the AP top 25.
• Arkansas has an RPI of 9. better than 17 teams ranked in the in the AP top 25.
Mason Jones is THE TEAM LEADER
• Mason Jones leads the Razorbacks in: Scoring (19.4) • Rebounding (6.1) • Assists (46) • Steals (28)
• Jones is THE ONLY PLAYER IN THE SEC to rank among the top 20 in scoring (2nd) and Rebounding (16th) and also rank among the top 11 in steals (4th), 3-pointers made (6th), defensive rebounds (7th) and FG% (11th).
• Six times this season, Jones has led the team in 3 of the 4 categories in the same game.
Putting Arkansas’ 3-point defense … or Joe’s success … in perspective
• Arkansas leads the NCAA in 3-point field goal defense as opponents have shot below 29% from long range 13 times. Overall, opponents are a combined 59-of-261 from long range.
• Arkansas opponents have made 59 3-pointers in 261 attempts.
• Sophomore Isaiah Joe has made 59 3-pointers in 165 attempts.
Best scoring duos in NCAA; best trio in SEC
• Arkansas and UT Martin are the only teams in the NCAA feature two players in the nation’s top 90 for scoring
• ARKANSAS: #39 Mason Jones (19.2 ppg) • #67 Isaiah Joe (18.2 ppg)
• UT MARTIN: #30 Parker Stewart (19.7) • #63 Quintin Dove (18.3)
• Overall, the combined 37.6 points per game average for Jones and Joe is sixth-highest in the NCAA.
• Arkansas is the only team in the SEC to feature two players in the league’s top five for scoring — Mason Jones (2nd / 19.4) • Isaiah Joe (4th / 18.2)
• Three players in the league’s top 20 for scoring — Jimmy Whitt Jr. (15th / 13.8)
Isaiah Joe on Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year watch list
• Arkansas sophomore Isaiah Joe was named to the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.
• Fans can vote for their favorite player HERE
Hogs looking at transfers, but could one here be developed?
With all this talk about Arkansas looking at potential transfer quarterbacks, you have to wonder how the guys already on the team feel about that.
It’s getting to the point where signing day is more of a starting point than a destination.
Especially with quarterbacks.
Joe Burrow just won a national title at Ohio State after transferring to LSU from Ohio State. Three of the quarterbacks in this year’s playoff games began their college careers somewhere else.
Which makes it reasonable that new Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles are at least expressing interest.
Former Houston quarterback D’Eriq King and Florida’s starting quarterback at the beginning of this past season are the latest names drawing interest. Feleipe Franks is reportedly visiting Fayetteville this weekend, which is a big one in the recruiting world.
King was recruited by Briles to the Cougars and is one of the more highly-regarded signal-callers in this year’s talent relocation. Hog fans are hoping that’s enough to maybe convince him to come to Arkansas.
As for Franks, he is considered to be leaning towards Kansas and Les Miles, who recruited him hard when he was at LSU. He’s also visiting Mississippi State where Mike Leach is now the coach.
We may get a clue how good Pittman and Briles are as recruiters early with the Hogs. Let’s face it, they’re selling blue sky and opportunity at this point.
After back-to-back 10-loss seasons there’s no foundation. With eight different players starting at quarterback over the last two seasons and five of those guys gone, well, there’s not exactly a returning superstar to replace.
The three on the roster now — Jack Lindsey, John Stephen Jones and K.J. Jefferson — haven’t had a lot of development at the collegiate level. That’s code for lack of coaching, by the way.
All three have positives and negatives.There are some that feel looking at possible graduate transfer quarterbacks is a knock on the ones already here.
No, it’s not. The view here is if they’re not winning to compete for a job, you wonder how they’ll compete for wins.
With classes started for the spring semester getting a grad transfer in for spring practice has got to happen sooner rather than later … and they are recruiting some high school quarterbacks.
But unless Pittman and Briles can land a solid transfer, the most interesting thing in spring practice may be how well the ones already here can be developed.
After all, Hog fans have no idea how that could work out based on recent history.













