Late rally by Hogs falls short on road at Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Arkansas had three players in double figures and a fourth player with double-digit rebounds, but couldn’t overcome scoring droughts in a 71-60 loss at Kansas as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Junior Malica Monk finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes of play. Graduate student Devin Cosper added 17 points and the Razorback guards have scored in double-figures for the eighth consecutive game.
It was the fifth game in which Monk has scored 20+ points this year.Arkansas falls to 5-3 on the year while Kansas moves to 7-0. The loss drops the Razorbacks to 2-2 in the conference challenge series.
Sophomore Jailyn Mason finished with 10 points, her third double-figure game of the year and her second consecutive game with 10 or more points. Sophomore Kiara Williams added a career-best 16 rebounds for the Razorbacks.
Early foul trouble for Monk and Mason forced Arkansas to shuffle the lineup in the opening minutes of the first quarter.
The teams played even until Kansas put together a 9-0 run after the media timeout allowing the Jayhawks to double-up the score.
A couple of free throws and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Keiryn Swenson made it a four-point KU lead at the quarter break.
Arkansas closed the gap to five points, trailing 46-41, late in the third quarter after a good offensive start to the half. KU outscored Arkansas 4-2 in the final 1:45 to take an eight-point lead into the final frame.
Cosper and Monk both reached double figures in the third quarter and Williams had a game-high 11 rebounds after the first 30 minutes of play.
Mason drained a 3-pointer with just over six minutes to play in the game, pulling Arkansas within four points, 55-51. Kansas answered with back-to-back put backs and led by six points, 59-53, at the media timeout.
Arkansas battled to single digits twice in the final minutes of the game but the Jayhawks controlled the paint for much of the contest including 10 points from close range in the fourth quarter. Arkansas had a distinct size disadvantage and Kansas finished the game with 42 points in the paint and 11 second-chance points.
Notes
• Arkansas is 2-2 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
• Arkansas moves to 4-4 all-time against Kansas and Mike Neighbors is 0-1 against the Jayhawks.
• Arkansas has had the same starters in every game this year: Malica Monk, Kiara Williams, Jailyn Mason, Devin Cosper and Bailey Zimmerman.
• Devin Cosper and Malica Monk both reached double figures in the third quarter. It is their eighth consecutive game in double-figure scoring.
• Kiara Williams grabbed her 10th rebound of the game in the third quarter. It is her third career game with double-digit boards and she finished with a career-best 16 boards in the game.
• Jailyn Mason scored in double figures for the third time this season and for the second consecutive game.
• Arkansas forced double figure turnovers for the eighth time this season.
Up Next
The Razorbacks return home hosting Charlotte on Thursday, Dec. 7.
It is the first of three consecutive home contests for the Razorbacks as they host Tulsa on Dec. 10, and UT-Arlington on Dec. 17.
Arkansas travels to Arizona State on Dec. 21, in the final game before the holidays.
Malzahn turns down Hogs’ offer; Norvell next?
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn has agreed to a deal to remain the coach of the Tigers.
He reportedly was offered in excess of $7 million a year by Arkansas, but got a new deal from the Tigers and will stay on The Plains.
Malzahn was asked about his job security on the Peach Bowl conference call.
“I’m planning on being at Auburn,” Malzahn said. “I said that’s last night that’s where I want to be. Nothing’s changed.”
Malzahn was out recruiting for Auburn on Sunday, a day after his team lost to Georgia in the SEC title game. The Tigers beat both Alabama and Georgia this year.
Auburn will play Central Florida in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1. Malzahn went 10-3 this year, with losses coming against Clemson, LSU and Georgia.
Arkansas will likely turn to Mike Norvell of Memphis with its opening. Norvell led Memphis to an 10-2 record this year, with both losses coming against unbeaten Central Florida.
He has spent two years at Memphis after taking over for Justin Fuente.
Arkansas and Tennessee are the only two SEC vacancies. Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida and Ole Miss have all named new head coaches.
Reports have Hogs’ offer in Jimbo-A&M range
By all accounts, Arkansas is serious about getting Gus Malzahn to come home from Auburn.
Very serious. Deadly serious.
Dennis Dodd at CBSSports.com said today things are starting to get interesting.
“Arkansas is dead serious,” said a different source close to the situation. “They want him in the worst way.”
One figure tossed around, according to the source, $50 million for seven years. (For context, Jimbo Fisher just received $75 million over 10 from Texas A&M.)
Just to save you the time and trouble, that’s an average of $7,142,857.14 a year. Before deductions just to be clear.
Breathe.
We think that number is somewhere in the ballpark. Wally Hall of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette sent out his last tweet Saturday night that makes you think that number may be about right.
Last opinion tonight, Gus has some support on the AU board and he told them he wanted to be the Auburn coach. Will they beat the UA offer which would be third best in the SEC behind Sir Nick and Jumping Jimbo.
— Wally Hall (@WallyLikeItIs) December 3, 2017
Just a day after Auburn played for the SEC Championship on Saturday against Georgia, Dodd pointed out why Malzahn seriously might be looking to leave the dysfunctional goings-on that is Auburn.
After a second Iron Bowl win last week, the Tigers played for the SEC title for the second time in five years. A three-touchdown loss to Georgia won’t help change the direction of those fickle winds at Auburn.
We heard a lot of high-and-mighty lectures last week that Auburn is a better job than Arkansas, which is true if you’re looking at it in a traditional sense.
There is very little about Gus that is traditional. He’s always marched to the beat of his own drum, according to people who have known him practically his entire life.
He’s made decisions before that went against the normal way of thinking for college football coaches. He’s taken pay cuts to go to a situation where there was less drama before.
This one may not involve a pay cut if the reports are accurate. Hardly. Whether Auburn will try and match that offer is not known at this time.
All of which is why Auburn may, indeed, be the better job.
But is it the best job for Gus?
We may know at any time.
Take Gus’ postgame answer however you want
VIDEO COURTESY OF AL.COM
Gus Malzahn gave an answer in his postgame press conference Saturday that you can take however you want.
He said he “wants to be” the coach at Auburn next year.
To some that sounded like a commitment. It wasn’t. That’s coachspeak for “if they give me what I want, then I’ll think about it.”
In reality, what do you expect him to say at a time like that? Coaches hardly ever deny that and it certainly wasn’t as strong of a claim as what Nick Saban made back in 2006-07 to questions about him coming to Alabama from the Miami Dolphins.
Remember, that was when Saban said he “was not going to be the coach at Alabama” … and then he was a couple of weeks later.
Even Dan Wolken at USA TODAY thinks Malzahn should head out to Arkansas:
COLUMN: Why Gus Malzahn should escape the craziness of Auburn, go home to Arkansas https://t.co/1OUDd9la0n via @USATODAY
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) December 3, 2017
At least one person thinks it will be a Tuesday introduction. We will have an announcement before any introduction, by the way.
Longtime Arkansas Democrat-Gazette sports editor Wally Hall tweeted this:
Here's my guess: Press conference/pep rally Tuesday with Gus and new AD. He's going to make at least one surprise hire. He'll leave soon after to recruit and he'll improve the class.
— Wally Hall (@WallyLikeItIs) December 3, 2017
That is pretty much what I was thinking, too.
There was a Twitter report late Saturday afternoon about the cheerleaders told to be ready for a Sunday pep rally, but the guess here is that’s not going to happen.
There is usually enough of a period of time between the announcement and press conference-pep rally to allow media time to get to Fayetteville.
But, really, nothing would surprise me.
Time is now for Malzahn … or maybe never
It’s not a big secret that being the head coach at Arkansas is one of Gus Malzahn’s dream jobs.
In case you’re wondering, coaching the Dallas Cowboys is the other.
There is presently an opening in Fayetteville. It’s not a huge stretch to believe that Malzahn has been the principle target of whoever is making the decision to replace Bret Bielema for a few weeks before the axe was finally swing on him last week.
With Auburn losing the SEC Championship Game to Georgia on Saturday afternoon, any logical stumbling blocks were removed.
This shouldn’t be complicated.
Either Gus really wants the job or he doesn’t. At Auburn you’re only wanted after your most recent game if it was a win.
Malzahn found that out after last year’s Sugar Bowl when Oklahoma trounced the Tigers down in New Orleans and there were Auburn fans who would not have been that upset if he had left then.
Now? Who knows?
The Razorback fan base has convinced itself if the Tigers lost Saturday’s game, then Malzahn to Fayetteville was a done deal.
For his part, Malzahn ducked and dodged questions all week. Apparently, some in the media assumed that when Gus started an answer to a question about his loyalty with, “Yeah …” then gave a completely rambling answer saying nothing that it was a pledge to stay at Auburn.
In all the years that I’ve interviewed Malzahn, I think he starts every answer with, “Yeah …” It’s more or less his way of acknowledging he understands the question and the answer will follow.
So now is decision time.
Rumors have been swirling for a month (or more in some cases). The Malzahns obviously know just about every person from Little Rock to the River Valley to Northwest Arkansas because everybody has a “source that knows them” with some opinion of what’s going to happen.
Well, if it’s going to happen the moon, sun and stars have all aligned for the dream of many fans for Malzahn to be the head coach of the Razorbacks to finally happen.
And, naturally, there are others that would rather have anyone BUT Malzahn as the coach.
It should be an interesting few hours and there will be updates here.
Malzahn dodges talk about leaving … again
VIDEO FROM AL.COM
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn deflects talk about going to Arkansas by, well, just not talking about it which is what he’s done repeatedly.
