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Razorbacks dominate Kansas State to win Paradise Jam
ST. THOMAS, USVI — Arkansas is coming back to Fayetteville with the Paradise Jam Reef Tournament Championship and three more wins, highlighted by a 69-53 victory over No. 25 Kansas State.
It was the Wildcats’ first loss of the season.
Chrissy Carr paced the Razorbacks against her former team with 19 points and earned a spot on the five-person All-Tournament Team.
Makayla Daniels logged 13 points and six boards and won the tournament’s MVP honors after averaging 17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals over the week.
Kansas State scored the first two baskets of the game, but Erynn Barnum got the Razorbacks going with a layup.
Saylor Poffenbarger made a tough layup and followed that up by making one of two free throws, as Arkansas trailed at the media timeout, 6-5.
Barnum tied the game at six with a free throw, but Kansas State responded with a 3-pointer. After that, the lead changed twice until the contest was knotted up back at 13 with a little over a minute left.
Daniels got fouled with three seconds left and was sent to the line, knocking down both free throws. Arkansas led 15-13 after one quarter.
Arkansas kept the momentum rolling in the opening minutes of the second quarter, charging on a 6-0 run.
K-State cut the lead to three, 21-18, off a 3-pointer, but the Razorbacks scored nine straight points, including a 3-pointer from Carr for a 30-18 lead with 2:48 left in the quarter.
The Wildcats cut the Razorback advantage to 10 with less than a minute left, but Daniels drove to the basket for a layup and got fouled in the process with a second left on the clock.
She made the free throw to send Arkansas ahead, 38-26 at the half. Barnum logged 13 of her 17 total points in the second frame.
Carr buried a 3-pointer to begin the third quarter and extend the Razorback lead to 15.
That 3-pointer sparked an 8-2 run and after a Daniels 3-pointer, K-State called a timeout. The 3-pointers kept falling, as Daniels knocked down another one and after Maryam Dauda had one of her own, the Hogs pulled ahead 52-33 with 4:42 left in the third.
K-State could not find an answer for Carr, as another triple extended the lead to 22. Arkansas outscored K-State 24-15 in the third and entered the final quarter with a 62-41 advantage.
Although Arkansas was outscored 12-7 in the fourth quarter, the Razorbacks held K-state to 27.3 percent shooting in the fourth to hold the Wildcats back from making a late run.
Game Highlights
• Coach Mike Neighbors is off to the best start during his time at Arkansas at 8-0. This matches a best beginning to a season for the Razorbacks since 2016 when that team also commenced the year with eight wins.
• Carr led the charge with 18 points and four rebounds. She added three triples tonight
Barnum was solid once again, tallying 17 points off an efficient 7-of-9 field goal percentage. She added four boards, two blocks and three steals.
• Daniels was everywhere with 13 points, six boards, two assists and two steals
Poffenbarger logged nine points, six rebounds, a career-high six assists and two blocks.
• Samara Spencer logged six points, a career-high eight boards, four assists and three steals.
• Dauda registered five points and four boards off the bench.
• The Razorbacks outrebounded the opposition for the eighth straight game, 41-33.
• Arkansas dominated in the paint with 30 points inside versus K-State’s 14
Next Game
The Razorbacks return for a four-game homestand, starting with a matchup versus Troy on Thursday. Tipoff is set at 7 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena.
Still more questions about when Hogs’ Nick Smith returns
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It’s sounding more and more like Nick Smith will be back probably sooner rather than later.
The Arkansas freshman went to the Maui Invitational, but didn’t play. Now they have a quick turnaround against Troy on Monday at Bud Walton Arena against Troy.
“He’s getting closer to playing for sure,” Hogs coach Eric Musselman said Saturday.
That was about as close as he was getting to disclosing anything.
“He’s starting to do some team stuff again,” Musselman said. “Today we’ll be able to get a little bit more active. Tomorrow will be more active than even today. He’s moving in the right direction for sure.”
Monday night’s game is at 7 p.m. and will be on the SEC Network. You can listen to the game online at HitThatLine.com or on ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs or 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
“That’s one of the concerns is coming back and playing your first game,” Musselman said. “To my knowledge, we have the earliest game being on a Monday. Some other teams play on Tuesday and another team plays on Thursday as their first game back.
“Again, I think we have for sure as short of a turnaround as anybody. So, that is of concern. I know sleep patterns are a little bit messed up right now for all of us. But hopefully by (Sunday) night we’ll be a little bit more adjusted timeframe-wise.”
Playing three games in three nights in Maui took a physical toll. Musselman made it clear he was doing it to prepare for the SEC Tournament when they may have to play that many games in a row.
The players felt the effects.
“We’re a little banged up across the board,” point guard Anthony Black said. “Pretty tired from those three games.”
Now they have Troy coming on a 6-1 start to the season that includes an impressive win over Florida State from the ACC.
“They’re gonna be hungry,” forward Ricky Council said Monday. “They’re a pretty good defensive team. So we’re just gonna have to be ready.
“We’re seeing around the country smaller schools are beating bigger schools. We just can’t take them lightly. We just got to play our game.”
But nobody is giving out any information on when Smith will be playing. He hasn’t played in a regular-season game.
“Everybody here understands when he’s not playing how badly he wants the team to win,” Musselman said.
Pittman firing strength coach not news, but could indicate future
When word started leaking Saturday morning about Arkansas’ strength and conditioning coach, the initial thought is it’s really just a social media post.
In the case of the Razorbacks on the heels of a 29-27 loss to Missouri that put a sour finish to a season that didn’t come close to meeting expectations, it creates a bigger question:
Who’s next?
Jamil Walker isn’t the cause for a 6-6 season a year after a 9-4 season with an Outback Bowl win over Penn State. Especially considering the platitudes he was given in spring and preseason camp about what a great job he had done.
It is one of the most important positions on the coaching staff, though. Per NCAA rules, he gets to spend more time with the players than any other coach through off-season workouts, then the summer and even in the season he can be with them more than just about anybody.
Just applying some logic here.
Despite what some people think (and social media is full of people wanting to fire everybody right now), offering up the strength and conditioning coach usually indicates the first in a lot of exits coming soon.
Sam Pittman isn’t wasting any time. An educated guess is Walker didn’t suddenly forget everything he knew about strength and conditioning of players.
You don’t develop a team like 2021 that was called one of the most physical teams in the SEC with the best rushing attack in the Power 5 to the point where Pittman said they “got our butts beat” against Missouri at the end of the year.
This will be wondered about for a few weeks, especially a month away from the early National Signing Day.
It may just be the first drop in a lot of changes coming for the Razorbacks.
Hogs’ Drew Sanders, Hudson Clark on the defense in close loss to Tigers
How Missouri created problems for Razorbacks’ defense, playing with Bumper Pool for first time in 29-27 road loss.
Razorbacks’ Sam Pittman after coming up short against Mizzou … again
How Hogs were beaten on the line of scrimmage in 29-27 loss to the Tigers in season’s last game.
LIVE BLOG: Hogs still have never won game in Columbia
Missouri proved for the fifth straight time they somehow manage to get a win over Arkansas when the game is played in Columbia.
The Tigers held on in the fourth quarter for a 29-27 win Friday afternoon.
Arkansas has never won a football game in Missouri … and they have managed to lose in some pretty interesting ways.
Now they get another shot.
The Razorbacks (6-5 on the season) are qualified for a bowl, but there’s no idea where the SEC office will slot them while the Tigers (5-6) are just looking to get qualified for a bowl game.
After appearing to get everybody back healthy on offense, now the defense may be short. Earlier this week, Hogs coach Sam Pittman and linebackers Drew Sanders and Chris Paul didn’t sound like they expected senior Bumper Pool to be there.
“He’s pretty beat up,” Pittman said at his press conference Monday.
There are other questions, based on some social media gossip and guessing about another defensive starter, but no sense in speculating now … we’ll know pretty quickly
Keep up with all the action on the live blog here with photos when they become available and Zoom coverage after the game.
First Quarter
The weather is expected to remain sunny with temperatures in the mid to low 50’s with no significant winds. No excuses about weather in either direction things go.
• Razorbacks get the opening kickoff and go backwards three net yards and have to give it up to Missouri. Left tackle Luke Jones gives up a huge sack on third down and with that the Hogs scored just one opening drive that scored points all season.
• 1Q 9:34: Tigers get on the board first taking the punt and quarterback Brady Cook making the big plays against the Hogs’ defense before the drive stalled. Harris Mevis kicks a 40-yard field goal to give Missouri the lead. Tigers 3, Hogs 0
• 1Q 5:26: Razorbacks answer Mizzou’s score with solid drive, going 75 yards in nine plays. The biggest play was a pass from KJ Jefferson to Matt Landers, who added some nifty footwork for a 37-yard gain. Jefferson ran un-touched up the middle for the final three yards and the lead. Hogs 7, Tigers 3
• 1Q 2:56: This might turn into a track meet. Mizzou with Cook completing two passes (to Mookie Cooper and Dominec Lovett) totaling 52 yards. The Tigers go 75 yards in just seven plays to take lead back If Hogs don’t find a way to get defensive stops, hope you took the over. Tigers 10, Hogs 7
As the first quarter comes to an end, Cook still has the hot hand and has Missouri on the Hogs’ 9-yard line.
Second Quarter
• 2Q 14:56: Okay, this is not shaping up like anyone predicted. The Hogs’ defense hasn’t stopped Cook and the Missouri offense yet while the Hogs’ offense just doesn’t appear to be running like a well-oiled machine, either. Cook runs up the middle for a nine-yard scoring run. Missouri has 200 yards total offense while the Hogs have just 81. There were warning signs of this nobody wanted to pay much attention to against Ole Miss. Tigers 17, Hogs 7
• 2Q 9:26: Wide receiver Matt Landers does it again for the Hogs, hauling in a 27-yard 50-50 shot from Jefferson down the left sideline at the end zone. Tigers 17, Hogs 14
• 2Q 5:26: Hogs struggling to figure out a way to stop Brady Cook, who has 56 more yards rushing than Arkansas does total. This time, though, linebacker Chris Paul gets a big third-down stop and the Tigers have to settle for a field goal. Tigers 20, Hogs 14
• 2Q 1:35: Offense finally seems straightened out as Jefferson directs nice 11-play, 75-yard drive and gets the final eight to Raheim Sanders on a little wheel route Mizzou didn’t appear interested in stopping. Hogs 21, Tigers 2
Half ends with Missouri appearing to go conservative and be content down by a single point.
• 3Q 10:09: Missouri starts chasing point early in the second half and the Hogs make them pay as Hudson Clark picks off Cook in the end zone on a two-point pass and nearly broke it for two points the other way. The Tigers took the second-half kickoff and methodically drove 75 yards in 10 plays, converting a fourth down to score on a 23-yard pass from Cook to Luther Burden down the left sideline … which grabs back lead. Tigers 26, Hogs 20
3Q 5:32: KJ Jefferson throws his fourth interception of the year to Daylen Carnell, then the Tigers have a touchdown wiped off on a holding penalty, but settle for a 29-yard field goal from Mevis. Tigers 29, Hogs 21
3Q 1:43: Hogs answer with a 46-yard field goal from Cam Little after a 10-play drive that stalled. Tigers 29, Hogs 24
Fourth Quarter
4Q 12:40: Razorbacks get first-and-10 inside the 10 and end up having to settle for another Little field goal, this time from 20 yards out to make it yet another Hogs-Tigers game coming down to the fourth quarter. Tigers 29, Hogs 27
Listen to Hogs-Tigers on ESPN Arkansas radio stations or right here
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Arkansas wants a win today, but Missouri may actually need one more.
The Razorbacks are already bowl-eligible and will be looking to improve what game the SEC office selects them for while the Tigers are just trying to get eligible for any bowl game.
It will kick off at 2:30 p.m. on CBS and fuboTV.
How to Watch-Listen
Who: Missouri Tigers (5-6, 2-5 SEC) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (6-5, 3-4 SEC)
What: Last game of regular season.
When: Friday, Nov. 25, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Memorial Stadium at Faurot Field (76,000 cap.) | Columbia (Mo.)
Watch: CBS (Tom McCarthy, Rick Neuheisel and Sherree Burress)
Listen Online: HitThatLine.com
On Radio: ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home
Game Notes
• The Razorbacks, bowl eligible for the third straight year, wrap up the regular season this weekend, traveling to Columbia, Mo., for this year’s edition of the Battle Line Rivalry. Kickoff between Arkansas and Missouri is set for 2:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25, at Faurot Field on CBS.
• Arkansas heads into this weekend’s clash having never won a game played in Columbia. The Hogs’ last road win against the Tigers came in 1944, when Arkansas, led by head coach Glen Rose, defeated Missouri, 7-6, in St. Louis.
• With last weekend’s win over Ole Miss, Arkansas reached the six-win mark for the second straight season and is headed to a bowl game for the third season in a row. Sam Pittman is the fourth Arkansas head coach in history to lead the Razorbacks to a bowl game in each of his first three seasons, joining Lou Holtz (1977-79), Ken Hatfield (1984-86) and Houston Nutt (1998-00).
• Quarterback KJ Jefferson does his damage through the air and on the ground. Jefferson has completed 165-of-244 passes (67.6%) for 2,149 yards and 20 touchdowns with just three interceptions while rushing for 472 yards and six scores in eight games. Despite missing two contests, Jefferson, who has eight career games with both a passing and rushing touchdown, is one of two SEC quarterbacks with 20 passing touchdowns and five or more rushing scores this season.
• RB Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders is the Hogs’ leading rusher through 11 games, totaling 1,379 yards and 10 scores on 209 carries (6.6 avg.). Sanders, who ranks second in the SEC in rushing yards (1,379) and rushing yards per game (125.4), also has 25 catches for 249 yards and a touchdown to lead the SEC in total all-purpose yards (1,628) this season.
• Wide receiver Matt Landers, a transfer from Toledo, has recorded 40 catches for a team-leading 701 yards and a team-high six touchdowns through 11 contests, including a pair of multi- touchdown games this season. Landers’ 701 receiving yards are the most by an Arkansas pass catcher not named Wide receiver Treylon Burks since WR Drew Morgan tallied 739 receiving yards in 13 games during the 2016 campaign.
• Linebacker Drew Sanders has emerged as one of the top defensive playmakers in college football this season, racking up 96 total tackles with a team-leading 12.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 8.5 sacks through 11 games. His 8.5 sacks are the most by a Razorback defender since defensive end Chris Smith totaled 8.5 sacks in 2013, tied for eighth most in a season in school history. Sanders currently leads the SEC in sacks, sitting a half-sack ahead of Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. (8.0).
Game notes from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Spencer gets career high in opening Paradise Jam with win
ST. THOMAS, USVI — Arkansas (6-0) earned a hard-fought win over Northern Arizona (3-3) in the first of three games at the Paradise Jam.
NAU led for 10 minutes in the first half, but after a 12-0 run by Arkansas before halftime, the Razorbacks never looked back.
Samara Spencer played a big role in the Razorbacks finding a roll, finishing with a career-high 27 points off 10 field goals. With the 82-73 win, coach Mike Neighbors secured his 200th career win.
The Razorbacks could not capitalize on the first two possessions, but a Saylor Poffenbarger 3-pointer got Arkansas on the board.
The game was tied at 7-7 with 6:01 left in he first, but Spencer knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Razorbacks back up by one, 10-9.
NAU then went on a 7-2 run, as Arkansas trailed 16-12 at the media timeout with 3:37 left in the first quarter.
Arkansas started to heat up with huge thanks to Makayla Daniels, whose 3-point play put the Razorbacks back ahead, 17-16. The Razorbacks had the 20-18 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play.
NAU took the lead back off a 3-pointer and put up another one on the next possession to retake the lead by four.
Poffenbarger continued to perform on both ends of the floor with a spin move to the basket, as the Razorbacks trailed 26-24 halfway through the second quarter.
A Spencer triple put the Razorbacks back ahead, 31-29, with a little over two minutes left in the game. The Razorbacks kept cruising with a Poffenbarger 3-pointer and a Spencer layup just before the buzzer sounded.
Arkansas trailed for the better part of the second quarter but closed out the frame on a 12-0 run to lead 38-29 at the half.
The Lumberjacks came out of the locker room on a 5-0 run.
Erynn Barnum gave the Razorbacks their first basket out of halftime off a layup. Arkansas then went on an 8-2 run.
NAU knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the Razorback lead to seven. At the media timeout, Arkansas had the 48-39 advantage.
Arkansas took a 20-point lead following a Maryam Dauda layup and a free throw. NAU made a 3-pointer to finish the third, as the Razorbacks were ahead, 61-46 after 30 minutes of play.
Spencer could not be stopped in the paint, as a layup got her up to 20 points for her second 20-piece of the season. Arkansas led 65-51 a few minutes into the fourth quarter.
An NAU 3-point play helped the Lumberjacks get within eight, but a Spencer 3-pointer pushed the Razorbacks back up by double digits.
NAU drained another 3-pointer to cut the Arkansas lead to seven with a little under seven minutes in the game.
Barnum got a layup and Spencer followed with another layup to inch up to 27 points, as Arkansas led by 12 with 1:29 left in the game.
After NAU cut the lead down to single digits once again, Arkansas was clutch down the stretch, making 5-of-6 shots from the line in the final minute.
Arkansas pulled away with an 82-73 win.
Hogs Highlights
• Spencer logged a career-high 27 points off 10-of-21 shooting from the field. She tallied three 3-pointers, as well as drew 10 fouls, pulled down four rebounds and captured four steals
• Daniels was solid once again with 18 points off 5-of-10 shooting. She was 8-of-9 from the charity stripe and drew eight fouls, logged four assists and had two steals
Poffenbarger was dealing today with a career-high 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal
• Barnum logged seven points and seven boards
• The Razorbacks continue to outrebound opponents, doing so tonight, 42-38
Arkansas forced 28 turnovers
Next Game
Arkansas will take the late shift tomorrow at the Paradise Jam, as the team is scheduled to play Clemson at 7 p.m. Coverage of that game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Hogs get ugly overtime win that will be measured in March
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When everybody quits complaining about this win, they’ll realize Arkansas’ overtime win will help.
Whatever that magic formula is they use in March will count this as a win over a ranked team without maybe their best player for the Razorbacks.
Don’t get too worried about a 74-70 win by the No. 9 Hogs over No. 17 San Diego State on Wednesday night in the last game of the Maui Jim Invitational over in Hawaii.
Both of these teams were worn out, but the Hogs had a bigger, more talented team and that paid off somehow getting to overtime, then hanging on.
No, the Razorbacks didn’t play their best. It was downright sloppy in the first half and most of the second half.
They got it to some extra time mainly on the experience and strength of senior Kamani Johnson and sophomore transfer Trevon Brazile.
Johnson, who hasn’t seen an awful lot of playing time lately, had 7 points and 7 rebounds. They came at the point of a game it looked like the Hogs didn’t simply have the energy to win in the second half.
Brazile, though, had maybe his best game. He led the Hogs with 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds but it was a dive for a loose ball with 7 seconds left and the awareness to call a quick timeout that got the thing to overtime.
Actually, it set up a Johnson rebound and put-back of Anthony Black’s missed layup with a couple of seconds to go that added the points to get there.
In overtime Johnson controlled things, grabbing rebounds on both ends, getting a couple of steals and hitting free throws.
Yes, the Hogs played bad in the first half and most of the second half.
Fans should take the win, however. In March it’s still a win over a ranked team on a neutral floor without maybe their best player.
Most importantly, though, these Hogs showed something that really can’t be measured fighting through dead legs after three games in three days, two of them against ranked teams.
That will be measured in March.
How to watch-listen to Razorbacks-San Diego State tonight
LAHAINA, Hawaii — The ninth-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks will face No. 15/17 San Diego State in the third-place game of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational tonight.
Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
How to Watch-Listen
Who: No. 9/9 Arkansas Razorbacks (4-1, 0-0 SEC) vs No. 15/17 San Diego State Aztecs (4-1, 0-0 Mountain West)
What: Maui Jim Maui Invitational third-place game.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 23, 9 p.m.
Where: Lahaina, Hawai’i (Lahaina Civic Center)
Watch: ESPN2 and fuboTV (John Schriffen and Daymeon Fishback)
Listen Online: HitThatLine.com
On Radio: ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home
Game Notes
• This will be the third meeting between Arkansas and San Diego State. Arkansas won the first two meetings — both on neutral courts but played in the state of Arkansas. The Dec. ‘81 encounter came in Pine Bluff, Ark., and meeting the Dec. ‘85 encounter came in Little Rock.
• While the Razorbacks and Aztecs have only met twice … both coming in the 1980’s, San Diego State is a familiar foe to Razorback head coach Eric Musselman. Not only did Musselman grow up in San Diego and attended the University of San Diego, but San Diego State was Nevada’s chief rival while Musselman was head coach of the Wolf Pack.
• Eric Musselman was just 3-7 versus San Diego State while at Nevada. To put those seven losses into perspective, Muss was only lost 34 total games at Nevada, including 21 versus Mountain West foes.
• Not only do Eric Musselman and Brian Dutcher have playing against each other as ties…
• Musselman’s dad (Bill) was head coach at the University of Minnesota and Dutcher’s dad (Jim) followed Musselman as Gophers’ head coach.
• Dutcher and Musselman rank five and six, respectively, among active NCAA Division I head coaches in winning percentage (with at least five years with Division I wins). Dutcher has a .750 win percentage in 6 years and Musselman has a .748 win percentage in 8 years.
Game notes from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
