Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Alabama 79, Arkansas 68
Why Arkansas Lost
Arkansas went nearly ten minutes without a field goal during a stretch that spanned the first and second halves. Not only did the Razorbacks (17-11, 5-8) not score, they committed turnovers that led to easy Alabama baskets and allowed the Crimson Tide (18-9, 7-6) to turn what had once been a 12-point deficit into an easy victory. Arkansas gave up 21 points off 18 turnovers. Plus, the Razorbacks played poor defense, particularly in stopping dribble penetration. Alabama outscored Arkansas 33-8 during its run. The Razorbacks have now dropped five of their last six games.

Turning Point
Alabama led just 45-41 at halftime, but effectively put the game away by outscoring the Razorbacks 19-4 during the first 6:06 of the second half. Arkansas had five turnovers during that stretch and though it whittled the Crimson Tide lead down to five with 3:17 remaining, the damage was done.

Rough Half
Typically, it’s a good thing when BJ Young leads the team in statistical categories. But it didn’t help the Razorbacks’ cause that he tied for most turnovers with four and he was the only Arkansas player to foul out against the Crimson Tide.

Young did lead the team with 21 points in an Arkansas-high 32 minutes. Too many of his contributions — the positive ones — came in the first half. Young was 6 of 11 with 17 points before intermission. He was just 1 of 2 in the second half and scored four points.

A pair of fouls in a 30-second span sent Young to the bench with five with just 1:52 left. Arkansas was within 73-66 at that point, but struggled down the stretch without Young.

Hot And Cold
Arkansas built an early lead thanks to nice shooting from behind the three-point line. During the first half the Razorbacks led by 12 points as they connected on 8 of 11 three-point shots for 72.7 percent.

That shooting cooled significantly after halftime, though. Arkansas missed all six of its three-point attempts in the final 20 minutes and ended the night shooting 47.1 percent.

Alabama didn’t hit a three-pointer after halftime, but connected on 6 of 8 in the first half. That helped the Crimson Tide get back into the game after the Razorbacks jumped ahead early.

Sanchez Returns
Michael Sanchez returned to the lineup after missing three-plus games with a strained shoulder. He played 10 minutes off the bench and finished with one point and zero rebounds.

Giant Hog Call
Former Razorback offensive lineman Mitch Petrous was on hand for Thursday’s game. Petrus, who plays for the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, led the crowd in a Hog Call during a timeout.

“It was great being at Bud Walton tonight,” Petrus posted to his Twitter account. “Good luck to the team on the rest of their season #WPS."

Speaking Out
“Good teams trust each other through adversity. It seems like we try to do it individually. And as you try to do it individually you can see the deficit get bigger and bigger.”
—Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson

“I think some of it was maybe some of him being tired [and our] guys had a sense or urgency and awareness to not let him get opportunities like he did in the first half. “
—Alabama Coach Anthony Grant on holding BJ Young to four points after halftime. Young had 17 in the opening half and finished with 21.

Up Next
Arkansas (17-11, 5-8 SEC) travels to Auburn (14-13, 4-9) on Saturday. The Razorbacks will be looking to end a winless streak away from Walton Arena.