By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Mike Anderson wanted his young team to make sure protecting home court was one of its top priorities this season. Arkansas’ 82-74 win against No. 25 Vanderbilt on Tuesday night is more proof the Razorbacks continue to take Anderson’s message to heart.
The Razorbacks grabbed another impressive win in front of an announced crowd of 13,100 in Bud Walton Arena, knocking off one of the Southeastern Conference’s top teams. Guard Rickey Scott scored 18 points and Julysses Nobles added 17, leading a second-half charge that helped the Razorbacks improve to 16-0 in Fayetteville.
“I think it’s been like that,” Scott said of Arkansas’ dominance at home this season. “You have to protect the house. It’s natural to us.”
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The confidence has helped the Razorbacks open with 16 straight wins in BWA for just the second time in school history, equaling the 1993-94 national title team. The win also was Arkansas’ third against a ranked opponent in the month of January, joining victories against Mississippi State (Jan. 7) and Michigan (Jan. 21).
But beating Vanderbilt (16-6, 5-2 in SEC) was, perhaps, the most impressive one. The Commodores, a veteran team starting four seniors and a junior, had won 10 of its past 11 games.
“They’re a very good team in this building,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. “That’s obvious. Mike’s got them playing hard and playing together. It’s very impressive.”
Arkansas had to come from behind to secure Tuesday’s win after trailing 34-32 at the break. The Razorbacks (16-6, 4-3) made their move early in the second half thanks to impressive long-range shooting from several players. Forward Hunter Mickelson — an unlikely source — started the barrage with his first 3-pointer of the season, which tied the game at 40-40. Five of Arkansas’ next six field goals were 3-pointers, too, helping the Hogs built a 57-46 lead. Rickey Scott — who was 7-for-40 from long range — made two straight to make it 51-44 lead. Mardracus Wade also knocked down two. And BJ Young capped the spurt with the final 3-pointer. It was part of a 20-6 run that helped the Razorbacks open up as much as a 13-point lead.
“We feed off each other,” said Nobles, who went 3-for-6. “One guy gets a three, you get an open shot and feel like you have to hit one too.”
The Razorbacks went 6-for-12 behind the 3-point line in the second half and were 9-for-23 in the game. Arkansas shot 55.2 percent from the field in the second half and 45.9 percent in the game. But the offensive performance wasn’t the only key to beating the Commodores. Arkansas also turned in a surprising performance on the boards, outrebounding the bigger Commodores 36-29. It included 14 offensive rebounds, which led to 13 second-chance points.
“The most disappointing thing from our standpoint was the success they had rebounding,” Stallings said. “They had not done well rebounding. … They outplayed us and it showed.”
Vanderbilt guard John Jenkins led Vanderbilt with 19 points, but was held in check by Arkansas’ speed and aggressive defense until the final minutes when the Commodores tried to mount on final comeback. Jeffery Taylor scored 18 points, while center Festus Ezeli added 14.
It was a change from the first half, when Vanderbilt was in control after a rocky start. The Commodores made an emphasis to get the ball in the paint to Ezeli, who made Arkansas pay by scoring buckets and drawing fouls. Ezeli scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half before the Razorbacks regrouped in the locker room.
“I told our guys if there’s a half you want to win it’s the second half,” Anderson said. “I thought this team grew up and grew up in a lot of areas. I think they learned how hard you’ve got to play and not only how hard you have to play, but how to play together.”
It resulted in another win that will look nice on Arkansas’ postseason resume. But the Razorbacks didn’t want to talk about being in the NCAA Tournament picture with the final full month of the regular season about to begin. They realize it will take wins outside of the building to have a legitimate chance.
But Anderson said the good news is that he’s seeing improvements every time they step on the court.
“The thing I’m proud of them, they’re listening, they’re learning, they’re getting better,” Anderson said when asked about equaling the national title team’s 16-0 start at BWA. “They’re taking the approach every day. The national championship team was a special team. These guys still have a chance to have a special year.”