By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau
FAYETTEVILLE — Oakland coach Greg Kampe walked into the interview room Wednesday night, sat down behind the microphone and shook his head.
His team, two nights removed from a loss at Alabama, had been dismantled by Arkansas 91-68 in Bud Walton Arena. The result was unexpected, but one that left an obvious impression on the veteran coach when it was over.
“Gentlemen, that is a good basketball team,” Kampe said. “And I don’t know how they got good because they weren’t supposed to be. … “We didn’t have a chance of stopping them.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Arkansas wasn’t perfect Wednesday night, but turned in an eye-opening performance in front of an announced crowd of 8,000 in Fayetteville.
The Razorbacks, led by rejuvenated forward Marshawn Powell’s 20 points, jumped out to an enormous lead in the first half and never pulled off the throttle, beating up a quality opponent.
“It just seemed like everything we did … it was good,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said.
“The ball movement, the defensive intensity, the rebounding. It was like we just came out and delivered a punch in the first half.”
Anderson called Oakland a “dangerous” opponent before Wednesday night because of its experience in big games. But the Golden Grizzlies, who upset Tennessee last winter and scared Texas in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, were no match for Arkansas in the first half.
The Hogs played with tremendous effort and energy in Anderson’s system, pressuring Oakland on one end of the floor and pushing the pace on the other to jump out to a surprising lead.
Powell scored 18 of his 20 points in the half, connecting on all eight shots. When the junior wasn’t scoring, the rest of the Razorbacks knocked down 3-pointers (five in the half), made layups, blocked shots and drew charges.
The Razorbacks also benefited from Oakland point guard Reggie Hamilton’s early foul trouble, which limited the team’s best player to four points in 13 minutes in the half.
“He’s the head,” Arkansas guard Rickey Scott said. “Coach said cut the head off, so that’s what we did. That’s why we got the big lead.”
The Razorbacks shot 56.4 percent in the half (22 of 39), forced 10 turnovers, turned the mistakes into 17 points and outscored Oakland 16-5 on the fast break in a breath-taking half.
It all led to a 55-27 advantage.
“That first half was about them,” Kampe said of the Razorbacks. “It wasn’t about us. They grabbed us by the throat and they killed us.”
Oakland regrouped in the locker room and made a push at the start of the second half, opening on a 14-5 run to cut Arkansas’ lead below 20. But the Razorbacks regained control when Mardracus Wade knocked down a jumper and didn’t allow the Golden Grizzlies to pull any closer.
Arkansas shot 53.6 percent from the field, 40 percent behind the 3-point line and trimmed its turnover total to 11 on Wednesday. Six Arkansas players also scored in double figures, a group that included Powell, freshman B.J. Young (16 points) and Wade (14). Rickey Scott, Julysses Nobles and Rashad “Ky” Madden scored 10 apiece.
“They’re still a good basketball team no matter how much we beat them by,” Powell said of Oakland. “We just came out to play and they caught us on a night everything was falling.”
Kampe said if Arkansas can replicate that type of performance consistently this season they’ll be a “top 30, top 25 team.” He echoed South Carolina-Upstate coach Eddie Payne in saying the Razorbacks will face challenges without much size in the frontcourt, but said Arkansas’ guard play and effort was “phenomenal” Wednesday.
Anderson, even, was impressed by his team’s ability to pay attention to the scouting report and gameplan, executing to near perfection against the Golden Grizzlies. But two games into his tenure, when told of Kampe’s comments the Hogs are top-25 worthy, Anderson disagreed as he looked ahead to Arkansas’ next game against Houston in North Little Rock on Friday night.
“We’re humble little Arkansas right now,” Anderson said. “We’re just trying to piece it together right now. … (Wednesday) was one of those nights where a lot of things came together. It’s just one night.”