FAYETTEVILLE - More than 12,000 fans wiped the dust from their seats and semi-packed Bud Walton Arena Saturday night.
When the dust settled, Hog ball was back for 40 minutes in a surprising and entertaining 98-88 Arkansas win over No. 15 Mississippi State.
The Razorbacks fed off their largest home crowd in Mike Anderson’s first season at the school, ensuring more will continue to flock to the arena in coming weeks. In a year sure to possess several growing pains because of its youth, Arkansas looked unfazed by the considerably bigger and more experienced Bulldogs.
Arkansas’ quick hands and pressure defense flustered Mississippi State, which committed 18 turnovers. The Razorbacks scored 23 points off those miscues, including 10 in transition.
“That was fun basketball,” Anderson said. “I’m glad our fans got a chance to watch and enjoy. Was that the kind of basketball I envisioned? Yes.”
VIDEOS: Arkansas-Mississippi State Postgame
Arkansas (12-3) won its seventh straight game with superb play from guards Julysses Nobles and BJ Young. Nobles scored a career-high 24 points, while Young added 18 of his 24 points after halftime.
The duo, which combined to hit 17 of 24 field goal attempts, had Mississippi ties that made the win even more meaningful. Nobles is a Jackson, Miss., native, while Young’s father attended Mississippi State.
“Julysses Nobles played a perfect game,” Anderson said. “He scored 24 points, had seven assists and didn’t commit a turnover. And I was still asking for more.”
Arkansas’ guards repeatedly attacked the bigger Mississippi State frontcourt, outscoring the Bulldogs 46-28 in the paint. Both Arnett Moultrie and Renardo Sidney struggled with fouls, allowing easy baskets off the dribble for the guards.
Moultrie, who was charged with a second half technical, fouled out with 6:17 remaining, while Sidney had three fouls by halftime. A usual starter, Sidney scored just six points and had four rebounds off the bench.
“We took the opportunities when we had them” said Young, who scored more than 20 points for the third time this season. “We attacked the big men, went up strong to the basket and got them in early foul trouble. I think that hurt them throughout the game because they didn’t get to do what they usually do.”
The Razorbacks got production across the board, with all nine scholarship players scoring at least one point. In addition to the big nights by Young and Nobles, Michael Sanchez and Mardracus Wade scored 12 points and Rashad Madden scored 11.
Mississippi State (13-3) was no pushover. The Bulldogs have notable wins against Arizona and West Virginia this season, and lost by just two points to No. 4 Baylor last weekend in Dallas.
Mississippi State’s recent success was of little use, though, as Arkansas improved to 12-0 at Bud Walton Arena this season. With their frenetic style feeding off the crowd, the Razorbacks look closer than ever to making the facility one of the nation’s toughest again.
“The way Arkansas plays is totally different,” said Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury, whose teams fell to 5-9 all-time in Fayetteville, with four losses while ranked in the top 25. “You can’t simulate that in practice, especially in that environment.
“If they play like that, they’ve got a chance against anybody that comes in here.”
You can follow Matt Jones on Twitter @NWAMatt.
Man, I’m pretty sure there isn’t another fan base that has an equal passion for basketball and football. If there is, then there are only a handful in the country.
That said, this was the BEST WEEKEND EVAHR!!!.
11 wins in football, The Cotton Bowl, and Hogball is back in the Bud!! I’d love it if Jesus just came on back tonight, because it’ll probably not get any better.
Amen to Jesus coming back. In the meantime I’m just REALLY happy that Mike came back…and brought hogball with him!
All I have to say is getting Mike back was a great hire.
To all of those who complained when Mike Anderson was hired stick that in your pipe and smoke it. WPS
It’s a great time to be a hog.
Win… and they will come.
Go Hogs! Beat Ole Miss.
When I caculated the shedule up a week ago, I had Arkansas hitting 20 wins. That was using a worse case scenerio counting 2 losses to Miss St. and Alabama. We are already ahead on that now. This could be a supriseing season if these kids continue to get it like they did last night! Great game guys! WPS!
Sounded great on the radio, wished we could of been there or got a little tv coverage here in the russellville area. WPS !!
Matt, I loved the dust analogy. Perhaps it they sell out the next game and thrill will a similar type victory, we can call it the Dust Bowl
My comment about the game is that good coaches coach in practice, during the game they maintain discipline & tactic while allowing the players to play. I monitor the differences between the two contrasting styles by watching Nobles & Sanchez. I am noticing how several of the players are developing into monsters. Nobles & Young last night.
The problem we will have is to keep them fed while getting through this year. That was a true vintage 40 minutes of hell game against an opponent who has had history of coming into Bud Walton and breaking our streaks. razorbacks may need extra security when they return to the dump… I mean Hump in Starkville.
Good job team. Basketball is starting to come back. We are not the only team that has freshmen. We don’t have the bench other teams have. But the bench we have play hard. It nice to see a basketball team that takes coaching. The results are showing. I know we will not win all of our games but I can’t predict the future. Who knows. Good job Coach Anderson, players and staff.
remember were picked 10th in the conference.
BUT,
this will be a fun team to follow, young, aggressive, hard working, this is what we have been looking for since nolan’s tenure.
Fans still must exercise a lot of patience with this young team. Usually there are inconsistencies from week to week, game to gameIt ‘s still early in conference play but admittedly after last night’s game I, for one, see a much brighter glimmer to this season. MA and staff are doing their job and need the old crowds back at BWA.
First of all, that was a great Hog performance which is most encouraging. Secondly, I was one of the ones not overjoyed with the Anderson hire, and this win does NOT justify the hire. But I will give Mike his due and hope that he keeps on this track. I would like to be proven wrong. Thirdly, Jesus has absolutely nothing to do with sports and cannot “come on back” because he’s dust in the ground.
Every knee shall bow every tongue confess
Well said Homerhog. This is a high point of a roller coaster ride. And I can remember everyone proclaiming Razorback basketball back after Pelphrey won a few big games in a row two or three years ago. Although we have some outstanding freshmen, this is still a BIG rebuilding job that will take another year or two. If we make the NCAA tourney, I would be shocked and delighted. I am thinking NIT would be a plausible step this season.
@fearthetsunami
Thankfully the MA hire doesn’t have to be justified to you and nobody cares enough about your opinion to prove you wrong.
MA has the job whether you like it or not and the hogs are winning again whether you like it or not. God time to be a Hog fan!
This game doesn’t make a season. I realize that we will not play like this in some games. But I have seen enough this season to like this team and the coaches. The kids are playing hard. They play as a team. They run an offense, and don’t just stand around. It is obvious that they respect MA. If I lived in Arkansas I would be going to the games.
homerhog,
I agree with you that the fans need to be patient. Meanwhile, I hope they will start packing out BWA…and by the way, here in Memphis, the locals are going to be shaking in their boots every time the hogs have a win like this because they know CMA can and will recruit this city. Already, Pastner is falling out of favor with the tiger faithful and continues to have personnel “issues.”
This team has reasoning in the things they do! Its a far cry from the last 4 yrs where I contiueally said to my self, things like, Why does’nt anybody shoot the open shot, Why are we not full court pressing or half court trapping, why does are offense have no movement, Why did we call a timeout now that we are on an 8-0 run, and after the time out, we hit the court without 2 of the players that spured the run. These are just a few of the constant regular questions I asked every game especially the last 2 yrs that made me scream for change and to get Mike Back! Well he’s back, and kids are coached up and improving, defense is back, timeouts are called at the right times and do make immediate impacts on game. This team is well coached and fun to watch regaurdless of the outcome this year, HOGBALL IS BACK BABY! WPS!
Mike Anderson, what a class act.
Our basketball program could be compared to the football program 4 years ago. A few nice wins to accompany the school of hard knocks in the SEC. We all hoped for the football program to improve and it has! It’s the same now for our basketball program. The win over Miss State was a great one for this team and CMA! The future is bright for our program! WPS!
I’m Sorry to ask but I can not find the Hogs Basketball schedules in your web site. What am I doing wrong????
Thanks, an eighty year old former football player living out of the state, that tries to keep up with all UofA Atheletics.
Harold Spain look across the top on the Wholehogsports home page and go to roster&schedules and click basketball when it pops up.
Coach – I am a Hog fan, not a Kool-Aid drinker. My opinions are just as valid as yours. If you could not tell from the posts, I was responding to Pork rind who told all folks not initially overjoyed with the Anderson hire to “stick that in your pipe and smoke it” – as if one win at home justifies the MA hire. It does not. Whether or not the Hogs are “winning” has yet to be determined. As I listen to the Hogs lose to Ole Miss (not a good team), I wonder what all the Kool-Aid drinkers (ever heard of Jim Jones?) are going to have to say. I do not have a wish for Mike Anderson to fail – I would love for him to be a great success. But that is not what he was at Mizzou, and he is certainly not Nolan (as some people believe). At this point, he is no better or worse than Pelphrey (whom I also was not a fan of). Lastly, please keep Christian discourse off of this board. That dog will not hunt, and I am oh so tired of the mindless Jesus platitudes.