University of Arkansas head men’s basketball coach Mike Anderson and the team met with the media on Thursday as a part of the 2012 Men’s Basketball Media Day to discuss the upcoming season.

Coach Anderson spoke about his enthusiasm for this season with the current team.

“This team really excites me, it really does,” coach Anderson said. “We did some good things last year. We have to be able to do it both at home and on the road this year.”

Coach Anderson also spoke about how he is trying to build upon what he did last season with the Razorbacks. Last season, the Hogs recorded a school record, 17 home wins.

“We are certainly looking forward to getting prepared for year two and building on some of the things that we did in year one,” coach Anderson said.

The second year of the coach Anderson era will begin on Friday, Nov. 2 with an exhibition game against Southwest Baptist. The start of the Razorbacks’ regular season will begin when they take on Sam Houston State in Fayetteville on Friday, Nov. 9.

Arkansas men’s basketball team hosts Primetime at the Palace on Friday at 9 p.m., officially tipping off the 2012-13 basketball seasons. Doors open at 8 p.m.

08/12/2012 – Athletic Media Relations

Como, Italy. – Junior Mardracus Wade poured in 24 points in 18 minutes while junior transfer Coty Clarke scored 18 and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the University of Arkansas men’s basketball team to a 129-87 win over Amici del Campetto in the first of four exhibition contests for the Razorbacks in Italy.

“Very much like a young basketball team, they were all eager to get out,” Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson said. “I thought we did some good things. I thought that the energy level was there and that the execution was there at times. One of the things that we did do, is we scored, and I even saw that when we played against ourselves. One thing that I harp on our guys about is playing defense. We have to guard people. We gave up about 50 points in the first half, but you have to limit people. In the third quarter we only gave up about eight points so that told me that our guys were a little bit more focused on defense. There’s work to be done, but one thing that was obvious is that we have more depth on this team. We have more guys that can do more things.”

Wade scored Arkansas’ first four points on way to his game high 24. The SEC leader in three-point percentage a year ago showed improvement and versatility in his game as he was creative in getting to the basket. The Memphis, Tenn., native sank nine of 10 free throws and added one assist and two steals, while taking just three three-point shots.

Clarke’s night began on the bench, but in a team high 22 minutes of action, Clarke appeared to be the best rebounder on the floor as he grabbed seven while also hitting nine of 13 shots. Clark’s athleticism showed throughout the contest and Arkansas’ game improved when he made his way onto the floor.

Read the rest here at ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

Mike Anderson’s post game press conference after the Razorbacks basketball team upset Michigan on Saturday.

Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas did its best impression of the 1994 team in a 66-64 win over Michigan (No. 19 ESPN/USA Today, No. 20 AP).

Playing in front of a season-high crowd of 19,500, including former coach Nolan Richardson, the Razorbacks moved to 14-0 in Bud Walton Arena on Saturday afternoon.

They did so behind 15 points from freshman B.J. Young, earning their second win at home over a ranked team this season. Arkansas (14-5) defeated then-No. 15 Mississippi State in Southeastern Conference play on Jan. 7, but that performance paled in comparison to what this group of Razorbacks showed early against the Wolverines.

Arkansas connected on its first 11 shots in building a 20-point first-half lead. It wasn’t until Trey Burke’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out that the Razorbacks secured the win, which was their first over Michigan since a quarterfinal matchup against the Wolverines in the 1994 NCAA Tournament.

They went on to win the school’s only national championship that season, with Richardson as the coach and Mike Anderson on the bench as an assistant. Anderson was hired away from Missouri in March as Arkansas’ coach, and Saturday’s win was another signature win as he hopes to return the school to the NCAA tournament after missing the last three seasons.

“I think a lot of things came together,” Anderson said. “To me, it was fitting that we won, but it went down to the last second. We were very fortunate.”

The loss is yet another road disappointment for Michigan (15-5), which still hasn’t won a game on an opponent’s home court this season. The Wolverines stormed back from the early deficit to cut the Arkansas lead to two in the closing minutes, but they were unable to build on Tuesday’s 60-59 win over No. 9 Michigan State.

Michigan, which shot 41 percent (25 of 61) has now lost at Arkansas, Virginia, Indiana and Iowa this season, as well as in Maui.

“If you’re going to win on the road, you have got to have so much more talent than the other team, or you’ve got to play your best game,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “That’s pretty much what it comes down to.

“Look at our shooting stats: We did not play our best game.”

Coming off a 86-63 blowout loss at No. 2 Kentucky on Tuesday, Arkansas played like the 1994 championship team early on Saturday. The Razorbacks built a 34-14 lead on the strength of its early shooting and led 49-33 early in the second half.

Behind the lively crowd, also on hand to celebrate the school’s Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State at halftime, Arkansas connected on its first 11 shots. That included four 3-pointers to build a 29-10 lead, and it shot 50 percent (24 of 48) in the first half. Young had seven points during the early run, while fellow freshman Hunter Mickelson capped the perfect shooting start with an inside basket with 10:24 remaining in the half.

The Razorbacks’ first miss was on a jumper by Rashad Madden with 9:49 remaining and were 17 of 26 (65 percent) in the half, while the Wolverines struggled to 11 of 28.

“It was a great atmosphere, great fan support, great team effort,” Young said. “We had a good win. It was a great atmosphere, fully packed and I think we fed off the crowd.”

Michigan stormed back after falling behind by 16 early in the second half, withJordan Morgan scoring eight-straight points at one point to help the Wolverines cut the lead to 49-43. Morgan finished with 16 points, while Zack Novak led Michigan with 17 points and Burke added 13.

Arkansas led 61-48 with less than seven minutes remaining, but Novak’s 3-pointer cut the lead to 62-60 three minutes later.

Mickelson put the Razorbacks up 66-62 with 42 seconds left, scoring inside as the shot clock wound down on a pick-and-roll with Young.

“I don’t know if we got too settled in or what, but we let them come back,” Mickelson said. “But we rallied together at the end to get it done.”

Arkansas had a chance to finish off the game with a pair of 1-and-1 free throw opportunities with a two-point lead in the closing seconds, but both Young and Julysses Nobles missed their first attempts.

The Wolverines had the ball after the misses with 7.6 remaining. Following a timeout, Burke’s 3-point attempt over Nobles at the buzzer rimmed out to secure the win for the Razorbacks.

Mickelson and Rickey Scott each finished with 11 points for Arkansas, while Mardracus Wade added 12.

“They made some tough shots, but we also gave them some easy shots,” Morgan said. “When you give a good team with a great crowd momentum, it’s hard to stop them.”

Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Mike Anderson didn’t like what he saw in the first half in the least against LSU.

The Arkansas coach did like the effort and energy in the second half — with the Razorbacks pulling away for a 69-60 win over the Tigers on Saturday night.

BJ Young scored 19 points off the bench, and Julysses Nobles scored 13 of his 15 in the second half as Arkansas improved to 13-0 at home in Bud Walton Arena this season. The Razorbacks (13-4, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) shot just 36 percent in the first half before heating up in the second, connecting on 13 of 24 shots (54 percent) in front of a season-high crowd of 14,800.

“I thought we were pressing a little bit in the first half,” Anderson said. “I’m not talking about literally pressing, just talking about wanting to do something so bad. … I thought in the second half, it was a better flow, a better rhythm to the game.”

Mardracus Wade added 14 points for Arkansas, which finished 9 of 18 on 3-pointers. Wade was 3 of 4 from behind the arc, while Nobles was 3 of 5.

Justin Hamilton led LSU (11-6, 1-2) with 20 points, while Anthony Hicks added 12. The Tigers outrebounded the Razorbacks 46-38 but finished just 24 of 69 (35 percent) from the field.

The loss is the third in four games for LSU, which hit just 3 of 18 3-pointers.

“I thought we did a really good job of competing at a high level,” LSU coach Trent Johnson said. “But against a team like this, that puts a lot of pressure on you both offensively and defensively, and (when) you have an opportunity to get open shots and don’t hit them, it’s tough.”

The win helps Arkansas ease the sting of a loss at Mississippi on Wednesday. That defeat followed the Razorbacks’ stunning 98-88 win over then-No. 15 Mississippi State at home last week, and dropped them to 0-4 away from home this season.

Arkansas didn’t shoot as well against the Tigers as it did in last week’s 57 percent performance against the Bulldogs, finishing 22 of 52 (42 percent). However, the Razorbacks continued to thrive off of forcing turnovers.

They entered Saturday leading the SEC in that category, forcing an average of 18.5 turnovers per game, and they led 30-29 at halftime against LSU after forcing 10 in the first half.

“It helps a lot,” Young said. “We put (the Ole Miss) loss behind us after we couldn’t do anything about it but look forward to the next game. We wanted to come out in this game with a lot of energy.”

The two teams exchanged the lead six times in the half, with Arkansas’ largest lead coming after a 3-pointer by Young put it up 26-21. The freshman, Arkansas’ leading scorer, had nine points off the bench in the half and hit a free throw with four-tenths of a second left in the half to give the Razorbacks the 30-29 lead.

The Tigers overcame the turnovers in the first half and remained close thanks to a 28-17 rebounding advantage. They then briefly took a 33-32 lead to open the second half on Andre Stringer’s 3-pointer.

Ky Madden then hit a jumper to give Arkansas the lead back at 34-32, starting the 9-0 run that gave the Razorbacks the lead for good. They led by as many as nine, and LSU was unable to cut the lead to fewer than four points the rest of the way.

The Tigers shot 36 percent in the first half and 33 percent in the second, unable to find a rhythm against an Arkansas defense that had 12 steals — including five by Wade. Also, Razorbacks freshman Hunter Mickelson blocked seven shots.

“I don’t know if it was the crowd or pressure,” Hamilton said. “We just didn’t make shots that were open.”

Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas first-year coach Mike Anderson promised a frenetic, pressing style when he took over the program in March.

He delivered just that in his first signature win, beating Mississippi State (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 15 AP) 98-88 on Saturday night.

Julysses Nobles scored a career-high 24 points and freshman B.J. Youngadded 24 to help Arkansas open Southeastern Conference play with a win. The victory was the Razorbacks (12-3, 1-0 SEC) seventh straight and improved them to 12-0 in Bud Walton Arena this season.

A season-high crowd of 12,200 watched Arkansas earn its first signature win under Anderson, and it came in style. The Razorbacks, who have only made the NCAA tournament three times since the 2000-01 season, scored a season-high 98 points and scored 23 points off 18 Bulldogs’ turnovers.

It was a scene similar to the style made famous by Anderson’s mentor, former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson, who guided the Razorbacks to the 1994 national championship with Anderson as an assistant.

“That was fun basketball for our fans to have a chance to watch and enjoy,” Anderson said. “So, when you ask the question ‘Is that the kind of basketball I envisioned,’ yes.”

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs (13-3, 0-1) lost for the second time in three games — with their lone victory in that stretch a come-from-behind win against Utah State on Dec. 31. DeVille Smith led Mississippi State with 25 points, while Dee Bost added 21 and Rodney Hood 17.

The performances, however, weren’t nearly enough to overcome an Arkansas team with only nine scholarship players.

“Offensively, we couldn’t contain their dribble, and they jumped up and made shots from everywhere, lots of different people,” Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said. “Then they sped us up offensively, and we just didn’t do a very good job of handling their pressure.”

Both Nobles and Young played like they had something to prove, and it was no coincidence that both have Mississippi ties. Nobles is a Jackson, Miss., native and Young’s father is from Starkville.

Nobles scored 15 in the first half as the Razorbacks forced 11 turnovers and opened a 43-37 halftime lead. The junior finished 4 of 7 on 3-pointers, and he did so after averaging only five points per game over his last seven games.

Nobles came off the bench in Arkansas’ last game, but he returned to a starting role against the Bulldogs. He ignited the crowd in the first half with three 3-pointers, and his last trey of the half gave the Razorbacks a 39-29 lead.

“It was good, because like I said, I’ve been struggling and my team knows they need me,” Nobles said. “That was a great game for me and my teammates. They keep me going every day.”

Young, no stranger to big performances in big games this season, had his time in the spotlight in the second half. The freshman, who scored a career-high 28 points in an earlier loss at defending national champion Connecticut, came off the bench to help the Razorbacks push their lead to 19 early in the half.

He did so with his run of 10-straight points for Arkansas, including a pair of 3-pointers, as the Razorbacks took a 66-47 lead.

“It was kind of a personal game for me and Julysses,” Young said. “So, I think it was a great total team win to show the world and our fans what we’ve really got and what we’ve been working on all summer and all season. It was good to have it all come together.”

The Bulldogs closed the lead to 11 at 79-68 after a trio of free throws by Smith, but that was as close as they would get until the closing minute.

Arkansas shot 57 percent (35 of 62) and led by as many as 20 in the second half, and five players finished in double figures. Michael Sanchez and Mardracus Wade had 12 points apiece, while Ky Madden finished with 11.

Mississippi State also shot the ball well, finishing 27 of 52 (52 percent) from the field and hitting nine of 20 3-point attempts. However, the Bulldogs’ troubles with the Razorbacks’ pressure proved too much to overcome.

“I didn’t think we could play any worse (than the first half),” Stansbury said. “But I found out we could.”

FAYETTEVILLE — Sophomore Mardracus Wade scored 18 points and freshman Hunter Mickelson blocked a career high seven shots to lead the University of Arkansas men’s basketball team over Texas Southern, 77-49, Friday night at Bud Walton Arena.

With the win Arkansas improves to 10-3, while Texas Southern drops to 1-11. Arkansas has now won all 10 of its games inside Bud Walton Arena this season and improved its non-conference winning streak at home to 20 games.

Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson was impressed with his team’s performance after just one day of rest following a win over Charlotte on Wednesday.

“That was a quick turnaround,” Anderson said. “I thought we came out with tremendous effort. Give Texas Southern credit, they never gave up.”

Using its smothering full court press, Arkansas did not allow a Texas Southern basket in the first 3:24 and jumped out to a 14-2 lead nearly nine minutes into the game. Wade netted two free throws to push the lead to 26-8 with 7:22 remaining in the first half, and two more from the line with two seconds left to send Arkansas to the locker room with a 39-19 halftime lead.

“It is important to have a guy who can knock shots down,” Anderson said of Wade. “He has put the time in.”

Wade had 12 points in the first half alone, and continued his strong shooting by opening the second period with a three-pointer to put Arkansas ahead 42-19. The Razorbacks consistently forced Tigers turnovers and increased the lead in the second half behind an efficient offensive attack and tenacious defense. Arkansas led by 31 points, 74-43, when freshman forward Devonta Abron made two free throws for the largest lead of the night. READ MORE

12/22/2011 – Tyler Maland, Athletic Media Relations

FAYETTEVILLE — Behind an offensive explosion from sophomore guard Rickey Scott, the University of Arkansas men’s basketball team defeated Louisiana Tech, 77-63, Thursday night at Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks moved to 7-3 with their third straight win, while the Bulldogs fell to 7-6.

Arkansas improved to 7-0 on the season at Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks had three players score in double figures and shot 48.4 percent from the field while holding Louisiana Tech to 37.7 percent shooting.

Scott led the team with 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting, but it was his athleticism and energy that keyed a Razorback run at the end of the first half and helped lead the team to victory.

“I was proud of our guys tonight,” said Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson after the game. “In the first half you really got to see Hog Ball.”

With the team down 28-26 and just under four minutes left in the opening half, Scott started a spurt by rising above a Bulldogs defender to finish one-handed at the rim. Junior guard Julysses Nobles got in on the affair moments later with a steal and high-flying dunk, and Scott continued the run with a jumper to put Arkansas up 34-31. On the very next possession, Nobles lobbed a pass towards the baseline, and Scott soared in above the defense to finish the play with a thunderous two-handed dunk. Arkansas forced a Bulldogs turnover on the next possession and Nobles fed freshman BJ Young with another lob, which Young athletically finished in one motion to put the home crowd in a frenzy.

It was a 14-5 run to finish the half for Arkansas, and in four minutes the Razorbacks turned a two point deficit into a 40-33 halftime lead.

Louisiana Tech was not easily defeated in the second half. The Bulldogs got several key baskets from freshman Raheem Appleby, and cut the Razorback lead to one point, 56-55, with 9:46 to play. Nobles answered the call with a three-pointer to give the Razorbacks some breathing room, but the Bulldogs again cut the lead to two points, 61-59, with 8:03 to play.

Arkansas dominated the remaining eight minutes to earn the win. Freshman Rashad Madden scored five straight points, freshman Devonta Abron added a basket, Scott hit back-to-back jumpers, and sophomore Mardracus Wade knocked down a three-pointer with just over two minutes to play. The Razorbacks went on a 16-4 run in those final eight minutes to win handily, 77-63.

Coach Anderson commented that the Razorbacks’ superior conditioning and defensive effort paid dividends at the end of the game.

“Defense was the difference in the game,” Anderson said. “Fatigue was a big factor down the stretch.”

Arkansas struggled to make shots early in the game and trailed 17-6 just over six minutes in, but used its defense to get the offense going. The Razorbacks went on a 14-2 run to take a 20-19 lead on a Madden jumper with 8:40 to play in the half. The Razorbacks had separate runs of 10-0, 12-3 and 13-4 in the game.

Scott led the Razorbacks in scoring for the first time in his career. His 18 points included three dunks, and Scott added three rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Young was also efficient offensively, tallying 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and dishing out three assists.

Madden scored nine points with seven rebounds, and Abron netted 10 with five boards. Marvell Waithe supplied energy on both ends of the floor and scored seven points on 3-of-5 shooting.

Appleby led the Bulldogs with 23 points on 10-for-22 shooting. Arkansas held Louisiana Tech to just 21.7 percent shooting from behind the arc.

After a holiday break, the Razorbacks return to action Wednesday, Dec. 28, for a 7 p.m. game against Charlotte inside Bud Walton Arena. For more information about Razorback basketball, please log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

FAYETTEVILLE — Freshman Rashad Madden had 10 points and a career-high seven assists to lead the University of Arkansas men’s basketball team over Southeastern Louisiana, 62-55, Saturday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena.

Arkansas improves to 6-3 with the victory, including 6-0 at Bud Walton Arena. Southeastern Louisiana drops to 5-4 with the loss.

In a game that featured five ties and four lead changes in the first half, the Razorback defensive pressure wore down a pesky Lions team. Arkansas used a 20-6 run over a stretch at the end of the first half and beginning of the second to take control of the game.

“I’m proud of our guys for gutting it out and finding a way to win against a team that just wouldn’t go away,” said Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson. “Coming off of the games we’ve played, we’ll take the win.”

Down 28-23 with less than four minutes left in the first half, the Razorbacks got two free throws from Madden to come within three and turned up their defensive intensity. Arkansas forced turnovers and score baskets on three straight possessions, igniting a 12-0 run that had the Bud Walton Arena crowd chanting its support. Southeastern Louisiana netted two free throws before the end of the half, but the Razorbacks turned their five point deficit into a 35-30 lead heading into the break.

“Our defense was the difference in the game,” Anderson said.

Arkansas began the second half with a 6-2 run to continue extending its lead. Freshman forward Devonta Abron hit a layup to give the Razorbacks a 37-32 lead one minute into the half, and sophomore Rickey Scott netted two straight jumpers to increase the lead to 41-32. Read More

HARTFORD, Conn. — Freshman Ryan Boatright scored 23 points and had six assists in his home debut and No. 8 Connecticut beat Arkansas 75-62 Saturday in the Big East-SEC challenge.

Nobles covering Boatwright

Boatright hit eight of his 12 shots and also had five rebounds for Connecticut, which didn’t score a field goal for the first five minutes of the game.

That was just after Boatright checked in and the Huskies went to a three-guard lineup that led them on a 14-2 run. The point guard sat out UConn’s first six games because of an NCAA suspension.

Jeremy Lamb added 14 points and Tyler Olander had 12 for UConn (7-1).

B.J. Young scored 28 points for Arkansas (5-2) and Devonta Abron had 16 rebounds for the Razorbacks, who outrebounded Connecticut 47-35.

UConn shot 57 percent from the floor and held Arkansas to 31 percent.

But the Huskies’ front line gave up 27 offensive rebounds, while getting just four of their own.

Arkansas’ highly touted defense started strong, forcing four turnovers on the Huskies first six possessions as the Razorbacks jumped out to an 8-1 lead. The Razorbacks came in forcing 19.5 turnovers per game, and forced 15 by the Huskies.

UConn responded to the run by putting in Boatright. He had two assists, a steal, and a layup on the Huskies first three baskets.

Boatright scored 14 points in his debut last week against Florida State, including the key free throws that sent that game into overtime.

The 14-2 UConn run gave the Huskies a 15-10 lead, their first of the game. It was 22-12 Huskies when Lamb hit a 3-pointer with just over nine minutes to play.

Connecticut led by 14 before Young scored every point during an 11-4 run by Arkansas to cut the lead to 37-30. It was 39-32 at the half.

Connecticut scored the first five points of the second half, before Lamb picked up his third foul less than a minute in.

But Boatright kept Arkansas at a distance. His 3-pointer midway through the second half gave UConn a 62-48 lead.

Arkansas cut the lead to seven on Abron’s layup with seven minutes left and Lamb picked up his fourth foul on a drive to the basket with 5 1/2 minutes left. But the Razorbacks could not capitalize.

Boatright’s floater in the lane put the game out of reach at 73-59 with just over two minutes left.

The Huskies’ bench outscored their starters 39-36.

Connecticut won its 38th straight home game against a non-conference opponent. The Huskies last lost a home game against a team outside the Big East in January 2007, when Indiana won 77-73 in Hartford.

The Razorbacks came into the game on a three-game winning streak, but were playing their first game of the season outside the state of Arkansas.

Connecticut, which had not played since beating Florida State in overtime in the Bahamas on Nov. 26. The win came a day after Central Florida snapped a 16-game UConn winning streak that dated back to last season’s 11-0 postseason run to the national championship.

Connecticut is 3-0 against Arkansas, but the teams had not played since UConn’s 77-68 win in Maui in 2005.

Highlights

Watch the game replay on ESPN3.com.