FAYETTEVILLE -- Another late-season charge has coach Mike Anderson's Arkansas Razorbacks poised to end the year on an upswing.
Uncertainty about the team remained prevalent as late as Feb. 3 after a second defeat at the hands of LSU (16-13, 7-10 Southeastern Conference). Arkansas was just 16-8 overall, 4-6 in the SEC and sitting on a fragile NCAA Tournament bubble.
The Razorbacks (21-9, 10-7) have since won six of their last seven games and have a chance on Saturday to secure a top-four seed in next week's SEC Tournament in St. Louis. They will end the regular season with a 5 p.m. matchup on ESPN2 (Resort Channel 29) at Missouri (19-11, 9-8).
"I always say if we do what we are supposed to do, we will be where we are supposed to be," Anderson said. "You hear me say that every year, and I mean it is a given, that our goal is to win a championship every year. In order to do that, you've got to be in the tournament.
"In terms of where we are, to me, we've got to finish this season out and we will see what takes place after that, because the only automatic bid comes from the SEC Tournament, and that takes place next week. A lot of questions will be answered in the last game."
This year's winning streak mirrors the arc of Arkansas' 2016-17 season. The Razorbacks were 17-7 overall and 6-5 in the SEC after a home loss to Vanderbilt on Feb. 7 before winning six of the last seven games of the regular season and twice advancing in the conference tournament for a rematch with Kentucky in the final.
"This team is playing some good basketball at the right time," Anderson said. "That is one of the things, we always build our teams for this time of the year. So, it is good to see our guys come out and perform."
"We just started off rough," said senior guard Daryl Macon. "I mean, it happens. We knew we were going to come together and start winning some games. We just didn't know when it was going to happen.
"I can truly say it happened at the right time toward the end of conference play. Every time we win a game, our confidence goes up. We come together closer as a team. I feel like every time we win, the next game we play even better. We just take these wins and try to get better."
Arkansas started off 0-3 on the road in the SEC this season and 1-5 after the second loss to LSU. The lone win was an 80-77 double-overtime squeaker in which Macon scored 16 points in the two overtime periods.
The team improved its NCAA Tournament chances and SEC standing with recent road wins at Ole Miss (12-18, 5-12) and Alabama (17-13, 8-9). Tuesday's 91-82 home win over SEC-leading No. 14 Auburn (24-6, 12-5) likely secured at least an at-large bid.
"We don't really look into that," Macon said. "If it happens, it happens. We are not the type to go on social media or anything and see if we locked a place in for the tournament. We will find that out. Right now, we are just focused on trying to go and beat Missouri and then, hopefully, try and go win an SEC championship."
Macon is part of the highest-scoring duo in the SEC. His average of 17.3 points per game is only slightly behind of fellow senior Jaylen Barford's 18.1, tied for second-best in the league.
"You just keep playing and just try to keep winning every game and stay focused" Barford said. "It is one game at a time."
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl had high praise following Tuesday's game, noting free throws as the Hogs' glaring weakness. Arkansas was 19-for-30, 63.3 percent, at the line despite shooting better than 52 percent from the floor and on 3-pointers.
The Tigers hung around by making 31 of 34, 91.2 percent, foul shots. Auburn leads the SEC in free throw shooting at 78.7 percent. Arkansas ranks last at 66.7 percent.
"They are a team, with their seniors that are experienced, that they could be a team that could really make a run in the tournament," Pearl said. "Having gotten them last year and having advanced, had North Carolina and had that group back, they've got to find a way to make their free throws.
"They've got to get that problem solved. They are playing as well as anybody in the league right now."
The late surge is a reversal of Anderson's early seasons in Fayetteville and a statement, considering the improve nature of the SEC. The Razorbacks were 16-6 and 4-3 in conference after a win over No. 25 Vanderbilt in his first season before losing six out of eight to close the season. A three-game winning streak put Arkansas at 17-9 and 8-5 the following season before losing four out of six.
The trend began to change the following year with Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls. The Hogs won eight out of nine games late in the season, but came up short of the NCAA Tournament once again.
Portis, Qualls and the rest of their team left little doubt the following season. Arkansas was likely in good position at 16-5 and 5-3, but went 12-3 after to earn a No. 5 seed at the NCAA Tournament.
As many as nine SEC teams are still fighting on the bubble to earn their bids. Arkansas has a chance to improve its seeding in Missouri on Saturday and next week.
"You can see the competitiveness in this league," Anderson said. "It is unbelievable. You are talking about a team that was in first place that we had in our place, and we ended up splitting with them."
"They've got enough size, they've got enough shooting," Pearl said. "They've got all of the pieces."
Sports on 03/02/2018