Battle: 'I'm a Razorback until the end'
Less than a month ago, Arkansas guard Khalif Battle was laying goose eggs in back-to-back conference games and settling in on the bench. Now, he's breaking records and playing like an SEC Player of the Year candidate to close the regular season.
Thanks to a monster 29-point performance by the graduate senior, the Razorbacks (15-15, 6-11 SEC) defeated LSU 94-83 on Wednesday night inside Bud Walton Arena. The former Temple transfer also added four rebounds, two assists, three blocks and a steal on senior night.
Battle's 141 combined points scored over the last four games — against LSU, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Missouri — broke the previous SEC four-game scoring record held by Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks (134 points, 2009). Battle also came just one point shy of having four-straight 30-point performances, but that didn't matter to him.
"No, I ain't gonna show out the team when we already had ‘em," Battle said after the game. "We already won and 30 points don't mean nothing, you know what I'm saying? The win is more important. So, years from now nobody's gonna remember, ‘oh, KB had 29 against LSU on senior night. Nobody's gonna remember that. They're gonna remember we won."
When speaking to the media during the preseason, Battle told reporters that his reasoning for dawning the number zero on his chest was because no one could guard him. Although he hasn't put up guady scoring numbers all season, Battle's recent play has certainly met the standard he set for himself early on.
"I always feel really confident," Battle said. "I don’t think anyone can guard me one on one. Coach told me to go for those and-ones where they had to make a decision whether to foul or just let me score."
Fans may see Battle as an offensive-threat first, but the New Jersey native takes pride in being an "all-around basketball player." On top of his scoring outburst, he added three blocks and a steal to his statsheet against the Tigers.
"I know people say things about my defense but I think that’s just he-said she-said," Battle said. "People that really watch, I think they’ll see that I give value on the defensive end."
Technically a graduate senior, Battle still has two years of collegiate eligibility remaining if he wants to use them. Battle made sure to clarify that he had "another year left" when asked about the importance of senior night, and had this to say about a potential return to Fayetteville.
"I’m a Razorback," Battle said. "I’m right here. I’m a Razorback. Ain’t nothing changed. I’m a Razorback until the end."
Up next, Arkansas will play its final game of the regular season when it travels to take on the No. 16 Alabama Crimson Tide (20-10, 12-5 SEC) on Saturday. The game is set to start at 11 a.m. CT and will broadcast on ESPN.