Despite a heartbreaking 71-67 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon, Arkansas' (12-13, 3-9 SEC) Makhi Mitchell and Khalif Battle asserted themselves to keep the Hogs in striking range against the Bulldogs.
In 22:36 minutes of game action, Mitchell scored 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting with nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks. He also shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe and had take-over moments throughout the matchup.
"We needed his physicality," head coach Eric Musselman said after the game. "I thought he did a great job in pick-and-rolls, as a short roller making plays, which we’ve utilized him in spots depending on how the opponent plays pick-and-roll coverages.
"It was really good game for him to step up in. We knew that Tolu Smith is an incredibly offensive-talented player. We wanted to make him defend a little bit, and I thought Makhi did that by aggressively going to the basket."
After not reaching the double-digit mark since a matchup against No. 6 Kentucky on Jan. 27, Battle broke through in a big way against Mississippi State. In 34:09 minutes, he recorded 18 points, two rebounds and two assists. His offensive performance was one of many quality ones for the Hogs on Saturday.
"I thought Battle was really, really good offensively. I thought Makhi Mitchell was outstanding. I thought Davenport’s three offensive rebounds were huge for us. I thought Chandler Lawson did an incredible job defensively along with Makhi Mitchell. Makhi’s offense plus his defense was off the charts.
"I thought T-Mark helped us in the stretches he wasn’t in foul trouble. I thought El Ellis played his best floor game, and I thought Baye Fall came in very limited minutes. He altered two shots, had a blocked shot. So a lot of good performances from our guys tonight by a lot of guys on our team who were in uniform."
Musselman went on to explain why Battle has seen a lack of playing time recently and why he's important for the Razorbacks down the stretch.
"When we’re not playing as well as we would like to as a coach, I have a decision to make and the decision has been to continue to try and find combinations that put us in the best position to win," Musselman said. "KB has been a worker, tonight offensively I thought he had a good matchup. Certainly, when he’s scoring the ball and drawing free throws, we’re a much better offensive team and I think his defensive principles have also improved as well. Certainly him fouling out tonight hurt us offensively in the late stages of the game."
Up next, Arkansas will travel to take on the Texas A&M Aggies on Tuesday. The game is set to tip off at 6 p.m. CT and will broadcast on ESPN.
