Big road game for Razorbacks at Texas A&M
Arkansas Razorbacks (15-6, 4-4 SEC)
@ Texas A&M Aggies (13-8, 2-6 SEC)
Tues., Jan. 30, 2017 | 8:05 p.m. (CST)
Reed Arena (12,989 cap.) | ESPNU
After a three-game lull to start the month, the Razorbacks have won four of their last five games - including three in-a-row - heading into Tuesday's game at Texas A&M.
They have not been easy victories as each of the last three wins have come by a combined eight points. The last five Razorback wins have come by a combined 12 points, or an average of 2.4 points per game.
"You gotta be able to score," Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. "We know the game is forty minutes. We've gotta come out much more aggressive, I think."
In 154 meetings, the Razorbacks have dominated the series with Texas A&M with a 100-54 record. Arkansas is 11-4 over the last 15 meetings, and the Hogs have won each of the last three games. The Razorbacks beat the Aggies 86-77 last year in Fayetteville and won 62-60 in College Station last season. The two teams will meet again on Feb. 17 in Fayetteville.
Senior guard Jaylen Barford is second in the SEC at 18.8 points per game, and fellow senior guard Daryl Macon is fourth at 16.6 points per game. For those averaging at least five field goals per game, Barford ranks fourth in field goal percentage (50.3 percent) and Macon ranks ninth (45.7 percent). For those with at least two 3-point attempts per game, Baford ranks fourth in the SEC in percentage at 44.9 percent on 48 of 107 shooting. Macon ranks fifth at 43.1 percent on 56 of 130 shooting.
Barford has carried Arkansas in recent weeks until Macon finally came out of his slump the past couple of games. In the win at Georgia a week ago, Macon hit four 3-pointers in overtime, including three in the second and final OT period. He scored 22 in the victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday in a game where Barford did not have his best scoring day with only 6 points.
For his 25-point and 22-point efforts last week, Macon was named SEC Player of the Week for the third time this season, making him the first player in school history to earn that distinction since Arkansas joined the SEC 26 years ago in basketball.
"Congratulations to Daryl. I'm happy for him. I think he's playing some of his better basketball right now," Anderson said. "He's playing efficient basketball. He's playing team basketball."
The most intriguing matchup will pit Arkansas freshman Daniel Gafford, 6-11, 234, against Texas A&M junior Tyler Davis, 6-10, 266. Davis leads the Aggies with 14.4 points per game and 8.8 rebounds. He had 18 points and 9 rebounds last time out in the 79-68 loss at Kansas.
Gafford had a nice stretch going where he had averaged 14.7 points and 8.3 rebounds over a three-game period, but his production has fallen off in the past week. He went scoreless against Georgia and did not play in the two overtime periods, and he only had 6 points and 4 rebounds in 14 minutes of action against Oklahoma State. That tied for the fewest amount of minutes Gafford had played all season, dating to Nov. 26 in a blowout win against UConn, 102-67.
"Right now, guys are doubling him, so he's gotta be a willing passer," Anderson said. "Sometimes you have a certain moment, a trigger goes off."