FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas finally put a complete game together and the result was total annihilation.
After losing five of their last six games, the Razorbacks took out their frustrations Wednesday night by doubling up Missouri 87-43 inside Bud Walton Arena.
Their first conference win of the season featured their second-largest margin of victory ever in an SEC game, trailing only a 57-point win over Mississippi State in 1993. With the win, Arkansas improved to 11-5 overall and 1-3 in SEC play, while the Tigers dropped to 7-8 (1-2).
“We know that games like this don’t happen often,” head coach Eric Musselman said. “I can’t remember a league game in any league I’ve ever coached where a team played so well for 40 minutes. … I think tonight, we played as hard as any college team could play for 40 minutes.”
The Razorbacks jumped out to a 26-3 lead about midway through the first half and never looked back. They steadily increased their lead throughout the rest of the game, with Missouri failing to score more than 4 points in a row - and both times it went on a 4-0 run, it did so with a pair of free throws.
It was a 34-point margin at halftime and the Tigers never got within 32 points in the second half. JD Notae - who scored a game-high 19 points - knocked down a 3-pointer with about 15 minutes left to push the lead to 39, which marked Arkansas’ largest lead of the season.
Here are the key takeaways from the blowout victory Wednesday night…
Wade’s World
Making just his third start of the season, Trey Wade turned in his best overall performance with the Razorbacks against Missouri.
The Wichita State transfer scored 17 points, which more than doubled his previous season high of 7 points against Elon, on 7 of 10 shooting. He made his lone 3-point attempt and added 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
As good as he was offensively, though, Wade was arguably more valuable on the other end of the floor. He had 3 steals and 2 blocks to go along with solid overall defensive play that doesn’t necessarily show up in the box score.
“He’s an active defender who can guard, really, probably all five positions,” Musselman said. “Trey has a unique ability to block shots and also contain dribble-drives. And he has quick hands as well and he’s our best box-out player, boxing guys off the offensive boards.”
Wade was so important to the Razorbacks on Wednesday that he hardly came off the floor. His 32 minutes were not only a season high, but nine more than he’s played in any other game at Arkansas.
Even at Wichita State, where he started 48 of 53 games, the 6-foot-6 forward played 32 or more minutes just nine times. His body responded with cramps in both calves “out of nowhere” late in the first half, but he was fine after getting stretched out on the sideline.
