SEC Basketball Final Grades for 2014-15 season
Arkansas Razorback: B-
Coach Mike Anderson brought back the “40 minutes of hell” defense Arkansas once orchestrated in the early 1990s under former coach Nolan Richardson. The Razorbacks played physical on both ends of the court and didn’t allow players to get easy points in the paint.
Arkansas was a plus 3.8 in turnovers, recorded 4.7 blocks per game and averaged 7.7 steals per game. When the defense was clicking on all cylinders, the offense followed suit. Sophomore forward and SEC Player of the Year Bobby Portis and junior guard Michael Qualls were the leaders on offense, combining to average 33.4 points per game, which was the best scoring average by a duo in the SEC. Portis was the leading scorer in 19 of his team’s 33 games. Qualls was the top scorer in 14 contests.
Despite the individual success Portis and Qualls achieved, they had tremendous help in the backcourt with Rashad Madden and Anthlon Bell draining 3’s and Alandise Harris ability to knock down 15-footers. Madden and Bell combined to go 111 for 307 from beyond the 3-point line.
Madden and Bell averaged 9.6 and 7.9 points per game, respectively. Harris, who scored a season-high 14 points in a 61-60 win at Missouri and corralled a season-high six rebounds in the team’s season-opening 97-79 win over Alabama State, averaged 7.6 points per game. Harris shot 47. 5 percent from the field and finished third on the team in total blocks (35).
Despite losses to Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Florida in the regular season, the Razorbacks were still a serious threat to dethrone Kentucky in the SEC, but the Wildcats had too much firepower in their frontcourt, which included future NBA players Willie Cauley-Stein, Karl Anthony-Towns, Trey Lyles, and Dakari Johnson. Arkansas suffered two losses to John Calipari’s platooned group. For postseason success, the Razorbacks were able to get to the 3rd round of the NCAA Tournament, but lost to North Carolina, 87-78.
Winning 27 games in one season was a great accomplishment for Arkansas in a season where the SEC wasn’t as tough as it has been in year’s past. Despite losing Portis and Qualls to the NBA, the Razorbacks should be a threat next season in the SEC with the addition of four-star prospects Ted Kapita, 6-foot-8, 240-pound power forward out of Huntington, WV, and Jimmy Whitt, 6-4, 170-pound shooting guard out of Columbia, Mo. Arkansas will also welcome former Memphis swingman Nick King, who will not be available until the 2016-17 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
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