Surging No. 8 Aggies seeking fifth-straight win vs. Arkansas on Saturday
Click HERE to view Texas A&M’s Friday press conference.
February is typically a month to feature groundhogs. This year, Razorbacks are demanding attention, too.
On the eve of Groundhog Day, the Arkansas Razorbacks posted a stunning Southeastern Conference victory at Kentucky. Since then, they’ve won three of four games.
Prematurely dismissed after a 1-6 start in SEC play, the Razorbacks (15-9, 4-7), in their first season under coach John Calipari, are hoping a strong finish will earn inclusion in March Madness.
However, maintaining their hot streak would require a road win on Saturday over No. 8 Texas A&M (19-5, 8-3), which is even hotter.
The surging Aggies seek to extend a four-game winning streak when they square off with the Razorbacks at 11 a.m. CT.
Although A&M has lost just once at Reed Arena and most recently overwhelmed Georgia 69-53 last Tuesday, coach Buzz Williams anticipates a typical SEC struggle against the Hogs.
“Their only loss in February has been to Alabama by two possessions,” Williams said. “Huge win at Kentucky. Huge win at Texas. Largest point differential at home vs. LSU.
“I think they’re playing a little faster. I think No. 1 (Johnell Davis) is playing incredibly well. No. 44 (Zvonimir Ivišić) is unlike any other prospect in the league. I think No. 3 (Ado Thiero) may be, pound-for-pound, the most fierce athlete in the conference. That says a lot.”
Thiero is a 6-foot-8 junior forward, who averages 16 points and 6.3 rebounds.
He’s supported by guards D.J. Wagner and Johnell Davis, who are both averaging just over 10 points.
However, Ivišić, a 7-foot-2 sophomore from Croatia, has recently surfaced as a significant threat.
Ivišić has scored in double figures in four of the last five games. In the last two games, he had 27 in an 85-81 loss to Alabama and 25 in a 70-58 victory over LSU.
Not surprisingly, Ivišić leads the Razorbacks in blocked shots. But he also leads Arkansas in 3-pointers with 39, which poses an obvious problem.
“(Ivišić) is just kind of an outlier. Whatever he is … 7-foot-2. He shoots 45 percent from 3. That’s an NBA player,” Williams said. “We’ve paid attention to how other teams have guarded him and tried to maybe combine some of that relative to what our principles are.
“But if you look at, particularly in the month of February, what (Ivišić) has been able to do is superlative.”
Of course, A&M, as its gaudy record indicates, presents more than a few problems, too.
The Aggies continue to lead the nation in offensive rebounding. They’re also second in the SEC in points allowed.
A&M’s depth and balance are also a problem for opponents.
The Aggies have had a different leading scorer in each game of their current winning streak.
Guard Zhuric Phelps had a game-high 15 vs. Oklahoma. Guard Wade Taylor IV had 25 vs. South Carolina. Forward Pharrel Payne had 20 vs. Missouri, and forward Solomon Washington had 17 vs. Georgia.
Taylor, who leads the Aggies with a 15.0 scoring average, has been especially productive of late. He’s averaged 16.7 points during the win streak.
Forward Henry Coleman III has also provided a strong presence during the streak. He’s averaged 11.2 points and nine rebounds in that span.
“I’m glad the last two games we’ve been fully healthy,” Williams said. “Our team is reliant to some degree on everybody.
“They’re receptive to trying to figure out how to get better. Just the talent. That’s a portion. Just the coaching. That’s a portion. But when you’re playing night in and night out in that sort of tension that you’re also willing to try to find ways to get better individually and collectively … I hope that continues to matter over the next seven (SEC) games and past that.”
