Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

1/8/2012 at 9:02am

Image by Mark Wagner

BJ Young was a force in Arkansas' 98-88 victory against Mississippi State on Saturday. He scored 24 points.

Arkansas 98, Mississippi State 88

Why Arkansas Won
Arkansas (12-3, 1-0) worked for the lead in the first half with the kind of swarming defense fans hoped to see when Mike Anderson was hired last spring. The Razorbacks forced 11 turnovers in the period while only committing two of their own. Even though the Hogs shot a lower percentage than No. 15 Mississippi State (13-3, 0-1) in the first half, Arkansas took 10 more shots and made four more shots to grab the lead.

After halftime, Arkansas relentlessly attacked the basket, scoring 28 of 43 second-half points in the paint. Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said after the game the Bulldogs had difficulty containing the Arkansas guards on the perimeter, and it showed as guards BJ Young, Julysses Nobles, and Mardracus Wade combined for 35-second half points.

Turning Point
BJ Young only scored six points in the first half, but when he hit a three with 16:40 to go, he gave Arkansas a 14 point lead and scored 12 points in a span of three-and-a-half minutes. Young helped push the lead to 19 and it remained in double digits. He finished with 24 points.

Player Of The Game
Julysses Nobles, who had struggled throughout the preseason, pitched in a career-high 24 points. Nobles also tacked on seven assists, three rebounds, a steal, and the one stat Arkansas coach Mike Anderson mentioned after the game: zero turnovers. Nobles did most of his damage in the first half, scoring 15 points to help the Razorbacks get the early lead.

However, his most important play came late in the second half. The Bulldogs had cut Arkansas’ 20 point lead to 11 with just over seven minutes to play. Nobles cut his way into the lane and converted a reverse layup while drawing Bulldog forward Arnett Moultrie’s 5^th foul. Nobles converted the free throw, Arkansas pushed the lead back to 14 points.

The Mississippi Theory
Nobles, a junior from Jackson, Mississippi, is often said to give his best performances against teams from his home state. Nobles has averaged 6.6 points per game for his career, but has bettered that average six times in his career against either Mississippi State or Ole Miss, including the last five times he’s played them.

BJ Young is from St. Louis but spent a few years growing up with his father in Starkville, Mississippi and even went to a few Bulldog games when he was younger. He said after the game his father actually hoped he’d attend Mississippi State, and that the personal relationships he and Nobles have with the Magnolia State do inspire a different emotion than when facing other teams.

Feeding Off The Crowd
Estimated attendance for the game was 12,200, a season high for the Razorbacks. Those fans made their presence known throughout the game as Arkansas dispatched the higher ranked Bulldogs. Stansbury was asked after the game if it reminded him of Arkansas’ glory years in the 90s and he said that 98 points was what those teams would score, and that the Bulldogs hadn’t given up that many points in a regulation game since 2005. “Our fans were out in numbers and they participated. Our guys fed off them,” said Anderson after the game.

Speaking Out
“You can’t simulate it. It’s different.”
— Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury, on how well he was able to prepare the Bulldogs for Arkansas’ full court press in the week since their last game

“Every game’s going to be an adventure.”
— Arkansas coach Mike Anderson, on the development of the young team and their prospects for the rest of the season

Up Next
The Razorbacks will be in Oxford Wednesday for their first SEC road game against Old Miss (10-5, 0-1). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Tagged: Bud Walton Arena, Mississippi State Bulldogs, BJ Young, Arkansas Razorbacks, Rick Stansbury, Mike Anderson, Julysses Nobles