FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — If Arkansas wanted to put its best foot forward for the NCAA tournament selection committee, consider that mission accomplished.
The Razorbacks, playing lately like the Razorbacks of old during the glory days under former coach Nolan Richardson, made perhaps their best case yet in a 110-80 throttling of Ole Miss.
Led by Anthlon Bell’s career-high 23 points, Arkansas (21-9, 10-7 Southeastern Conference) used a barrage of 3-pointers — 17 of them to be exact — to extend its winning streak to six games.
“It would be nice if I said senior night was scripted like that, but it wasn’t scripted like that,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. “… We’re playing well, and as a coach, that’s what you want to be trending at the right time, the right way.”
Bell set the tone early, scoring 14 points in less than 3 minutes as Arkansas turned a one-point first-half deficit into a 14-point lead in a matter of minutes.
The sophomore, whose previous career best of 19 points came less than two weeks ago at Mississippi State, hit four of his first five 3-pointers and finished 7-of-10 shooting from behind the arc — helping the Razorbacks match the school’s mark for most made in an SEC game.
Arkansas’ bench outscored a shell-shocked Ole Miss 71-26 on a night when the Rebels (17-13, 8-9) simply had no answers — falling behind by as many as 46 points in the second half before Anderson rested his regulars.
Marshall Henderson had 15 points to lead the Rebels, who have lost six of seven games, while Jarvis Summers added 11.
“Freight train, buzz saw, whatever space you’ve got to fill,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said while describing the loss.
The Razorbacks finished 17 of 30 overall from behind the arc.
“Ole Miss is a lot better than what took place tonight, but I thought we had something to do with that,” Anderson said. “I thought our defense was just stifling, just all over the place.”
