Beyond the box score: Mitchell, Mark scored 20-plus in win over Aggies
Jimmy Dikes said it throughout last night’s broadcast, “In games like this, the team with the best effort wins.” Arkansas—whose effort has been questioned all season long—quieted critics for at least four more nights.
The Razorbacks entered College Station and completed their first sweep of the season, taking down Texas A&M 78-71 on Tuesday night.
Intense defense and effort won the game for Arkansas. Team efforts like holding prolific scorer Wade Taylor IV to 6 points from the floor made it possible to walk away with a win yesterday. And if it weren’t for some favorable A&M calls in the second half, the Hogs could have broken the game wide open.
What makes the win even more impressive is who they did it without. Trevon Brazile, Jalen Graham, and Keyon Menifield were all unavailable for Tuesday’s game.
On the offensive side of the ball, second-chance points, an outstanding effort by minor scoring contributors like Layden Blocker and Jeremiah Davenport, and huge performances from Makhi Mitchell and Tramon Mark made the difference.
Let’s take a dive into the stats and see why:
Second chance and turnover points
The extra effort paid off for the Hogs Tuesday night. Despite being out-rebounded on the offensive board 11-20, Arkansas capitalized far better on its opportunities. The Razorbacks had 19 second chance points compared to A&M’s 7. Arkansas also forced 11 turnovers, scoring 13 points, while the Aggies scored 6 points on 12 turnovers.
Limiting Texas A&M's scorers
Arkasnas’ objective was obvious once the ball was tipped: make A&M beat you without Wade Taylor IV or Tyrece Radford. Taylor IV and Radford were both limited on the floor, shooting just 3-12 for 11 points and 5-16 for 12 points, respectively. Of Taylor IV’s 11 points, 5 came from the charity stripe.
"Bench" points
The Hogs’ bench outscored the Aggies 36-27, but let’s be real, it was all Makhi Mitchell. That isn’t a slight towards Layden Blocker or Jeremiah Davenport, either. Both made incredible plays that won’t show up in the box score but kept Arkansas in the game.
Mitchell was just… dominant. On offense, he went 6-9 from the field and 10-12 from the free throw line for 22 points. He also pulled in 13 boards for his third double-double of the season. On defense, Mitchell was an excellent rim protector. For the second time this season, he blocked 4 shots and affect at least a dozen more.
