FAYETTEVILLE -- After a couple of close calls at home, No. 21 Arkansas completely dominated an overmatched Jackson State team 115-61 Friday night in Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas (5-1) trailed 5-4 with 17:09 left in the first half, but then got a 3-pointer from Karter Knox and never trailed again. John Calipari got a chance to play everyone on his team.
"You know Samford, what they did, and you know Winthrop did," Calipari said. "I'm just getting us to be aggressive. I got to hold them to a high standard, and I'm not backing up. I didn't care about the score. You saw me get in on guys because we got to get our culture down. We got to get the standard of what we play with, how we play. We're not just breaking off and doing our own thing. We're still not connected as a team. That means we run something, one guy's not where he's supposed to be defensively. We're running, we're playing this way. ‘Why didn't you play the way we're supposed to be playing collectively, together?’ We still have some of those breakdowns, but we're doing some good stuff. Today was better. I was happy Malique Ewin showed signs, but again, I told him, ‘Yeah, you go make a play, and then you go back and grab your shorts. I need you to fight the entire time you're out there.’ And when he did, he was really good."
Ewin, a Florida State transfer, scored 21 points to lead the Razorbacks who placed seven players in double figures. Calipari was asked what more he wanted from Ewin?
"I want him to be physical," Calipari said. "When the other guy is physical, be more physical than that guy is to you. That's it. Yes, we did run things because I'm trying to get him going, but I don't have a magic wand. I can't do it and you can't come and not come and come and not come, because I can't count on you. And I told the guys, we start playing these games I'll play five guys. I don't care. If I can't count on you. You go in and you get thrown to the floor and a guy grabs it and dunks on you – you're out. Can't be in that game. You can't be in that game. You got to battle back the way they're battling you. Then, we got to be– we're more connected than we were three weeks ago, but we're still not where we need to be. And I'm trying to make it simpler. I'm trying to keep scaling stuff down."
Knox added 17 points and 10 rebounds. DJ Wagner 16 points and seven assists, Billy Richmond 14 points and five rebounds, Meleek Thomas 13 points, Darius Acuff Jr. and Isaiah Sealy 10 points each, Trevon Brazile eight points and seven boards and then Nick Pringle four points, five rebounds and three assists.
Jackson State (0-5) had Tamarion Hoover lead the team with 19 points. Arkansas (5-1) shot 64% (34-61) from the field, 50% (9-18) from behind the 3-point line and 73% (28-36) from the free throw line.
Arkansas will next take on No. 4 Duke Thanksgiving night in Chicago at 7 p.m. and televised on CBS.