Arkansas got up early and never looked back in racing to a 95-56 victory over visiting Samford at Bud Walton Arena.
The Razorbacks were led in scoring by the senior duo of Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford, who each scored 16 points.
Adrio Bailey added 15 for Mike Anderson’s team, while Anton Beard scored 14.
Samford was led by Alex Thompson’s 10 points.
Arkansas held Samford to just 33 percent shooting from the floor and scored 35 points off of turnovers on the night.
The Hogs were also dominant in the paint, scoring 44 points in the lane.
Lovell’s Analysis
Yes, I’m the guy that told you that this would be a close game in the final minutes, and that it wouldn’t shock me if Samford won.
It was not my finest prediction.
However, this is a much more impressive win than most will give Arkansas credit for. Despite struggling mightily, this is still a very talented Samford team that will likely challenge for a SoCon title.
But when Anderson has the Hogs forcing turnovers, and most importantly, scoring off of those turnovers, they’re hard to beat.
Arkansas got great production across the board, and that type of balance will be needed to stay in the upper half of the SEC this year.
And having a duo like Macon and Barford doesn’t hurt, either.
It’s going to be tough for teams to prepare for Arkansas’s athleticism and style of play, so that’ll continue to give the Razorbacks a nice advantage in non-conference play.