FAYETTEVILLE -- The only suspense Friday night in Walton Arena was whether all of Arkansas' basketball players would stand throughout the playing of the national anthem.
They all did.
Then the Razorbacks went about the business of pounding NCAA Division II Emporia (Kan.) State 94-44 in an exhibition game before an announced crowd of 4,247.
The Razorbacks remained standing for another minute or so after the anthem ended -- until a color guard left the court -- and drew loud cheers from the fans.
There was speculation about what the Razorbacks would do during the anthem after six of Arkansas' women's players chose to kneel before their Thursday night exhibition game against Oklahoma Baptist.
The women's players were following a lead set by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began sitting, then kneeling during the anthem because he said he wanted to bring attention to racial issues in the country.
"Obviously, it was their decision to kneel during the national anthem and we made the decision to stand," Arkansas junior guard Daryl Macon said. "They're their team and we're our team, and we make different decisions.
"The kneeling thing wasn't us. It never came across out minds."
Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said didn't tell his players what to do regarding the anthem, but that he was glad they all stood.
"As I told them, 'I'm going to stand for the flag,' " Anderson said. "I'm an American first and my dad was in the military.
"For the military, for our law enforcement, there's no question about it. I'm going to stand and salute it.
"Our guys were doing their own thing. They're doing what they want to do, but it seemed like they followed my lead. That's a good thing."
Anderson said he has talked with his players for the last several weeks about various social issues.
"There's a lot of sensitivity out there," Anderson said. "People are afraid. But we addressed that and some of the things that were going on.
"It gave them an opportunity to have dialogue with me and it just opened up. We talked about it and why certain people are doing certain things."
Macon, a junior college transfer from Little Rock, led the Razorbacks against Emporia State with 20 points, 3 assists and 3 steals. He hit 7 of 8 shots, including 3 of 4 three-pointers.
"Macon will definitely help Arkansas," said Emporia State Coach Shaun Vandiver, who starred at Colorado and was an NBA first-round draft choice by Golden State in 1991. "He's a guy that can really be a difference-maker in the SEC."
Macon said he felt more comfortable playing in his second exhibition game as a member of the Razorbacks.
"I think tonight I just found my groove," he said. "I was nervous my first game.
"Tonight I started to be more aggressive. Mainly, I tried to pick it up on defense. I know if my defense is good, my offense is going to be good."
Arkansas senior center Moses Kingsley, the preseason SEC player of the year, had 16 points, 6 blocked shots and 4 rebounds.
"Moses is doing what he's supposed to do," Anderson said. "Be that anchor in the middle."
Arkansas outscored Emporia State 42-11 in points off turnovers and held the Hornets to 31.4 percent shooting (16 of 51).
"Arkansas just imposed their will and we broke," Vandiver said. "That was impressive."
Razorbacks junior guard Anton Beard scored 13 points. Senior guards Dusty Hannahs and Manny Watkins each scored 12 points. Junior guard Jaylen Barford had 6 points, 5 assists and 5 steals.
Arkansas forced Emporia State into 30 turnovers and had 16 steals in outscoring the Hornets 42-11 in points off turnovers, including 20-2 in the first half when the Razorbacks took a 49-16 lead.
"They couldn't get the ball past their free throw line," Anderson said. "Most of the time you'll see [a team] get past half court, but it was the free throw line during that period."
Arkansas shot 54.2 percent from the field (32 of 59), including 5 of 14 on three-point attempts, after going 1 of 18 on three-pointers in an 87-60 victory over Central Missouri last week in the Razorbacks' exhibition opener.
The Razorbacks outscored Emporia State 35-5 over a 12:15 span in the first half to go from trailing 6-5 to leading 40-11.
Kingsley scored 10 consecutive points during the run and after hitting two free throws he had personally outscored the Hornets 12-11.
The Razorbacks led by as many as 53 points in the second half.
"We did what we were supposed to do," Anderson said. "Hopefully, it's something our guys can build some confidence off of."
Sports on 11/05/2016