FAYETTEVILLE — Mike Anderson and players previews Arkansas' home matchup with Stephen F. Austin.
— Manny Watkins, Arlando Cook
— MW: He's willing to do whatever it takes to win. If that means starting, that's fine.
— AC: UT-Arlington (beat Texas last night) was a good team with five returning starters.
— MW: Players don't look at UT-Arlington win as a sign they'll beat Texas.
— MW: Have to prepare for Stephen F. Austin just like they'd prepare for any game.
— AC: "We aren't overlooking any team." SFA is a good program and has been for two years.
— AC: Doesn't pay attention to this being the first TV game. Team is working to get to the point where people want to watch them.
— MW: "I'd like to play every game at 7 o'clock on ESPN, but that's not how it is."
— AC: I'm not the type to come in and average 20. Learning from guys like Manny and Moses Kingsley. Going to keep working. All he cares about is getting wins.
— MW: Everything has to get better. Defense, offense. Just taking it day-by-day. "Wins will take care of themselves when you have that kind of mindset."
— AC: With having seven newcomers and five holdovers, it's a mixture. Guys like him and Daryl Macon have to acclimate to the system. The newcomers have to keep listening to older guys who've been there.
— MW: Saw that turnovers were a big thing at Minnesota, so they focused on cutting them down. Can't have more turnovers than they force. Attention to detail was the key.
— MW: "We've just got a little more hunger this year." Newcomers brought a level of toughness they didn't have last year.
— Mike Anderson
— Tomorrow is about getting better. More about that than SFA.
— Wants to see defensive improvement. Need to be stingier.
— Didn't like how they finished the game after getting the lead to 21 on Monday.
— SFA lost a lot of pieces from last year's tournament team, but still has a postseason DNA.
— SFA will get into the lane and shoot 3s.
— Thinks the new-look bench will continue to provide a lift.
— The starting lineup will be a game-time decision, but as of right now Anton Beard and Manny Watkins would start for a second straight game.
— On Pat Bradley doing the color: "It's an opportunity for him to showcase how he's grown in the industry. ... I think it's a cool deal."
— Teams like UTA and Fort Wayne are experienced and aren't fazed by big games and venues. The pressure is on the team that's supposed to win.
— Doesn't look back at UTA.
— UTA had Hogs down 16 and Arkansas rallied. UTA had Texas down 16 and held onto it.
— The recent UTA and Fort Wayne wins reinforce what he said when they played them: They're good teams.
— Likes the leadership after adversity.
— Thinks this team has more quality players and depth. "To me that's a big, big difference." The veterans are playing some of their better basketball. Dustin Thomas is valuable to this team.