FAYETTEVILLE -- Numbers don't always add up to what they seem.
Ask Samuel Tilden, Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, winners of the popular vote but Electoral College losers denied the White House.
Or ask baseball spendthrifts such as the Yankees and Dodgers when the small-market, low-budget Kansas City Royals won the 2015 World Series.
Or ask Mike Anderson about his Razorbacks' basketball defense.
This season's better depth figured for better Arkansas defense, and it has for the most part. At 17-7, the Hogs already have exceeded last season's victory total. But lately, they've floundered defensively while losing three of four.
That clouds a once-promising team that is vanishing from NCAA Tournament brackets going into tonight's game at LSU.
Last season's Razorbacks, weakened by two star underclassmen turning pro early, were not deep enough for Anderson to effectively play the aggressive defense he likes to employ.
Although last year's team was Anderson's first at Arkansas in five years to not finish better than .500, he actually turned in one of his finest coaching jobs to achieve a 16-16 overall record and 9-9 in the SEC.
The Hogs somehow broke even while virtually playing four on five. No one materialized at the power forward position for the Hogs, who often used two shooting guards in Dusty Hannahs and senior Anthlon Bell. The defense would have benefited from alternating Hannahs and Bell alongside four strong defenders.
But a lack of alternatives gave Anderson little choice.
Adding junior transfer forwards Dustin Thomas and Arlando Cook, and junior college transfer guards Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon was supposed to remedy all that this season.
But after the debacle of Vanderbilt's 39-18 halftime edge leading to a 72-59 Vandy victory Tuesday night at Walton Arena, the only Arkansas defenders Anderson defended were Hannahs and reserve freshman forward Adrio Bailey.
"I saw some positives from Dusty," Anderson said. "I thought he played lights out on both ends, offensively and defensively. One of the brightest spots was Adrio Bailey (4 rebounds, 4 points, 2 blocked shots and a steal in his SEC-high 15 minutes). I thought his presence was totally positive. He gives a toughness that you have to have."
Bailey hasn't started yet, but Anderson on Thursday said pending the Thursday and Friday practices that the Campti, La., native might tonight in his home state.
Bailey is energetic and these Hogs certainly lacked energy opening their large losses at Oklahoma State, at Missouri and home against Vandy.
"Early in the year, I thought our defense was a lot better," Anderson said. "It's not connected right now. So they [opponents] are running their offense. Our defense is geared toward not letting people do what they want to do. That's what we've got to get back to doing."
Sports on 02/11/2017