It was a hawkish day for the Hogs of the University of Arkansas.
Isaiah Joe returned after missing five games -- all losses by the Razorbacks -- following knee surgery and scored 21 points including five three-pointers to lead the Hogs to a 78-68 win over Missouri.
Desi Sills was right there, scoring 17 points on the strength of four three-pointers.
Before becoming Razorback teammates, the duo played for the Arkansas Hawks and won a ton of games.
Joe from Fort Smith and Sills from Jonesboro did more than combine for 38 points. Just as important was their defense.
However, it was a team effort on both ends of the court that allowed the Hogs to snap the losing streak and get a tiny bit closer to being on the NCAA bubble.
Jimmy Whitt scored 14 points, Mason Jones did not have a good day shooting but finished with 12 points, with seven coming off free throws. He grabbed eight rebounds and Adrio Bailey scored 11 points and had five rebounds.
Mostly, though, they played great defense for the final 30 minutes of the game.
As they have so often this season, the Razorbacks started slow, falling behind 24-11 as the Tigers made 10 of their first 13 shots.
It was then that Joe got his first points, two free throws. The Tigers had just three turnovers.
Eric Musselman turned up the defensive heat, and the Hogs finished the first half outscoring the Tigers 24-9 with the Razorbacks getting 13 points off turnovers in the first half.
Missouri would finish with 20 turnovers that the Hogs converted into 19 points.
When Arkansas plays that type of aggressive defense, it usually wins.
Of course, getting Joe back was huge.
He was the story line of the day.
What became as obvious as missing his scoring was the Razorbacks missed him on defense and his leadership.
He scored at key times, like his three with 2:14 to play after the Tigers had closed it to 65-63 and seemed ready to grab the momentum.
He also took a charge, had three rebounds and three assists.
Once he scored those two free throws, the whole team seemed to take a sigh of relief. Their teammate was healthy and he was back.
No longer did Jones have to try to carry the team game after game.
He had help.
Now they have to keep it together down the stretch.
If the season had ended before yesterday's win the Razorbacks might would have played the second game on the first day of the SEC Tournament, meaning they would have to win five games in five days to win it.
That's hard for a team with a nine-man rotation, let alone one with a short bench like Arkansas.
Saturday's victory moved the Hogs into a tie for 10th in the SEC with Missouri.
What they need is to be No. 8 or No. 9 which moves them to the first game on Thursday. The first game means more time to rest before the next day's game.
Ahead of the Hogs in the standings are Alabama and Tennessee, and the Razorbacks host the Vols on Wednesday, and Alabama, which Arkansas beat earlier in the season, would own any tiebreaker.
With four games remaining, the Razorbacks are in a position to take control of their future as their environment is now survive and advance.
Finally back to full strength, or at least back to have their best players playing, the Hogs have a chance to make some noise and get back to the NCAA Tournament.
They have to play as a team on both ends of the court, and it certainly doesn't hurt when Joe and Sills are hawkish.
Sports on 02/23/2020