Anemic Offense Troubles Hogs; Lose Third Straight in SEC

Florida wins defensive struggle against Razorbacks as woes continue in conference play

Arkansas Razorbacks forward Adou Thiero (3) defends against Florida Gators forward Alex Condon (21) during the first half at Bud Walton Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas continues to struggle on offense in search for its first SEC win under coach John Calipari. The Razorbacks fell to 11-5 on the season and 0-3 in conference play with a 71-63 defeat against No. 8 Florida.

""We gave ourselves a chance," Calipari said. "Then every time it was critical, it was a missed free throw."

Both teams shot the ball poorly, turning the game into a defensive slugfest with plenty of fouls. Arkansas attempted 35 free throws, but missed 11.

In the second half, with the Razorbacks down 10, a 7-0 run got Arkansas back into the game. However, an offensive rebound by Alex Condon set-up a kick out three from Florida's Walter Clayton Jr and the lead quickly ballooned back to double-digits.

condo 😤#GoGators | 📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/qkDJsxlY1E

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) January 11, 2025

New game, same story. Arkansas struggled on the defensive glass against Florida, allowing 12 offensive rebounds and 12 second-chance points in the first half. Florida outrebounded Arkansas 49-39.

"It’s more fight," Jonas Aidoo said, who finished with nine rebounds. "I got to start first, playing in the SEC for a while. Just hit first and set the tone, lead by example and everybody will follow with that."

Four different players were in double figures for Florida as the Gators' interior play proved to be the difference. Alex Condon finished with a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Despite the Gators' leading scorer on the season, Clayton Jr. being held in check with five points on 2-for-9 from the floor and Florida shooting 31% as a team in the first half, the Razorbacks trailed 28-25 at the break.

It's the third straight game that Arkansas has shot below 40% from the floor and 25% from beyond the arc, including 2-for-16 on layups, according to the official UA StatBroadcast.

"I’m still trying to tell these guys [that] you cannot draw fouls when you’re driving for layups," Calipari said. "You have to make the layup, don’t avoid, just go make the layup and hope they call a foul."

Adou Thiero and Boogie Fland combined for 29 points, but were once again forced to take the most of the shots, ruining the efficiency. The duo shot just 7-for-21 from the floor and did most of its damage from the charity stripe.

"That's a top-10 team," Calipari said. "We did good stuff to them. We created good shots and good opportunities at the rim and free throws. We did some good stuff. Not enough. Not enough. Now we got to figure out what enough is."

The search for the elusive first SEC win heads to Baton Rouge, La. Arkansas faces LSU 8 p.m. Tuesday and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network.

HOGS FEED:

• Recruiting coup, blockbuster schedule puts Hogs in spotlight as season looms

• Arkansas steps into role of big dog against last season's entire Top 4 programs

• Discouraged Razorbacks fans need to help by looking in the mirror

• Hogs expected to hire NFL assistant for DB coach

• Hogs face another tough matchup inside against Florida

• Subscribe and follow us on YouTube
• Follow HogsSI on X and Facebook