by UATVSports’ Tyler Woessner
The Arkansas men’s basketball team suffered another heartbreaking loss, this time at the hands of Missouri in a 75-71 battle Tuesday night in Bud Walton Arena. One bright spot in Arkansas’ loss was the resurgence of sophomore guard/forward Michael Qualls. After struggling mightily in SEC play, he came out and had his best game in nearly a month against the Tigers. Even in defeat, Qualls’ revivial was good to see for the Razorbacks as they begin the second half of conference play.
Nearly 15,000 people filled the Bud Tuesday night. The crowd carried enough intensity to break Qualls out of his shooting slump. He finished with 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range. Qualls came into the game just 2-of-20 on three-point attempts in conference play. His game helped the Razorbacks greatly, according to Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson.
“We saw what he could do to help this basketball team,” Anderson said. “I think his energy is kind of contagious. So he did some good things for us.”
Qualls is a player who is known more for his jumping and dunking ability. Earlier this season, he showed he could knock down an outside jump shot too. Until last night though, Razorback fans hadn’t seen it since non-conference play back in November and December. Qualls said it was nice to contribute again, but the pain of defeat still resonated the most.
“I just wanted to come out and help my team,” Qualls said. “I didn’t do enough. It made me feel somewhat good, despite the loss. I was trying to work on my shot to help my team.”
Although it was good for Razorback fans to see Qualls break out of his slump, when it comes down to it, a loss is still a loss. Arkansas’ chances of making the NCAA Tournament are looking bleak at this point. Anderson and his crew have some work to do to right the ship. The next chance comes Saturday at 4:00pm in Baton Rouge against the LSU Tigers.