Arkansas
Arkansas Battled #6 Kentucky, But Lost 63-57
FAYETTEVILLE – Despite a double-double from Makhi Mitchell (12 points and 13 rebounds) and Arkansas out-rebounding Kentucky, 44-39, the #6 Wildcats used an 8-0 run late in the game to secure a 63-57 victory Saturday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena.
The 13 rebounds by Mitchell were a season high as well as being his best total in an SEC game.
Arkansas led at halftime and seven minutes into the second half and was down one with 2:54 left to play before the 8-0 run. Antonio Reeves started the surge with a 3-pointer, D.J. Wagner followed with a layup and Reed Sheppard capped the run with a 3-pointer with 1:27 left. The last two baskets for the Wildcats came from Razorback turnovers.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, each going 9-of-31 from the field (29%), Arkansas making just 2-of-10 from 3-point range and Kentucky making just 2-of-9.
The difference in the second half was Kentucky making 7-of-11 from 3-point range with Arkansas going 2-of-9.
The 24 first-half points by Kentucky were the fewest by the Wildcats in the series with the Razorbacks (97 total halves of basketball) – HogStats.com. Overall, the 63 points was the second-lowest by Kentucky this season. The Wildcats entered the game first in the NCAA in scoring at 89.9 ppg.
Kentucky was led by Sheppard’s 24 points with Tre Mitchell adding a double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds).
Arkansas was led by Mitchell’s 12 points and four blocked shots. He was 8-of-10 at the line with the eight makes tying his career high. Khalif Battle and Tramon Mark each added 11 points. Chandler Lawson contributed seven rebounds.
Arkansas hits the road for its next two games. First, the Razorbacks play at Missouri on Wednesday (Jan. 31) at 7 pm and will close the week at LSU on Saturday (Feb. 3) at 11 am.
NOTES
- Arkansas starters were El Ellis, Khalif Battle, Tramon Mark, Jalen Harris and Chandler Lawson.
- Kentucky controlled the tip to start the game.
- El Ellis scored the first points of the game with a 3-pointer at 17-45.
- Makhi Mitchell was the first Razorback sub.
- Arkansas entered the game third in the NCAA in blocked shots and finished with nine. With Mitchell’s four blocked shots today, Arkansas has had a player with at least three blocked shots in a game in 12 of its 20 games.
- Trevon Brazile missed the game due to right knee soreness.
- Arkansas is now 7-12 all-time versus the AP #6 team and falls to 4-4 in such games at home. Ironically, the last Razorback win over #6 was versus Kentucky on Feb. 26, 2022, in Bud Walton Arena.
- Arkansas now trails Kentucky 14-35 in the all-time series and 8-10 in games in Fayetteville. Kentucky has won two straight in the series after Arkansas had won three straight. Coach Muss is 3-3 all-time versus Kentucky (all at Arkansas).
- Layden Blocker was a team-best +7 in 5:27 played. Jalen Graham, who battled foul trouble, was +3 in 17:51 played.
For more information on Arkansas Men’s Basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.
Temperatures will climb to the upper 90s today and heat index values will get close to 105° this afternoon. There are heat advisories today for part of west and southwest Arkansas.
Today will bring a slight chance of showers or thunderstorms late in the day in Central Arkansas.
Friday will also bring a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms with very hot weather.
Rain chances increase and temperatures drop this weekend when a cold front moves through Arkansas.
Arkansas
ARKANSAS SIGHTSEEING: Randolph County can claim many firsts in Arkansas | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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Explore Fort Smith Historic Site, where westward expansion, federal justice and Native American history shaped life on the American frontier.
A former Arkansas Tech University graduate and commander of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command is being remembered with two posthumous honors recognizing his lasting influence on the nation’s military intelligence operations.
The late Maj. Gen. Gary W. Johnston, a 1987 Arkansas Tech graduate and Russellville native, was honored during a dedication ceremony June 25 at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where the Army officially named a newly consolidated military intelligence complex the Major General Gary W. Johnston Consolidated Mission Facility.
Johnston also was posthumously inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame for helping reshape Army intelligence through the integration of emerging technologies, including big data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The new facility serves as a central hub for U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) operations at Fort Huachuca, known as the “Home of Army Intelligence.” It houses some of the Army’s most critical intelligence personnel and brings together units that had previously operated from aging buildings spread across the installation.
Army officials said the previous arrangement created operational challenges, including limited secure workspaces, outdated infrastructure and additional security requirements. Beginning in 2018, INSCOM launched an effort to consolidate those missions by renovating two existing buildings into a 16,300-square-foot intelligence operations center designed to improve collaboration and security.
The facility now houses INSCOM G3’s Detachment 52, elements of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, representatives from the Ground Intelligence Support Activity, an emerging Foundry program element and other intelligence organizations.
Among those attending the dedication were Johnston’s wife, Brig. Gen. Amy Johnston, daughter Lauren Woodworth and granddaughter Arabella Woodworth.
Maj. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, commanding general of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, said the building represents more than a new workplace.
“As we dedicate the U.S. Army INSCOM Major General Gary W. Johnston Consolidated Mission Facility, we do more than just open a new facility… we consecrate a tribute to his indelible legacy,” Cox said. “This facility will stand as a constant reminder of his service, his vision and his unwavering commitment to our nation and to the soldiers he led. It will inspire future generations of intelligence professionals to emulate his example of leadership and selfless service.”
Retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Kevin Boughton, former INSCOM command chief warrant officer, said Johnston envisioned closer collaboration between the Army’s intelligence training and operational communities.
Boughton said Johnston believed the distance between the Intelligence Center of Excellence and INSCOM’s operational units “shouldn’t be measured in miles,” but instead by “a seamless flow of data, doctrine, and talent” where operational experience and institutional knowledge move freely between soldiers in the field and those training the next generation.
Johnston graduated from Russellville High School in 1983 before earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Arkansas Tech in 1987. Through the university’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, he received his commission as a U.S. Army officer.
During a military career spanning more than 34 years, Johnston served in command and staff assignments ranging from platoon level to senior leadership within the Army and Department of Defense. He deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Joint Endeavor, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
In 2015, Johnston became the seventh graduate of Arkansas Tech’s Army ROTC program to attain the rank of general officer. He was promoted to major general in 2017.
He concluded his military career as commanding general of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, overseeing approximately 17,500 personnel operating in more than 40 countries.
Army leaders credited Johnston with helping modernize military intelligence by laying the groundwork for the establishment of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, which was formally created in 2022 after his retirement. He also led development of what became the Army Intelligence Data Platform, designed to incorporate advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning into intelligence operations while supporting future large-scale combat operations.
Johnston also promoted data science education within the military intelligence community by partnering with George Mason University to provide specialized training for Army warrant officers.
Colleagues remembered Johnston not only for his strategic vision but also for his leadership style. Despite working in one of the Army’s most demanding operational environments, they described him as a source of humor, kindness and encouragement whose focus remained on the soldiers, civilians and contractors carrying out the intelligence mission.
Johnston retired from active duty in 2021 and died in January 2022.
His latest recognitions add to previous honors from his alma mater. Johnston was a member of the inaugural Arkansas Tech Army ROTC Hall of Honor in 2017 and was inducted into the university’s Hall of Distinction in 2019.
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