The 6-foot-11 preseason first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection has finally embraced his role as an emotional leader for an Arkansas team desperate to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008. Arkansas (7-2) hosts Southeast Missouri (5-5) on Saturday night in North Little Rock, not far from where Portis led Little Rock Parkview to back-to-back state championships to close out his prep career. [...] the lack of a vocal leader on the court cost Arkansas at times during the season — including a pair of late-season losses that kept the Razorbacks out of the NCAA tournament for the sixth straight season. Following back-to-back losses on the road at Iowa State and Clemson, Anderson made it clear the path back to winning for Arkansas led through Portis — calling for the sophomore to demand the ball more in the post and be even more of a focal point on the court.