I’ve seen my fair share of Razorback exhibition games over the years. Sometimes they’re an early indicator of the season to come, and sometimes they don’t shed a whole lot of light for either the fans or the coaches.
One thing I can say for certain after watching this team’s exhibition season is that it’s obvious we are returning to the up-tempo, fast break, pressing style of play that so many Razorback basketball fans love.
And that’s exactly what John Pelphrey promised on the day he was hired.
“These guys are going to have to understand that it doesn’t matter who we are playing, we need to come out with the same intensity day in and day out in order to be successful in this conference.”
That quote by Coach Pelphrey pretty much summed up Tuesday night’s conclusion to the exhibition schedule against Campbellsville. The Hogs came out overconfident and drew the ire of their coaches for most of the evening.
It was a stark contrast to last Friday’s matchup against West Florida, where they put up 60 points by halftime, and were thoroughly dominating on their way to a 74 point victory.
“Sometimes players do not understand why we’re going as hard as we are. If they understood everything, they wouldn’t need coaches or teachers.”
Most fans know what I’m talking about when I say ‘playing like Razorbacks.’ You can tell Coach Pelphrey knows. It’s simply giving 100% effort and leaving it all on the court. And it’s already very apparent that this coaching staff is not going to accept anything less.
The regular season and the John Pelphrey era begin tonight at 7:00 p.m. against Wofford in Bud Walton Arena. And like we did back in July before football season, here are our predictions for both the Razorbacks and the rest of the SEC.
| Arkansas | HogBaller | TipsterHog | Sunshine | HogBlogger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Record | 24-6 | 23-7 | 24-6 | 22-8 |
| Conference Record | 12-4 | 11-5 | 11-5 | 12-4 |
| Breakout Player | Stefan Welsh | Michael Washington | Stefan Welsh | Patrick Beverley |
| Advance to Round | Final 4 | Sweet 16 | Sweet 16 | Sweet 16 |
| SEC West | HogBaller | TipsterHog | Sunshine | HogBlogger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Arkansas | Arkansas | Arkansas | Arkansas |
| 2. | Mississippi State | Mississippi State | Auburn | Alabama |
| 3. | Auburn | Auburn | Alabama | Ole Miss |
| 4. | Alabama | LSU | Mississippi State | Auburn |
| 5. | Ole Miss | Alabama | LSU | LSU |
| 6. | LSU | Ole Miss | Ole Miss | Mississippi State |
| SEC East | HogBaller | TipsterHog | Sunshine | HogBlogger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tennessee | Tennessee | Tennessee | Tennessee |
| 2. | Florida | Florida | Kentucky | Kentucky |
| 3. | Kentucky | Vanderbilt | Georgia | Georgia |
| 4. | Vanderbilt | Kentucky | Vanderbilt | Florida |
| 5. | South Carolina | South Carolina | Florida | Vanderbilt |
| 6. | Georgia | Georgia | South Carolina | South Carolina |
| SEC | HogBaller | TipsterHog | Sunshine | HogBlogger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season Champion | Tennessee | Tennessee | Tennessee | Tennessee |
| Player of The Year | Patrick Beverley | Chris Lofton | Chris Lofton | Chris Lofton |
| Coach of the Year | John Pelphrey | Bruce Pearl | Jeff Lebo | Bruce Pearl |
So that’s what we think. What are your predictions for this team?
GO HOGS!
I go with Hogballer on Arkansas for the West, but if the Razorbacks play together, as I believe they will based on not being a young team, I am confident they will surprise. I predict 26-4 and also Final 4. Tennessee certainly should win the East, but I am not counting Kentucky out with Gillespie at the helm. I have not researched what players he has to start with but am assuming that they return some great players, but Gillespie's team have been very good at his previous stops and he turned them around quickly…even UTEP (and this is not the 50's) I go with Kentucky to win the East.
Hate to break it to ya, but Gillespie did not inherit a good team and the lost by double digits to Gardner-Webb on Tuesday night. Kentucky will not be good this year. They may finish last in the East…. of which I have mixed emotions. It's nice to see little Billy struggle, but we need Kentucky to play well for college basketball and the SEC. The SEC is much better when Arkansas and Kentucky are both good.
Great preview, guys.
I spend no time on Hogville but I find it quite interesting that they call you guys homers. I can only imagine how negative that site must be.
!0K is right about the need for Kentucky and Arkansas to be good but I will always resent Billy G. He set us up and used us. In the end I couldn't be happier with the Coach we got (before even coaching a game) but it doesn't temper my resentment of him.
I might have been this excited before the 2005 b-ball season but only until I got to see them play. I think we'll win the west and I'd give UT the nod for champ because their division is weaker. I'd go with Washington as breakout player although I think this team is so deep and balanced it will be hard to judge. It could be a different guy everynight.
I think Billy D. will have a better than expected year and take Coach of the Year honors. Realisticly I'd say we go Sweet 16 but certainly have the pieces to go further if things fall right.
This will be a fun, fun, fun basketball season!
Am I the only one who noticed HogBlogger has Ole Miss the #3 team in the West? I agree with this prediction, because they are a very well coached team, and from what I have seen through Scout.com, they are doing very well on the recruiting trail for next year. Something good is happening in Oxford guys. Don't count them out of anything. Also, I believe Kentucky will turn things around, even though thier lose to Gardner-Webb at home, by 16 points did look pretty ugly. That is a no-no in Lexington, but a Billie Gillespie coached team is not going to stay down. He has nothing to prove in the coaching arena. I look for this to change over the next few ball games, but I still believe Tennessee will be the top team in the East this year. Bruce Pearl has done a great job down there. Don't count Georgia out of anything either. They are coming on strong. As far as coach or player of the year honers are concerned, I think that is as much up in the air as anything a fan could predict. I'll go with John Pelphrey at coach, and say Chris Lofton as the player. I believe the Vols will rely on his scoring more than the Hogs will rely on Beverly's.
Attending the Wofford game was a breath of fresh air. Coach Pelphrey was coaching every second of the game. I checked on South Florida after their first loss. Their players were saying that the Cleveland State team played harder than they did. Does that bring back memories from last year? Pelphrey stomped his foot twice when the ball did'nt go low to a waiting Darian Townes. Darian saw the ball a lot right after that. Wow, a coach that makes adjustments. What a breath of fresh air!