Plain and simple — this Razorback basketball team can’t win on the road because most of them only occasionally have a clue as to how to actually play the game.
If not for Sonny Weems stepping up at times this season with some amazing stretches of offense, these guys would be in the cellar of the Western division.
In fact, I’d bet good money today that Sidney Moncrief could take the U of A intramural team — an eight seed in their tournament who I watched trounce my son’s team on Sunday night at the HPER — and beat these current Hogs.
While it’s been said many times, it bears repeating again: we have no point guard. There’s a complete void of floor leadership that makes certain the team sets up the offense, gets a good look, and gets to the foul line at crucial times during the game.
Arkansas’ point guards have a combined eight assists in the last two games. Look up ‘pitiful’ in Webster’s and that’s number six in the list of definitions.
While I realize our free throw shooting has been atrocious of late, we have some people who don’t have a clue how to get fouled when in the lane surrounded by tall guys. The only player on our team who knows how to draw a foul is Beverley, and I can’t remember him doing it for weeks now. The only foul Charles Thomas can draw is a charge.
This isn’t about the coaches. They are saying and doing all the right things. I know they are frustrated seeing guys do the same foolish things repeatedly in spite of watching film and being preached at over and over. I have confidence that Coach Pelphrey can turn things around if he can get some guys on the floor that have good ‘basketball brains’ as well as athletic talent.
But it’s beyond obvious at this point that we’re just going to have to “wait ’til next year” before we can expect anything more than disappointment from Razorback Basketball.
Agreed, 100%. I honestly believed we were on the verge of getting over the hump, so to speak. Once again I was wrong. Kentucky was a must win, and after we lost that one, which should have been very winable, it look's like were on the verge of crumbling after losing to the Tide. These kids just don't have enough fight in them to get the job done when it's all on the line. They just don't have it. Too many individual mistakes to be considered a good team.
I agree with both of you! I'm sick of seeing a lack of effort at being smart players. That is extremely lacking in most. Just showing up is not executing. I so hope the new kids coming into the fold learn the new way of doing things, and the right way. Damn, I watch an old Nolan game and I see Point Guards executing, and being directors. I see purpose, thinking, and execution all taking place most of the time. Today it is occasional and the heads seem to be somewhere else in a lot of these guys during the game. Jessica Simpson is not waiting on these guys, I see no reason for this. Looking towards the future!
Thanks for voicing so well what we are all feeling, HogBlogger.
Since I am another Carolina Hog, I had to watch this game on the Internet. As I had the Hogs on my PC, I watched on TV as the Davidson Wildcats drilled App State (yes, the same team that beat us in December). There is not a single player on Davidson with enough athletic talent to be recruited by Arkansas, but damn near the whole team are better basketball players. They have a point guard that leads the nation in assists, they actually set picks for each other and move without the ball, and play tenacious defense. They epitomize the concept of team basketball.
Then I have to turn back to my PC and watch the Hogs stand around as Alabama players jump over them for rebounds and outhustle them for loose balls.
I don't have to tell you which game I enjoyed watching more….
How in the world can you come into a game knowing that it was a must win and play like that? I sat in front of the TV last night a could not believe that the hogs would come out this flat. It was one of the most pathedic efforts I have seen from this group. No Excuse for it!!!!!!!! I told my wife after the game it wouldn't bother me at all if Coach beanched them all Saturday and played the other kids. There will be know NCAA tournament this year. If there was Last nights efforts would be what would see.
I'm through for this year.
I read it somewhere: "They look like NBA getting off the bus, but play like high school."
@mike: We said the same thing over at the FayettevilleFlyer. It's time to let our future play… too bad that probably won't happen.
The sad thing is, this team is still going to make the NCAA and these seniors will be the worst three-time NCAA tournament participant, quite possibly, in the history of the tourney. It is absolutely unbelievable how little pride this teams takes to play hard and as a team, I have never seen anything like it from such a talented squad. Pelphrey can't really do much with the hand dealt to him, but I did think that he'd be able to shine the light on these guys moreso than what he has. The Hogs are no better than they were last year, which for a team with so many juniors and seniors is unacceptable. I'm not saying the team should have won an NCAA title or anything, but look at the '94 Hogs and how much they improved from '93 when they were all freshmen and sophomores. With the current state of the SEC, this team shoulda/coulda/woulda been 12-4 (11-5 at worst) in this years' SEC. What a bunch of crap. I agree with the assertion that benching these bums for a game would be a good thing, if for no other reason it would be amusing and probably relieving for the fans.
It's just never going to happen with this bunch. I know we've been hoping that the light will finally come on, but with 3 games to go in the senior season of our main players, we're just kidding ourselves. These guys have already checked out. I'm also tired of hearing the same excuses the players give after the game like "For whatever reason, we just didn't play (hard, intelligently, together, etc.) tonight". I think I know the reason… it's because they're not BB players… they're guys who play at basketball. I listened to Pel's post game conference last night on XM and the guy sounded like he was in physical pain after watching that fiasco. There's not one guy on that team I'd want if I were starting up my own team. (As a side note, on the radio it sounded like there were about 300 attending the game, almost no noise at all. Maybe it was because everybody had been hynotized by the suckiness of both teams).
Worst game I've seen in years. Not just us, but Bama too. I have told many friends in recent days…I will root for this team and support them until the year is over, but I will no longer emotionally invest in them this year. There is no excuse for that kind of effort.
"the worst moment of your life will be when your Mom dies or you don't make the tournament when you're expected to"
Pel after the Kentucky game
and "trounce" is such a harsh word
also we will have to win the SEC tourny to make it to the big dance with this bunch…. I'm just sayin
Well I think one thing this proves is that it wasn't Stan. These guys plan an simple just don't think and that is the best thing for them. They only know one speed and thats fast. Thats why you had 2 or 3 time last night the turnover in the back court cause they don't think they just no pass it ahead and Bama players just turned around to the presents. I think that the way their playing is the only way have a chance at winning I know we hate it but if they took the time to think about it there would be a lot more turnovers and we would get beat by a larger margin.
I don't know PB has on his mind but he needs to be benched until he gets it together I mean some of those shots last night were horrible.
Just for fun. Several of my friends began this two days ago and I have been amazed at the response. So I thought I would post it on here if that is ok.
Give me a list of 10 razorback BB players that would be on your all razorback team
beayankee@hotmail.com
We will put a list together and list the top 10 vote getters
Sunshine, I like what you are saying….
but remind me again how to "no longer emotionally invest" in the Hogs after doing so for all of our lives???
Stan recruited and developed these kids. Nolan left the cupboard so bare that picking a novice to rebuild a major program was probably a major mistake. White was clearly a disaster; his two big hires, Heath and Nutt. I am soooooo glad he is gone.
Why these kids don't like basketball or each other is anybody's guess. They don't. Or maybe they just need a real basketball coach. I said before, the jury is still out on Pelphry. Likeable guy with a wonderful pedigree. Two good years at Alabama State does not a basketball coach make.
It is still hard to believe we could have fallen this far after what Eddie and Nolan built for 30 years. Now you have a little taste of what Alabama football fans feel like.
There was one more thing I forgot to grip about. If I see one more Hog drive into the lane out of control and look for the ref to bell them out I am going to scream. They don't just look at the ref they total give up on the play.
The success of this team is inversely related to the number of minutes Gary Ervin plays.
Just saying.
Ok, Jr. You weren't trounced. You guys did very well considering you were very out-manned. I was very proud of you and the guys.
Playing one on three, is never a good idea, but especially not when you are the shortest guy on the floor. To much dribbling and ineffective penetration by a short guard can take everyone else totally out of the game.
Good comments everyone.
BlindHog is right about the jury still being out on Pelphrey, but you have to believe it's going to get better. Stan recruited a front court better suited for a half-court game, but couldn't recruit a PG to set them up to be sucsessful. Along comes Gary Irvin from Miss. St. Very undisiplined, and very unpredictable. Not fundementally sound, and not a good, trust-worthy floor-leader in general. Also, along comes Sonny Weems. Great talent, but in the right system, with the wrong players overall to be consistant. Pelphrey likes to get up and down the court with good, sound disiplined defense. Weems and Beverly are the only 2 talents on this team that fit into that puzzle. Guess what? Thier the leaders on this team offensively and defensively. One scores the majority of the points, the other get's the majority of the rebounds. Why? because the rest of the team play's when they choose to, plain and simple. I have to admit Townes has become a pretty good player this year, but isn't feed the ball near enough in a lot of the games, because the rest of the team is so inconsistant. Hill should be dominating on the boards, and Thomas shouldn't be turning the ball over as much as he does. Washington look's great at times, while other times look's lost and confused. Welsh has done a pretty decent job of trying to convert into a PG, but is still out of position. He need's to be playing the 2 guard. Overall, this team is a total screw-up when you look at the fact they just don't fit together. You can blame Stan for that one, but really, I blame Frank Broyles and John White more than anyone else. They were the spear-head of it all.
Anytime that blame can be place on Broyles and While, I'm all for it.
If fact, I'm still blaming Broyles for such wonderful facilities (see it can go both ways).