It’s been a sad little arena all year. Lots of empty seats with tickets being given away by the dozens outside at times. Half-hearted hog calls. The only redeeming aspect to it all was the number of families with kids taking the opportunity to attend games.
The team? Struggled. Not losing, but not playing very well most of the time. Brief flashes. Lots of struggles.
Then comes Alabama. For the first time this year I actually sat in my real seats rather than entering and choosing seats around mid-court. I expected it to be a big day. If you don’t show up to see the number eight team in the nation come to town to open SEC play, on a beautiful day no less, then you have issues as a fan.
During the team introductions, the arena was beginning to fill in pretty nicely, but I still had my pick of good seats and was a bit annoyed at myself for not trading up. Why do people not come?
I had noticed during the Oral Roberts game a change in the team. There was a pick-up in intensity, particularly on defense. More pressure on the press; more pressure in the man-to-man; a bit of a jump-trap here and there; and a brief change of pace appearance by my favorite 1-1-3, or 2-3 match-up zone that allows for both ball pressure and trap opportunities.
The offense moved with more intensity as the game progressed. Entry passes to the post were seen from a variety of players. There was more judgement on shot selection. Much less one-on-one play.
It was like they had come together and knew what they wanted to do. A confidence was developing.
So, while Alabama came in highly ranked, I liked our chances.
The crowd signaled immediately that it had come to play. Loud was the order of the day from the first call by the ref. Steven Hill’s three blocked shots in the first two and a half minutes signaled that the Hogs had come to play. Other than the first two minutes of the second half, the Hogs’ intensity was remarkable.
That was as much fun as I’ve had watching Razorback basketball in years.
This team has a chance to be pretty good. It’s time to fill the place back up.
Unfortunately, I'm having to work this weekend in Denver (such a shame – right?). So, I wasn't able to watch or listen to the game. However, I was able to keep an eye on the score via the Internet. I wasn't surprised at the score when I first checked except that I thought the team names were reversed. Since I was only able to check about every 20 minutes, I was continued to be surprised that the initial lead continued. Of course, I couldn’t tell how much (or even large) the crowd was into the game so it is nice to see the fans so into the game.
Let me say, from a scoring summary only, I was impressed! It may me equate this to the Auburn football game. Let's hope this team has come together like the football team did except for the dismal destruction at the end of the year!
Go Hogs!