Coached by Tony Barbee (2nd year, 23-27), Auburn (12-7, 2-3 in SEC) is much improved from last year thanks to a healthy Frankie Sullivan.  Sullivan (6-1, 206) leads the team in scoring, averaging almost 13 points per game.  While Sullivan is the perimeter threat, forward Kenny Gabriel (6-8, 209) is the inside threat combining with Sullivan to account for 37% of the Auburn offense and 35% of their rebounding.

Overall, the Razorbacks are currently 14-5 and 2-2 in conference play with 12 games remaining.  Of those remaining games, the Hogs have six on the road and six in Bud Walton Arena.

The Razorbacks have a great shot at making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2007-08 season, when they finished 23-12 and 9-7 in the SEC.

I believe the Hogs can finish the season undefeated at home, and will win at least one game on the road.  If they can win 2-3 games on the road (which I think is possible), then they would enter the SEC Tournament sitting at 22-23 wins, only needing to win a game or two in the SEC Tournament.

What do you think?  Post your thoughts on the rest of the schedule and whether or not you think Arkansas will get an NCAA Tournament bid.

With the loss of Marshawn Powell for the season, Coach Anderson has needed to rely on Hunter Mickelson and Devonta Abron filling the gap.  Both freshmen will be tested in this game against the physical interior play of 6-9 Tyler Olander, 6-9 Alex Oriakhi and 6-10 star freshman Andre Drummond.

The Huskies are also loaded with talent at the guard and forward positions with stand-out freshman and sophomores Roscoe Smith, Shabazz Napier, Jeremy Lamb and DeAndre Daniels.

The key to the game will be the guard play of Arkansas against UConn.  Coach Anderson will need to use the depth of his bench at guard to try to wear down Lamb and Napier.

The Razorbacks are a young team, playing on the road in front of a hostile crowd, against a Huskie team loaded with talent.  However, UConn has not played up to that level yet this season, and the Hogs have a chance to steal one on the road if they play very well.  It will be interesting to watch how they react and respond to the challenge.

Connecticut and Arkansas have met twice previously, both meetings coming in neutral site tournaments with the Huskies winning each match-up.  UConn defeated Arkansas with head coach Nolan Richardson and assistant Mike Anderson in the 1997 NIT Third Place game at Madison Square Garden, and also beat the Razorbacks in the 2005 Maui Invitational First Round.

The Huskies and Jim Calhoun also met a Mike Anderson-coached Missouri squad in the 2009 Elite Eight, with UConn taking the victory in Glendale, Arizona.

Game time is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Central and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Second, the Golden Grizzlies are coming off back-to-back Summit League titles and NCAA tournament berths.  Last season they gave Texas all they wanted in a very close game before losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Oakland finished second in the country last season, scoring 85.5 points per game and third in field goal percentage at 49.2%.  The Grizzlies are 34-2 in league play over the last 2 years, finishing last year 25-10 overall and 17-1 in conference.

Oakland fields one of the best point guards in the country in Reggie Hamilton.  Hamilton averaged 17.6 points and 5.3 assists a game last season.  Alongside him is sharpshooting sophomore guard Travis Bader.  Bader drained 94 threes in 2010-11, good enough for ninth in the nation last season in three-point field goal percentage.

So make no mistake…the Golden Grizzlies are not a ‘rent-a-win’ coming into Bud Walton to collect a check.  They are a talented team that should give Arkansas its first real test of the season.

The Razorbacks will have to play good defense on the three-point shooters of Oakland and create turnovers with their press.  This matchup should give Coach Anderson and fans an early barometer of this Razorback team.  Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Earlier this week, Bobby Petrino stressed the importance of the Razorbacks playing well in the last game in Fayetteville for this year’s senior class.

“This group of seniors that will be playing their last game in this stadium has learned how to compete, how to win, how to stick together, and that’s why this is an important game for us.  We need to make sure that we send them out with a win in their last game in our stadium.”

Petrino’s Razorback team is 8-1, #8 in the BCS, and has navigated a tough schedule while battling injuries.  Along the way, several things have bounced the Hogs’ way and gone right for this team.  By contrast, just about everything that could go wrong this season has for Derek Dooley (10-12, 2nd year) and the Tennessee Volunteers.  Even so, the Vols can become bowl eligible with two wins in their last three games.

Tyler Bray, who was injured at quarterback during the Georgia game in week 5, was scheduled to come back this week but currently is listed as doubtful.  So it appears Justin Worley will be under center for the third game this season for the Vols.  Worley had his best game last week against Middle Tennessee State, completing 23 of 32 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown.   The Volunteers rely on redshirt freshman running back Jaron Toney and senior Tauren Poole, while sophomore Da’Rick Rodgers – an NFL prototype receiver — is their main weapon in the passing game.

The Vols defense is much improved and could present the Hogs with some problems if the offensive line doesn’t come to play.  The Tennessee secondary should have problems matching up with the speed of the Razorback receivers, but the Hogs will need to establish the run early to keep the Volunteer defense off balance.

While this is an improved Tennessee team, Derek Dooley and staff are still a year or two away from being back in the mix of the SEC East.  If the Razorbacks come out focused and play for four quarters, the Hogs should leave Saturday night with a 9-1 record and one game closer to a showdown with #1 LSU at the end of the season.

“The state of Arkansas needs to show up for these seniors and pack this stadium,” Petrino said. “We performed well last week, but we want to take a step further.”

The game was announced as a sellout earlier this week.  Arkansas enters the game as a 14 point favorite.

While the Gamecocks have not always looked great this season, they are 7-1 and bring a #9 BCS ranking into Fayetteville.  And for the second year in a row, they are poised to win the SEC Eastern Division.  Head Ball Coach Steve Spurrier brings his team into Saturday’s game hoping to continue their winning ways, having beaten Tennessee last week in a game where they rushed for over 230 yards while holding the Volunteers to under 200 yards of total offense.

Like last week at Vanderbilt, the Hogs will face another quarterback who can run in Connor Shaw.  Shaw replaced the troubled Stephen Garcia earlier this season and has, at times, looked good.  The Hogs should also see plenty of freshman tailback Brandon Wilds, who torched the Volunteers for 137 yards last week while filling in for the injured Marcus Lattimore.

Preseason All-American wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey is a superstar, while redshirt freshman receiver Bruce Ellington (who is also a point guard for the Gamecocks basketball team) should be back from a hamstring injury that limited his action last week.

Defensively, the Gamecocks will give the Razorback offense one of their biggest tests this season.  Not since the Alabama game have the Razorbacks seen a more touted defense.  South Carolina has allowed just 55 points in their last six games, led by a great secondary and defensive line.  They are currently ranked sixth in the nation in total defense and third nationally in pass defense.  Without question, this is the best defense the Hogs will face the rest of the season short of LSU.

The Razorbacks cannot afford to get off to a slow start in this one.  The Gamecocks are just too good on defense.  The South Carolina offense has not been hitting on all cylinders for most of the season, so the Razorback defense can’t continue their recent habit of giving up points early.  The Hogs’ defense will need to stop the run and contain the passing game by limiting Shaw’s ability to turn up field.

Last year in Columbia, the Razorbacks pulled away in a hard-fought game that seemed to help them turn the corner in several areas — mainly defense and the running game.  If the Hogs can finally put together a complete game for four quarters, history just might repeat and give Arkansas a much needed boost of momentum heading into their remaining schedule.

The night will give fans a chance to get introduced this season’s players, watch practice and a short scrimmage.  The team features four newcomers: 6-8 forward Devonta Abron, 6-5 guard Rashad (Ky) Madden, 6-10 forward Hunter Mickelson and 6-3 guard B.J. Young.  The Razorbacks return: Julysses Nobles, Marshawn Powell, Michael Sanchez, Rickey Scott, Mardracus Wade, Marvell Waithe and Kikko Haydar.

The biggest challenge in Anderson’s first year will be implementing his style of basketball with a roster of just 11 players.  With four freshman and only two seniors, this is a young team that will need to grow up and learn Anderson’s system quickly.

With the recent announcement of Michael Sanchez’s back surgery, Abron and Mickelson will need to step in and help immediately.  Marshawn Powell, rumored to be in the best shape since his arrival, will play a big factor in the Hogs success.  In the backcourt, the Hogs have more experience and depth, but don’t be surprised if freshman sensation B.J. Young is running the point by January.

Some of the things I’ll be watching this season will be how well the freshman develop, as well as the growth and development of players like Mardracus Wade, Rickey Scott and Marvell Waithe.  For the Razorbacks to have a better than expected season, Coach Anderson will need to get production from every player on the roster including Kikko Haydar.

A pair of exhibition games kickoff the season starting November 4th with Texas A&M-Commerce and Christian Brothers on November 8th.  Both games have a tipoff time set for 7 p.m.

There was a time when the Razorback basketball team was nationally recognized and feared.  Bud Walton Arena was sold out.  Fans wanting tickets needed to get in line on a waiting list.  The Kentucky game was a Sunday afternoon showcase on CBS and one of the toughest tickets in the state.

The monster that Eddie Sutton birthed and Nolan Richardson nurtured into adulthood was a sight to behold.  24 conference titles, 29 NCAA Tournament appearances, 10 Sweet 16 appearances, 10 Elite 8 appearances, 6 Final Four appearances, 2 Title game appearances, and a National Championship.  Annual trips to the NCAA tournament were not only anticipated…they were expected.

Yet, here we sit in year four of John Pelphrey’s tenure and the familiar refrain of “one more year” is being used by the administration and Pelphrey supporters to keep Razorback fans hanging on to that proverbial rope.

But my question really isn’t as much about this season because, unlike our coaching staff, I don’t believe we’ve overachieved.  It’s more about what the future holds for Razorback basketball with John Pelphrey and Jeff Long as its stewards.

Can they get the program back to the upper echelon where it belongs and once stood?  Are we really one year away?  Is this recruiting class the silver bullet?  Have we fixed the APR issues and removed all the cancers?  What other obstacles not mentioned are blocking our path back to greatness?

At what point in a coach’s tenure does it begin to be about results rather than excuses?  For some Razorback fans, we are past that point and want a change to be made.  For others, there are still obstacles and excuses to explain the results.  And the rest hold the opinion that Jeff Long knows best and will support whoever coaches the basketball team.

I’ve been in the first camp for most of the last two seasons.  I don’t ever recall being in the last camp, as I’m too much of a critical thinker and independent for that.

However, as this season wraps up, I find myself in the excuses camp — and not for the reasons that most are.  Simply stated: I’m tired of Razorback basketball not living up to expectations and as a fan being told we’ve not had enough time (i.e. wait until next year).

If in five years you haven’t established a firm foundation on which to build your program, you aren’t going to.  Show me a program that needs more than five years, and I’ll show you the Baylor basketball program after the scandal.

The scandal left Baylor’s basketball program in ruin.  Under new coach Scott Drew, the Bears only won a total of 36 games (and only 13 conference games) from 2003 to 2007.  However, Drew quickly turned the program around after his recruits arrived; the Bears made the NCAA Tournament in 2008, finished second in the 2009 NIT, and lost in the Elite Eight of the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

The Razorback basketball program was not in that kind of shape when Stan Heath and John Pelphrey were handed the keys.  Simply put…we’ve made the wrong hires the last two times the position has been open.

However, with that being said, I am strongly in favor of giving John Pelphrey and staff one more year and here’s why: It will remove all of the excuses.

You see, I’m a firm believer that you are what your track record says you are.  (And I need not remind you about John Pelphrey’s track record.)  We’re getting ready to see what we have next season.  Do we have a young coach, learning on the job and on the cusp of turning the corner?  Or have we seen this movie before?

Case in point: What would Danny Ford have done with his recruits had he been retained?  Similar to his last two seasons (4-7) or would he have had the success Houston Nutt had in the 1998 season?

What would Stan Heath have done if he had been retained to coach the senior class John Pelphrey inherited?  Would he have turned the corner, or would the results have mirrored his previous four seasons?

When the Razorbacks top 5 recruiting class arrives next fall, the pieces will be in place to lay a foundation that a good coach can use to establish their program.

Eddie Sutton started his foundation with the Triplets and Nolan Richardson with Day, Miller and Mayberry.  Will John Pelphrey do the same with Ky Madden, Aaron Ross and Hunter Mickelson?

The game marks the second return to Fayetteville for the former Razorback head coach.  The first meeting in 2008 was an ugly affair, with Nutt waiting in the tunnel to run out at the same time that Bobby Petrino and the Razorbacks were running through the ‘A’ and onto the field.

The game itself was an emotion-filled contest that came down to the wire, with the Hogs recovering an onside kick with less than a minute left in regulation.  Many will remember the controversial pass interference call against London Crawford that went against the Razorbacks and sealed the win for Ole Miss.  Adding insult to injury, Nutt and staff remained on the field celebrating and having reunions with various Razorback players and assistants before finally heading to the locker room.

Ole Miss won handily at last year’s game in Oxford, and meeting #3 between Nutt and Petrino promises to be another highly emotional matchup between not only the coaches, but the fanbases as well.

While the Ole Miss fans are quick to thank Razorback fans for Houston Nutt, Arkansas fans are quicker to thank them for hiring him.  Nutt overstayed his welcome for many, and he was never able to get the program to a championship winning level in his 10 seasons on The Hill.

Right or wrong, the outcome of Saturday’s game will provide a measuring stick by which Bobby Petrino will be judged.  Razorback fans want to continue seeing signs of the progress that Petrino is making with the Arkansas football program.  Beating Ole Miss and Nutt for the first time gets a monkey off of Petrino’s back, and provides tangible results to fans that the program is making progress under his leadership.

Nutt was asked during his weekly press conference if he thought the emotions about beating him still ran high in Arkansas.

“You know, I don’t know.  I think it’s probably died down a little bit,” Nutt said.  “But I don’t know.  I’m sure that there’s a few people that naturally want to see that.”

Indeed, most would argue that the fervor hasn’t died down much since 2008.  For some Hog fans, in fact, Saturday is all about hanging “half-a-hundred” on the used car salesman that sold them an AMC Pacer disguised as a Rolls Royce.  This group — angry at how the final years of the Nutt era played out — want to see nothing short of total domination, humiliation and running the score up on the Rebel Care Bears.

Game time is set for 11:21 AM, so the tailgating may be limited.  Despite the potential hangover effect from the Auburn loss and the early start time, I expect Razorback fans will show up ready to go at kickoff.  Bobby Petrino and staff should have the Hog players motivated, and look for Nutt to pull out all the stops and extra pages in the playbook.

The Razorback Nation is definitely ready to begin putting the Nutt chapter behind us…by beating Ole Miss and sending TCTWF back to Oxford where he belongs.

As Razorback football fans, we have a love/hate relationship when it comes to expectations.  Having high expectations has always seemed to be akin to the “SI cover jinx” or the “Corso Curse.”  Over the years, there have been few examples of Arkansas football teams that have matched their lofty expectations.  More often than not, those seasons ended in fan disappointment, meltdown or worse.

1978:  Before the season, Sports Illustrated ranked Arkansas #1.  But the Hogs suffered two midseason defeats and settled for only a share of the Southwest Conference title, finishing 9-2-1 after a tie with UCLA in the Fiesta Bowl.

1987:  The ’87 Razorbacks were SWC favorites but a last play defeat to Texas in Little Rock led to a disappointing finish.  The Hogs won nine games, but ended the campaign with a Liberty Bowl loss to Georgia.

But in years when expectations have been low and the Hogs have played the role of the underdog, they’ve often produced results that far exceeded fan expectations.

1995:  Coming off of a 4-7 finish the previous year, the Razorbacks earned their first-ever Western Division title in the SEC.  The Hogs lost to #2 Florida in the SEC Championship game, 34-3.

1998:  In Houston Nutt’s first year at Arkansas, having inherited a team with back-to-back 4-7 seasons, the Razorbacks were unbeaten at 8-0 heading into Knoxville to play Tennessee.  After the now infamous Clint Stoerner fumble, the Hogs would lose the following week to Mississippi State and finish the season 9-3 after a loss to Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.

2006:  The Razorbacks got off to a 10-1 start, having gone 4-7 the year before.  As the season progressed, fans and pundits began to place the Hogs right in the middle of that year’s BCS conversations.  However, just as expectations began to rise, the Hogs ended the season with losses to LSU, Florida and Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl to finish 10-4.

1977:  Before the season, Arkansas was picked to finish no higher than fifth in the SWC.  But with Ron Calcagni at quarterback and Ben Cowins rushing for over 1,000 yards, the Razorback offense averaged 33 points a game.  While the Hogs finished second in the SWC with a 10-1 record, they did earn their first-ever spot in the Orange Bowl opposite #2 Oklahoma.

After top-ranked Texas was defeated by Notre Dame earlier in the day, the entire focus of the nation was on the Sooners’ chance to win the Orange Bowl and the national championship.

Most figured that was a foregone conclusion since Lou Holtz had suspended his top two running backs and leading receiver for disciplinary reasons.  But the suspensions didn’t matter, and the Hogs stunned the Sooners, 31-6.  That game still ranks as one of the all-time favorites among Razorback fans.

2010:  So here we are ready to start the season and the Razorbacks are picked as a contender to win the SEC West, with a quarterback on just about every list of potential Heisman candidates.  It’s hard as fans not to have high expectations for this season.

Fortunately, Bobby Petrino is no stranger when it comes to expectations.  At Louisville, he finished the 2004 season 11-1 and ranked #6.  In 2005, his team finished 9-3 and followed that up in 2006 with an Orange Bowl victory, a 12-1 record and a #5 ranking.

“When you have high expectations, it means that you played good football at the end of the year last year and you have a lot of returning players coming back,” Petrino said.  “To me, that’s what the start of the season is all about.”

So will this season be different than other high expectation years?  Or will this be the year that Razorback fans remember as the season where the Hogs put it all together to do something truly magical?

It’s been over five weeks since the selection committee announced the field for the NCAA Tournament.  The Hogs, of course, were not invited to any of the post-season tournaments for the second year in a row.

The Razorbacks collapsed down the stretch, losing seven out of their last eight games.  That losing skid was eerily similar to last year when they lost 11 of 12 to end the season.

Those types of finishes are not what most would call “signs of improvement.”  Much to the contrary, they are indicators that real problems exist in the leadership and management of the men’s basketball program and to pretend otherwise is just foolhardy.

Having seen these signs, Athletic Director Jeff Long and Head Coach John Pelphrey quickly moved into action and began making changes to get the Razorback basketball program back on track.

First, it was announced that assistant Isaac Brown would be reassigned.  One of the ways to improve a program is to upgrade your coaching staff.  And, apparently, Isaac Brown was standing in the way of getting us back to national prominence.

Second, Jeff Long released a statement  in support of Coach Pelphrey.  Of course, it didn’t actually provide any details as to why he felt so strongly that Pelphrey was the man destined to bring Hog basketball back from the dead.  But actually, we think that’s a sophisticated PR move — being vague is better.  As any good entertainer will say, “Always leave them wanting more.”

Third was to bring in top notch recruits.  It’s always important to keep that proverbial cupboard stocked with talent ready to fill in the gaps as you build the program back “the right way.”  So far, Coach Pelphrey has done that by not landing Ricardo Ratliffe, a 6-9 power forward heavily recruited to replace Michael Washington.

Instead, it looks like Pelphrey is planning to go with a smaller lineup to better run his “40 Minutes of Pel” style that Razorback fans have “groaned” accustomed to watching since he took the job.

The final step was sharing with fans how the Razorback basketball program will return to prominence.  Coach Pelphrey recently did just that at the Razorback Club in El Dorado.  Speaking with fans, Pelphrey promised, “I will get you home.”  He compared building a winning basketball program to flying cross-country on a plane.  Uh…okay.

Now, if all those “changes” don’t get you excited and ready to renew your season tickets, then I don’t know what will.

You may be wondering why post an article on the basketball program so long after the season has ended.  Well, to be truthful, I intended to write a season wrap-up earlier.  But I wanted to wait and see how Pelphrey and Long were going to respond to another disappointing season.

Now here we are into late April with an assistant vacancy to fill…a post player to replace…and an explanation still due to fans on the plan to get Razorback basketball out of the ditch.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that explanation is coming.  Jeff Long is too busy doing his best Nero impression while the Razorback basketball program burns.

The hiring of Pelphrey in April, 2007 was supposed to be the start of the return to a brand and style of basketball that Razorback fans had grown to love: “Hawg Ball.”  Or, as it became better known nationally: “40 Minutes of Hell.”

Razorback fans ready to put the Stan Heath years behind them looked forward to the return of the success of the early 90′s and even wanted to brand Pelphrey’s style as “40 Minutes of Pel.”

During his first season, Coach Pelphrey said and did a lot of things right.  He set the school record for wins by a first-year coach, going 23-12.  The Hogs were ranked as high as #18 in the polls, going 6-2 against ranked teams.  Arkansas finished 2nd in the SEC West, made the NCAA tournament and won their opening round game for the first time since 1999.

However, the decisions and actions that followed are where the train jumped the tracks.  And it’s led to a situation where the Razorbacks open season play tonight with eight players available.  Of those eight, one is a walk-on and another is a football player who joined the team last week.

So how did we get to this point?  Two reasons: not recruiting character guys and not running a disciplined program.

Pelphrey and his coaching staff had the opportunity to quickly turnover the roster after the 2007-2008 season with the graduation of six seniors.  They could have begun recruiting the pieces needed to get Razorback basketball back to prominence.

Instead, this staff chose a riskier path by signing players of questionable character and desire.  The problems in and out of the locker room, on and off the court last year are well-documented.  Suffice to say, recruiting individuals of good character and strong desire are half the battle — a battle of attrition that now puts this staff behind the APR eight-ball.

Granted…it’s not uncommon for coaches to bring in a player or two that need some ‘extra attention.’  Most of the time, those situations have happy endings.  However, a key ingredient in those success stories is discipline that is predictable and consistent.  Discipline that does not differentiate or vary between key starters and walk-ons.

This lack of predictability and consistency was also a frequently discussed problem last season.  Running a disciplined program is not for the faint of heart, and requires a commitment to principle over wins in order to set the right foundation.

So here we are in year three of John Pelphrey’s tenure and one has to wonder if any lessons were learned from last season.  I must admit…watching his press conference announcing the player suspensions was very persuasive.  Yet, I find myself wondering if any of the tough talk will last.

I hope I’m wrong, but only time will tell.  Until then, Pelphrey has become nothing more to me than “Big Hat, No Cattle” — he talks a good game, but needs to start backing it up.  Soon.

I knew it was going to be a lively practice when, shortly into the receiver drills, Paul Petrino yelled some expletives about the players not making enough noise.  That set the tone for a good practice with much energy from the players and coaches.

There was a lot of teaching and correcting during the drills, and many times you could hear it in the stands as clear as if you were right alongside the players.  Bobby Petrino moved from station to station and chimed in often to point out mistakes or talk one-on-one with a player.

The players who stood out to me were:  Ronnie Wingo Jr., Michael Smith, Chris Gragg, Carlton Salters, David Gordon, Jerell Norton and Jerry Franklin.

In 7-on-7 drills, the quarterbacks rotated in and out with the emphasis on pass coverage, routes and making good decisions throwing to what many times was a double covered receiver.  The formations were mostly three to four receiver sets with a tight end or running back added in to the mix.  But it was almost always seven defenders to four receivers.

Unlike seasons past, there should not be a worry at the QB position with Ryan Mallett and Tyler Wilson.  And both Jim Youngblood and Brandon Mitchell (and even Nick Petrino) looked like they could not only run the offense, but will be prepared to do so if needed.

As a defender, Broderick Green is a freight train that I wouldn’t want to see coming downhill towards me.  He is not at all shifty like Michael Smith, Ronnie Wingo or Knile Davis.  As advertised, Green is a big bruising back that will wear down the opponents on the Hogs schedule.  And watching him in practice just confirmed that fact for me.

The punting work alternated between Briton Forester and Dillon Breeding.  The punt returner rotation was Jerell Norton, Joe Adams, Cobi Hamilton and Michael Smith.  There were some high snaps and a few line drives but, overall, the kick coverage looked good.  It would be hard to pick between Forester or Breeding right now, as they both looked up to the job of starting punter.

The practice finished up on a sour note with Chris Gragg going down with an ankle injury towards the end.  We wish him good luck and a speedy recovery.

Let me finish by saying that defensive back David Gordon, while just a freshman, looked very impressive in the secondary running against the first team offense.  He has all the tools to be great.  He continually made plays on the ball, and had several breakups or near interceptions.

That’s it for now.  Hope to see you out at the practice fields.

As a fan…”Wow” is probably the first reaction…followed quickly by a “What is going on?” and finally a “How in the world did we get to this point?”  The once-feared and proud Razorback basketball program is not just down, but looking very much like out.  Like a “has been…never will be again” type program.

Kind of like the Houston Cougars under Guy V. Lewis.  Remember Phi Slamma Jamma?  I sure do, but what happened after Drexler and gang left?  Yep, that’s right crickets.  As a very loyal and passionate basketball fan, I fear the same insignificance on the horizon for Hawgball.

Since Nolan Richardson left, it looks like no one is capable of bringing back the magic that made Barnhill and Bud Walton such feared venues…and had teams beaten before they took the court.  Let’s face it, those are great memories, but they are starting to sound like the football program and its championship from 1964…distant memories most of us don’t recall and neither does the rest of the nation.  To bring that point home, in March we will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the National Championship team.  Folks that’s 15 years ago.  And really the last 10 years have been subpar in my opinion.

We have the fanbase and booster support to compete with any program in the nation.  I’ll say that again…WE HAVE THE FANBASE AND BOOSTER SUPPORT TO COMPETE WITH ANY PROGRAM IN THE NATION.  At one time not too long ago, the Arkansas Razorback basketball program was regarded as the eighth best overall from a historical perspective.  I’m talking “Top 10 All-Time” folks.  What has happened, and why are we relying on hiring up-and-comers to revive such a prestigious sport?

Now…I will concede that Eddie Sutton was an up-and-comer from Creighton.  As was Nolan Richardson from Tulsa.  But both coaches had a track record (albeit short) of being hot commodities that were destined to be winners.  Remember the program was nothing to brag about before Sutton accepted the job.  But after firing Richardson, we should have gone after a big time coach.  The fans and program had earned as much.  Instead, we took chances hiring both Stan Heath and now Pelphrey.  We didn’t with Sutton and Richardson…they were going to succeed wherever they coached.

Now, that doesn’t mean John Pelphrey won’t turn out to be a great coach.  But for the most optimistic fan — think Rick Schaeffer — this season has even him wondering if Pel can get it done.   A 1-9 record in this year’s SEC is not just pitiful, it’s absolutely unacceptable under any — and I repeat — any circumstances.

So where do we go from here and what does the future hold?  To that I would answer:  recruiting and experience.  We have got to get better players in here sooner rather than later, and this staff has to get better as well.  If that can be done over the summer, then we may start to see the return to greatness so many of us not only anticipate, but expect.  If that cannot be done then, unfortunately, I think we will be going back to the drawing board again.  Except this time I hope Jeff Long does what Frank Broyles would not, and that’s hire a proven winner.

If you remember the predictions we made last month, you know I pushed my fellow RazorBloggers out of the way, drank the entire pitcher of Hog Kool-Aid, and then boldly predicted nine wins for this season.

Certainly back in December of 2006, few if any Hog fans would have dared hope that we would one day be naming a coach of the caliber of Bobby Petrino to lead the Razorback football program.

And even fewer could have foreseen the fallout from an administration that had lost touch with its stakeholders:  the Arkansas Razorback fans.

While I don’t want to dwell on past events (they are all well documented on this site and others), the last 12-18 months on The Hill have to at least be recognized as an unprecedented period of change and upheaval.  I doubt we will ever witness anything like it again.

I think only SMU after the ‘death penalty‘ could lay claim to having more administration changes in such a short time frame.   The irony is that an out-of-control SMU administration lost their football program, while an out-of-control Razorback fan base helped to save their program by demanding change.

Which begs the question…how in the world did we manage to go through all of this without the fan base and program imploding?  Not to mention all of the other drama and events that swirled around the program like an F5 tornado:  email-gate, text-gate, banners, Darksiders, Huggers, FOI requests and more infighting than a family reunion of the Hatfields and McCoys.

Again, I ask, how in the heck did we manage to come out of that mess smelling like a rose?

While many may argue about my prediction for this season, I think most will agree that the future of Razorback football looks bright and Coach Petrino and Jeff Long are the reasons why.

For now, I just need someone to pinch me.  Because when I see Bobby Petrino and his team running out of the “A” at the game on Saturday, I know I won’t believe my eyes.  I’ll still think I’m dreaming.

But what kind of pro will Weems be in the NBA?  That’s hard to tell right now, of course, but NBA scouts and general managers earn their salaries trying to find players like Sonny Weems.

Leading up to draft day, the knock on the former Razorback could be summed up in one word: inconsistent.

Nevertheless, the NBA is always looking for hidden gems who possess athleticism and potential, but that need skill development and coaching to succeed at the professional level.

And given the right environment and coaching, I think Weems will turn out to be a good — maybe even very good — player in the NBA.

Sonny made his case for the pros in the last half of his senior season and especially in the NCAA tournament against Indiana.  SI.com noted that in his draft bio:

“Maybe no player among this year’s crop helped his draft status more in one game than Weems did.  He had 31 points on 12-of-14 shooting in a first-round win over Indiana to lead Arkansas to its first NCAA tournament victory since 1999.  That game showed the promise Weems possesses following just two seasons against top-flight competition after transferring from junior college.”

The departure of Weems, along with the rest of the seniors that graduated this past year, closed out the Stan Heath era — a time period that produced more expectations than quality wins.

For all the talent supposedly recruited by Heath, only two of his players who made it on campus were drafted into the NBA.  And some might say that Weems and Ronnie Brewer had enough raw skill and athleticism to make it to the next level no matter who was coaching.  In reality, that’s probably pretty close to the truth.

But now it’s up to Sonny to make the most of this opportunity by working hard and learning how to consistently maximize his talent.  And being consistent means getting it done night in and night out…starting tonight with his second professional game against the Toronto Raptors.

The Hogs are 17-5 and have 4 players averaging in double figures:  Sonny Weems at 14.9 points per game, Patrick Beverley with 12.2, Darian Townes at 11.0 and Charles Thomas with 10.

The Razorbacks hold a 6-2 record in the SEC West and are 1/2 game behind the division-leading Mississippi State Bulldogs.  Contrast that with last season, where the Hogs were 14-8 overall and 3-5 in the SEC through 22 games.

At this point, I’m giving this team a “B-” mainly due to their road win against Baylor and their conference mark through eight games in the always tough SEC.  Even though the results of the last four games look like the pieces are coming together, it’s obvious now how bad the losses were to South Carolina (now 3-5) and Georgia (2-6).  Win those games and the Hogs would’ve definitely earned an “A” from me.

Hopefully, at the end of the season we won’t be pointing back to those two games as keeping us from winning a division title or earning a ‘dance ticket.’  It certainly would’ve given this team a bit more room for error in what’s shaping up to be a very tough second half of the SEC schedule.

The remaining conference schedule has five games on the road and three at home.  Last year’s second half was an even split of road and home games and that team went 4-4.

So how will this year’s team do?  Three of the next four games are on the road and have the Hogs traveling to Tennessee, Mississippi State and Kentucky.  Playing back-to-back games on the road against SEC division-leading teams, followed up with a trip shortly thereafter to Rupp Arena (where the Wildcats always play well) doesn’t seem to setup well for a late season run.

Having said all of that, tonight’s game against the Volunteers should provide a measuring stick for what to expect from this bunch of Razorbacks over the next eight games.  This team definitely has the talent to win all of their remaining road games.  But they are going to have to play superb defense, hit shots and continue playing as a team.

So have these guys really grabbed hold of Pelphrey’s system?  Or are they going to let go now and fall back into familiar bad habits?  Repeat last year’s road woes and slide out of contention?  Or man-up to this week’s challenges at Knoxville and Starkville, and then finish the season strong?

What mid-term grade would you give this team?

Looking back, two things really define this program and its players over the last five years: lack of wins and lack of effort.

Razorback fans are used to winning both at home and on the road.  This group of seniors can count their road wins on both hands.  Step back and think about that: our Razorback basketball program is an unbelievable 10-38 (updated for Saturday’s loss to Georgia) on the road over the last four years.

To win on the road, you’ve got to play tough and smart — two things this group of seniors will apparently never really know how to do.

“We’ve got veteran guys,” Razorbacks sophomore point guard Stefan Welsh said outside the locker room. “There is no excuse for us not to win on the road.”

To that I say…talk is cheap.  This group is long on lip service and short on actions to back it up.

The biggest missing ingredient continues to be effort.  Razorback fans expect…no…DEMAND…effort from their teams.  They are forgiving of losses when their teams give maximum effort.  But give anything less and you will quickly find yourself in the doghouse.

We’ve all watched this group of players for several years now and it’s time to just be frank and tell it like it is: these seniors should go down as the biggest group of underachievers in Hog basketball history.  They have continually shown that they lack any consistency in the areas of leadership, heart, desire and pride.

Does anyone still think these old dogs can learn the new tricks that Coach Pelphrey is trying to teach them?  It’s obvious to even Stevie Wonder that most of them haven’t bought into and embraced Pelphrey’s style, philosophy and most importantly…passion.

If past history is any indicator, then I’d highly advise fans against making any postseason travel plans.  No…it appears this senior-laden team will be defiant to the end…to the detriment of the team and themselves.  And for that, I must say…what a shame.  They could have changed their Razorback legacy this season.  Not to mention whatever potential some of them had to make a living at the next level.

Am I being too unrealistic to expect some growth and leadership from a group that has spent the better part of their four year college experience playing basketball in a Razorback uniform?

Do we need the help of Nolan and the ’94 National Championship team to exorcise the demons holding our once-proud program hostage?

What is it going to take to wake Razorback basketball up from a nearly decade-long slumber?

As luck would have it, we were able to score four great seats only five rows up at mid-court behind the Razorbacks’ bench.

It was definitely setting up to be a great birthday weekend.  With tickets in hand, my only concerns were: a) would Hog fans show up; and b) could the Razorbacks win a game on the road against a very good Baylor team.

When we arrived at the American Airlines Center about 40 minutes before game time, I started to get the feeling that it was going to be a good crowd, as we were seeing Razorback red everywhere.

But as we reached our seats right before tipoff, I couldn’t believe the number of Hog fans in attendance.  There were entire sections full of Razorback fans and they were in the best seats, too.  By contrast, the majority of the Baylor faithful were in the end zone and the sections near their bench.

Once the game started, both crowds were vocal in support of their team.  In fact, a couple of Baylor students in the section next to us were ushered out for being a little too vocal.  I guess they weren’t very happy sitting around all us Hog fans.

As the game progressed, you could see the confidence building in the Razorback players.  I thought they played much better perimeter defense and definitely had one of their best shooting nights of the season.

The Bears had a hard time defending Beverley and Weems on the perimeter, while Townes, Washington and Thomas presented matchup problems for the Baylor frontcourt.

By the time the Hogs took the lead in the second half, the Bears looked tired and unsure.  Their guards began breaking out of their offensive sets and firing desperation threes that were missing badly.

For the Hogs, I definitely saw some individual and team growth come out of this game…and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  These guys have been trying to run a new system and, at times, have looked lost doing it.  On Saturday, they seemed to get it.

If the Hogs can follow this win up with another one on Thursday at Auburn on ESPN2, I’ll definitely start to believe that they’ve turned the proverbial corner under John Pelphrey’s system.

A few quick notes:

• Marcus Britt continues to impress me with his defense and poise.
• Even with all the Hog fans in attendance, it was still a very hostile environment.  The Razorback fans, however, certainly made their presence felt.  And that even carried over after the game when they were calling the Hogs outside a local news station in Victory Park.
• And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Baylor halftime performance that consisted of the Baylor bear mascot dancing, and then a 100 guitar band playing Johnny Cash.

Finally, I’d like to say thanks again to HogN_TX for the hospitality, great seats, and showing us around Dallas.  And…for letting me present him with his RazorBloggers T-shirt in person for winning one of our predictions contests during football season.

From the tip, Wofford came out with more hustle and intensity.  And for a while, it seemed like the Hogs had reverted back to last year’s style.

The ‘early and often’ foul calls sure didn’t help the Hogs or the Bud Walton crowd get into a rhythm, either.  A total of 41 fouls were called in the game (19 in the first half).  Pelphrey got frustrated with the bad calls and eventually got his first technical of the year early in the second half.

The Hogs went on to win the game, but had to be reminded by their coach that they can’t afford to let their guard down against anyone on the schedule this year:

“Adversity is coming,” Pelphrey said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how we handle that. I want to see how we stick together and who does what for us when winning and losing is on the line. Who is going to do it for us?

“It’s not going to be a big play. It could be something like a guard blocking out a seven-footer, getting a rebound, diving to the floor or making a free throw.”

This bunch of Razorbacks still has a lot to learn to run ’40 Minutes of Pel.’  But they only have a short time to get there because the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament that starts today is a tough field of good teams that will put them to the test.

You may remember the Hogs won the inaugural Old Spice Classic last season.  For the inaugural Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the field will represent eight major conferences:  ACC (University of Miami), Big East (Providence), Atlantic 10 (Temple), Colonial (Virginia Commonwealth), Southern (College of Charleston), Conference USA (Houston), SEC (Arkansas), and MAAC (Marist).

The Hogs opening opponent, College of Charleston, is coached by former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins.  The University of Houston is coached by none other than former Texas coach “Sweet” Tom Penders.  And Anthony Grant, the coach that many Hog fans had high on their list to replace Stan Heath, is the head coach of Virginia Commonwealth.

One thing is for certain…the Razorbacks have a chance to see a lot of different offensive and defensive styles in this tournament.  If they can make a good showing, it should boost their confidence and help their RPI rankings as they play into the 2007-08 season.

The Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament starts today at 8 a.m. Central from San Juan, Puerto Rico.  All 12 games will be shown on ESPN2 or ESPNU.  The Razorbacks play College of Charleston at 4 p.m. Central on ESPNU.

Date	Game	Time (Central)	Network
Thursday, November 15	Game 1 — Houston vs. Virginia Commonwealth	8:00 a.m.	ESPNU
	Game 2 — Marist vs. Miami	10:30 a.m.	ESPNU
	Game 3  — Temple vs. Providence	1:30 p.m.	ESPNU
	Game 4 — College of Charleston vs. Arkansas	4:00 p.m.	ESPNU
Friday, November 16	Game 5 — Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser	10:00 a.m.	ESPNU
	Game 6 — Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner	12:30 p.m.	ESPNU
	Game 7 — Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner	4:30 p.m.	ESPNU
	Game 8 — Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser	7:00 p.m.	ESPNU
Sunday, November 18	Game 9 — Game 5 Loser vs. Game 8 Loser	10:00 a.m.	ESPNU
	Game 10 — Game 5 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner	12:30 p.m.	ESPNU
	Game 11 — Game 6 Loser vs. Game 7 Loser	4:00 p.m.	ESPN2
	Game 12 — Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner	6:30 p.m.	ESPN2

]]> http://www.razorbloggers.net/2007/11/adversity-is-coming/feed/ 0 http://www.razorbloggers.net/2007/11/tipoff-time/ http://www.razorbloggers.net/2007/11/tipoff-time/#comments Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:05:49 +0000 HogBaller http://www.razorbloggers.net/index.php/2007/11/tipoff-time/ 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!