Not Ready for Prime Time (or at Least the Top 10)

by Stephen Expat on Feb 13, 2008 10:19 PM CST in Arkansas Razorback Basketball

If you had told me before tonight's contest that Arkansas would lose by 22 points, I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised. A road game against the No. 4 team in the country didn't strike me as the ideal conditions for a victory or even a well-played game by the Hogs, in spite of the recent improved play. Still, after watching the Razorbacks hang tough in the first half (even while not playing particularly well), it was disappointing to see the wheels come off so completely in the game's final 20 minutes.

Watching UT tonight reminded me of the Hogs of 15 years ago, when Nolan's troops often let an inferior team hang around until halftime (or longer), only to collectively shrug their shoulders and then run their hapless opponent out of the gym.

Another thought before I call it a night: I miss Corey Beck. And Lee Mayberry. And Aryln Bowers. Even Brandon Dean and Teddy Gipson. After being raised on Eddie Sutton and Nolan, it is kind of jarring to see an Arkansas team so lacking in quality guard play and so bad at taking care of the ball.

I suppose we should all be used to it after the Heath era, but it still is striking. Hopefully, help is on the way with the incoming recruiting class.

Oh well. Tennessee is the No. 4 team in the country, after all. It's not like losing at home to South Carolina. If we look bad on Saturday in Starkville, that's when I'll start to worry that the Hogs are right back where they started.

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Amen.

by cousin lee on Feb 13, 2008 11:16 PM CST reply actions

Tennessee is clearly a superior team, able to get it done in lots of ways. I think this outcome was very predictable, since we don’t handle the ball very well, and Tennessee puts immense pressure on the ball. But, I agree, we had a chance to make a game of it, and then came out in the second half and let them get a run and it was all over.

Starkville will be the real test.

Oh, and I was very disappointed in the officiating. Not so much that it was one-sided (no more so than any game on the road in the SEC), but the number of fouls called was obscene. There were serious athletes out there, and the refs simply could not stop anticipating fouls. Disgusting. Let them play; call fouls on advantage, not on ticky touches.

Bothered us a lot more than it did the Vols. They play incredible defense. A second to the thought that they look like a Nolan team.

by J. Hawg 3 on Feb 14, 2008 7:30 AM CST reply actions