It Was 20 Years Ago Today ...

by Stephen Expat on Mar 16, 2009 9:56 AM CDT in Basketball Comment 11 comments

It isn't the most important moment in Hog history, but it's still one worth noting. On March 16, 1989, with a 120-101 victory over Loyola-Marymount, Nolan Richardson won his first NCAA Tournament game as coach of the Razorbacks.

One year earlier, in Nolan's third season in Fayetteville, a solid but decidedly unspectacular Arkansas team made the first NCAA Tournament appearance of the Richardson era, falling in the first round to Villanova, 82-74. Several Eddie Sutton recruits — Andrew Lang, Stephan Moore and Allie Freeman — were seniors on that '88 squad, which didn't quite have the depth and firepower to play Nolan's trademark "40 Minutes of Hell."

However, the '89 team — which featured a slew of newcomers such as Lee Mayberry, Todd Day, Oliver Miller, Lenzie Howell and Aryln Bowers and the remarkable senior leadership of Keith Wilson — did, and the Razorbacks captured their first Southwest Conference regular season and tournament titles in seven years. The win over Loyola-Marymount marked the program's first NCAA win since 1985.

Heading into that '89 season, such success was far from pre-ordained. First off, as we were painfully reminded this year, relying heavily on youth is often a recipe for frustration.

Secondly, Ron Huery, arguably the best player during the preceding two seasons, had spent the off-season engaged in typical college student hijinks — getting arrested on DUI and weapons charges in Memphis and running afoul of campus police by pointing a gun at a fellow student at a frat party. For all of this, he received the severe punishment of being suspended from the team's first-semester games. Later, when he was arrested on another DUI around Christmas, the suspension was extended for the remainder of the season.

However, the talent of the new guys would not be denied. The Hogs lost 93-84 in the second round of the NCAA to Louisville, but the foundation for a phenomenal run of success was in place. Just one year later, the Razorbacks would make the Final Four; five years later, as we all know, Arkansas would capture its first and, so far, only national championship.

• It Was 13 Years Ago Today. March 16, 1996, marks something of a bittersweet milestone in Hogs hoop history. It was on this date that a Razorback squad featuring freshmen Kareem Reid, Pat Bradley and Derek Hood defeated Marquette, 65-56, to secure the program's sixth trip to the Sweet 16 in seven seasons. The Hogs haven't made it that far since.

Sometimes 13 years feels longer than 13 years, doesn't it?

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Seven years at the top of the mountain, not really a very long time; only half the time that we have spent since then on the outside looking in. It really amounted to only 2 great teams and two years of leftovers. The May-Day group was really a better starting five, great, great fun to watch. Richardson’s Runts filled in for a year until Scotty and Corliss arrived on the scene. The best team in the SEC were the starting five. The second best team in the SEC was the bench. Kareem and Bradley were not as talented or as deep but tried to maintain the brand.

Eddie really had a better, longer run atop the SWC but then he crashed an burned in his own way. It may have been Frank’s best coaching move to catch Nolan when he did. The irony may be that it was also his biggest coaching disaster, leading to the program’s demise.

We are at the bottom of an SEC that could get only 3 teams to the dance. Its not the Sunbelt, but you can see it from here. Pelphry’s coach talk sounded great in the good times. His response to failure sounds a little like Houston Nutt. At least Petrino was willing to acknowledge his difficulties. Sometimes coach-speak is not toughness and light. Sometime, you have to call the team out, and mean it.

by BlindHog on Mar 16, 2009 10:37 AM CDT reply actions

Thanks for the memories, Stephen.

If you want to adopt a team for the tournament, I offer up my employer, Oklahoma State. They made it, but got the dreaded 8th seed. 8th or 9th? Either way, it could be one victory and done for them like it was for the Hogs last year.

by KevinHog on Mar 16, 2009 10:50 AM CDT reply actions

34 points from Mario Credit in that Loyola-Marymount game. Amazing!

-John

by Razorback Expats on Mar 16, 2009 11:23 AM CDT reply actions

Missouri bandwagon still has a few spots open as well. Can’t get a much easier coach to cheer for.

by The Hog Blogger on Mar 16, 2009 4:12 PM CDT reply actions

What’s really crazy about Mario’s point total is that he played just 29 minutes. That’s wild.

by Stephen on Mar 16, 2009 4:21 PM CDT reply actions

Speaking of Mizzou, I wish we would have hired Mike Anderson, something tells me his successes at UAB and Mizzou aren’t flukes. Not that I don’t like Pel, in fact I’m for giving him a few more seasons especially if we improve, but Anderson just deserved it. At least he wouldn’t have had a worse season than this one, could he?

by CLO on Mar 16, 2009 4:51 PM CDT reply actions

In hindsight, I don’t think there is any doubt the University of Arkansas should have hired Mike Anderson instead of Stan Heath. I realize there were political reasons why it couldn’t be done, but Anderson was my choice at the time.

by Whit E. Knight on Mar 16, 2009 7:13 PM CDT reply actions

That wasn’t going to happen with Frank Broyles in charge of the A.D.
Personally, I don’t think Anderson would have accepted the job had it been offered. Too much water under the bridge.

by GonzoHog on Mar 16, 2009 7:29 PM CDT reply actions