Just like last Saturday, I didn't get to see today's game. And just like last Saturday, the Hogs lost a close one on the road.

I was optimistic about their chances heading into the game. Oh well - that elusive-but-needed-for-the-NCAA road win or two will have to come from some place else.

To those of you that got to see the game, what was your take?

Before tonight's victory over Vanderbilt, ESPN analyst and former Razorback walk-on Jimmy Dykes tweeted the following:

Arkansas with a shot to pick up 3rd top 40 RPI win tonite vs Vandy. Are they playing their way into NCAA's...

In my highly unbiased opinion, yes, yes they are. Most likely, they will need to go undefeated at home (they're 16-0 in Bud after tonight's win), snag a road win or two, and win an SEC Tournament game to get a ticket to the dance (I can't believe I just typed that - I've always hated that phrase) but all of those things are real possibilities.

I didn't think an NCAA bid likely before the season, when Marshawn Powell was still healthy. That Arkansas is having this kind of season without him is impressive and fun as hell to watch.

As for tonight's contest, it was another big game for Rickey Scott, who led the team with 18 points and also grabbed five rebounds. The gritty Julysses Nobles added 17 points The evening even brought the first game appearance of backup Razorback quarterback Brandon Mitchell.

Before we all go back to obsessing about the soon-to-be-announced college choice of a certain Springfield, Mo., wide receiver, chime in with your thoughts about tonight's game and the Hogs' NCAA chances.

WPS!

He didn't play in many games or score many points, but few players have captured the hearts of Razorback fans like Eugene Nash did. During his time as a walk-on for Eddie Sutton's squads of the late 70s and early 80s, the waning moments of blowout wins featured a soundtrack of booming crowd chants of "Eu-GENE! Eu-GENE!" When Sutton would put Nash in, the crowd would go nuts. His thunderous dunk against Southwest Missouri State (pictured above) is a moment that will never be forgotten by those who saw it; the feat so thrilled fans that someone began producing "Eugene, Eugene, The Dunking Machine" t-shirts.

In this edition of the Hog Call Podcast, we talk with Eugene about his Razorback career. Site historians may recall that we published a two-part Q&A with Nash four years ago (here's part 1 and part 2) but we thought you'd enjoy a chance to hear his tale in his voice.

During the course of the show, Eugene discusses how he became a walk-on, which Razorback did a dead-on impersonation of Coach Sutton, the most exciting victory of his Arkansas career and which Barry Manilow song makes him think about his stint as a Hog. Many thanks to Eugene for his time.

To hear all of these entertaining yarns and more, hit the play button on the widget below (note: the audio is a little choppy in parts. We apologize.). Download the episode and subscribe to the podcast by visiting TalkShoe or iTunes.

I'm visiting family in Charlotte today and, except for a few peeks at the Yahoo! in-game box score, I didn't follow the game. Looks like a close one. I'm very interested to hear from those who saw it. I think the Hogs are really close to breaking through on the road.

And one other note before I rejoin the family reunion: Rickey Scott and Mardracus Wade are good. With the hoopla surrounding this year's freshman class, it was easy to forget about those two, but they have both improved by leaps and bounds. Looks like they both had good afternoons. They will be important parts of this team's success in the games and seasons ahead.

It stood to reason that after Saturday's emotionally draining win over ranked Michigan, these young Hogs would suffer a bit of a letdown. But, man, that first half was some letdown - the Hogs shot just 4 of 27 from the field before intermission. The eyesore that was the first 20 minutes prompted these two tweets, the first from Wally Hall and the second from Hawgs Illustrated (presumably written by Dudley Dawson):

That may have been the ugliest half of basketball in the history of Bud Walton Arena. Hogs shooting 14.8 percent from floor.

Over my 30 years covering Arkansas hoops, I have seen some really bad halves of basketball. This tops them all for both teams.

Fortunately, the Razorbacks were a good deal better in the second half (they shot 56 percent from the field in that time) but they never could put Auburn away, and the Tigers missed a last-second shot that would have sent the game into overtime.

B.J. Young led the way with 11 points (included in that total was a vicious dunk that he threw down with 20 seconds to play), and Rickey Scott (8 points) and Rashad Madden (10 points) had some big baskets in the second half. Not the easiest game to watch, but I'm not going to make too much of it. These guys are young, and they're undermanned: nights like this are going to happen. But they're also talented, and they're tough-minded: we've got some fun games ahead of us as well.

Let's get ready for the Crimson Tide.

Back by neither popular nor critical demand, it's another edition of our Hog Call Podcast. This episode features an interview with Blake Eddins, who played basketball for the Razorbacks from 1999 to 2003. His career in Fayetteville spanned the last three seasons of Nolan Richardson's tenure and the first year of Stan Heath's.

Blake discusses yesterday's nail-biting win over Michigan, compares and contrasts Mike Anderson and Nolan Richardson, and discusses his Razorback career with great humor and insight. He talks about the most exhilarating wins and most depressing losses, details how the drug arrest of an AAU player put in motion the events that led to him signing with the Hogs, and recaps Richardson's final days as Arkansas' coach. Oh - and he also explains why his freshman year media guide says he "gives a good massage."

To hear all of these entertaining yarns and much, much more, hit the play button on the widget below. Download the episode and subscribe to the podcast by visiting TalkShoe or iTunes.

Many thanks to Blake for his time (and, btw, you can follow him on Twitter by clicking here).

Game highlights:

Post-game press conferences and The Four Factors breakdown of the game after the jump.

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Whew!

A game that produced pure joy in the first half was something close to pure agony down the stretch, as the Razorbacks' offense came to a halt - they scored only 20 points after halftime - and the Wolverines kept chipping away until they were down by only two and had the ball for the final shot. I'd be lying if I said my life didn't flash before my eyes when Trey Burke fired his last-second three-point attempt: it looked good when it left his hands and went as far down the hoop as it could without falling all the way through.

Still, I'm not going to let the ugliness of the second half spoil my afternoon too much: This was a big, big win for a young and undermanned Arkansas squad (one that may be even more undermanned after Marvell Waithe's apparently serious injury). Michigan is a fine team, and Hog fans shouldn't be surprised that the Wolverines mounted a nerve-frying comeback.

On another note, it was great to see Bud Walton rocking again. Indeed, with Nolan Richardson in the building, the Hogs scoring in bunches in the first half and Bill Rafferty thoroughly getting on my nerves, I sometimes felt as if I had traveled back to 1994 or 1995. I think many more fun afternoons of Razorback basketball are on the horizon.