Hogs on the verge of 20 wins
by Beau Wilcox
This edition of Pearls will have scarcely nestled into newstands when the Arkansas Razorbacks try to pull off a minor miracle in the SEC tournament, starting with a game against Vanderbilt Thursday evening.
I'm going to be perfectly clear about this: if the Hogs can manage to win just that opener, thereby hitting the 20-win mark and getting a de facto road win since the tourney is in the Commodores' home city, it will be a successful eastward excursion for Mike Anderson's beleaguered bunch. The Razorbacks have fallen short of the very modest 20-victory mark the past five seasons and this team, love or hate it, has pulled off quite a few high-quality conquests along the way.
If — and it's a massive "if" — Arkansas manages to play a little deeper into the weekend, it's that latter observation that still has a few optimists harboring visions of a rekindling of that 1999-2000 team that went to Atlanta as a 16-15 shipwreck and ended up hoisting a trophy on Sunday. Those many, befuddling moments this spring where Arkansas looked completely uninterested in extending their season may dissipate. Recent home wins against Kentucky and Texas A&M served to remind us that even in deficient performances, these Hogs can exhibit some fire. The 30-point loss to Missouri that was sandwiched in between, of course, showed just what depths this team can reach, too.
Provided that you need an infusion of excitement about this make-or-break stint in Music City, take heed:
• For the first few weeks of the year, newcomers Michael Qualls and Anthlon Bell looked every bit like the three-star prospects they were slotted as, but Anderson saw something in both and the final few weeks of conference play have given them chances to grow. Bell went through a terrible five-game scoreless stretch where he hardly saw the court, then promptly took advantage of increased minutes and scored in double digits three times in the final six games. He's as erratic a shooter as we've seen on the Hill in a while, but when he's on the stroke is pure and the confidence isn't lacking. As for Qualls, the long-armed guard from Shreveport hasn't been much of a scorer, but he's a devil on the boards and on defense and he'll occasionally surprise from the perimeter. If nothing else, Bell and Qualls are taking away minutes from Rickey Scott and Mardracus Wade, which given the regression of both this year has been fortuitous.
• Marshawn Powell is getting a much-needed break. The junior has been in a terrible funk since he posted 24 points in the Feb. 16 win over Missouri, clanging 42 of his 66 field goal attempts over the last six games. Powell's late swoon was probably easy to predict: the 6-7 junior had major knee surgery last year and, from my perspective, was more dangerous than expected over the first three months or so due to his more developed perimeter stroke. He hasn't had the same vibrancy on the court at the end of February so the five-day layoff heading to Nashville may serve him better than others. Expect to see an invigorated guy on Thursday, also due to the fact that he was a foul-plagued no-show when Vandy throttled the Hogs at Memorial Coliseum last month.
• In a season of parity in college basketball, Anderson is still presumably actively selling his team as better than they've been. A team that can manhandle the likes of Florida is, in theory, as good as it wants to be. Yes, the Hogs promptly got pummeled in the trip to Gainesville, but in a sample size of 31 games there are more than a few glimpses of why many think this squad should have at least three or four more wins and a much more secure postseason fate. The Hogs haven't played with desperation often this season, but when they have, the results have borne out the fact that they can compete with or beat any team.
• Leadership is finally manifest. Powell has had to shoulder the veteran role this season despite having to watch from the bench all last year, but he's handled it ably and waited for others to step up. Kikko Haydar's done everything asked of him and then some, and as the season has progressed, Rashad Madden has quietly figured out ways to impact the game without scoring much. Coty Clarke has also found a niche. If nothing else, Anderson is getting a pretty clear idea of where he can invest some dependency next fall.
Prediction: Hogs take down Vandy easily on Thursday, then surprise Kentucky on Friday before succumbing to Mizzou in the semifinals. It'll be the NIT, as projected, but it will feel like a worthy climb from the abyss.
Speaking of...
-
Odds and ends in Hog land
April 11, 2013Nobody is likely to accuse Bret Bielema of being a renaissance man, and maybe that sounds like derision, but it's far from it. Pearls can and does appreciate the modern bravado that he employs, though Jeff Long may ultimately have to yank the reins on his ebullient coach. /more/
-
Dark days in Hog-land
March 21, 2013A week ago, right here, Pearls dipped its toe into the prognostication waters ever so lightly, projecting a couple of modest year-end benchmarks for a Razorback basketball team that was in another swoon. I suggested that the team would take not one, but two games in Nashville, then march into the NIT with heads high. /more/
-
Mike Anderson and the long game
March 7, 2013Whenever this aggravating 2012-13 basketball campaign finally goes into the annals, regardless of the manner in which it concludes, a handful of head-scratching performances will be at the locus of the reflective discussion: Shoulda beaten South Carolina, Vandy, Alabama, etc. In a season of 30 games, give or take a few, the Hogs are most likely NIT-bound instead of NCAA-bound because of about three or four losses that still seem absurd weeks after the fact. /more/
- More »
More by Beau Wilcox
-
Football Hogs in transition mode
There isn't any reason to read tea leaves with searing scrutiny when there's a minor mass exodus of football players after spring practice ends, right?
- May 9, 2013
-
Diamond Hogs search for consistency
Baseball, for all its puffed-up charm as a piece of Americana, is really a pretty fiendish oddity. At the collegiate level, it's especially true.
- Mar 28, 2013
- More »
Latest in Pearls About Swine
-
Football Hogs in transition mode
There isn't any reason to read tea leaves with searing scrutiny when there's a minor mass exodus of football players after spring practice ends, right?
- May 9, 2013
-
Looking ahead after Arkansas Red-White game
Putting suitable stock in a spring scrimmage is difficult, but if Arkansas's annual Red-White game has evidentiary value months from now, there are roughly three areas where the program's new image will be manifest.
- Apr 25, 2013
-
Odds and ends in Hog land
Nobody is likely to accuse Bret Bielema of being a renaissance man, and maybe that sounds like derision, but it's far from it. Pearls can and does appreciate the modern bravado that he employs, though Jeff Long may ultimately have to yank the reins on his ebullient coach.
- Apr 11, 2013
- More »
Event Calendar
-
Re: Mary Gauthier at White Water Tavern
-
on May 23, 2013
Site Index
News
Cover Story / Arkansas Reporter / The Week That Was / Smart Talk / The Insider / The Observer / Editorial / Max Brantley / Ernest Dumas / Gene Lyons / Bob Lancaster / Words / Guest Writer / Letters
Entertainment
A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings
This Week's Cover
Quick Links
Special Publications
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
