I think we can all agree that it’s time for a break from the current unpleasantness of Razorback basketball, so with that in mind let’s discuss a more appealing subject: which ex-Hogs should have their numbers retired and jerseys hung from the rafters at Bud Walton? (This topic comes directly from Arkansas Sports 360, which has a good article asking why Arkansas doesn’t retire basketball numbers, so definitely check that out for your background research.)

As a starting point, here’s a very hastily put-together and poorly researched list of possible candidates…feel free to pick it apart and/or suggest your own version in the comments section.

In rough chronological order:

Sidney Moncrief
Ron Brewer
Marvin Delph
Darrell Walker
Alvin Robertson
Joe Kleine
Eddie Sutton
Todd Day
Lee Mayberry
Corliss Williamson
Scotty Thurman
Corey Beck
Nolan Richardson

This doesn’t include the larger-than-lifesize statue of Dwight Stewart that we’re recommending be placed outside the entrance of Bud Walton. That one is such a no-brainer it’s almost not worth mentioning here.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts…

It sure looks like the Hogs have.

The game wasn’t broadcast here in Atlanta. Can’t say that I’m unhappy about it.

Take a look at those shooting percentages (particularly the one from three-point range): downright ghastly.

Good news: Our next game is at home. Bad news: It’s against No. 18 Vanderbilt, which pulled out a slightly impressive victory last night.

Feel free to vent in the comments section.

Awhile back, it dawned on us here at RazorbackExpats.com that the Razorback basketball program has a very special anniversary coming up this spring. Thirty years ago this March, Eddie Sutton led the Hogs to the Final Four, marking the school’s first modern-era appearance in college basketball’s showcase event. Whit E. Knight, one of our favorite commenters and an occasional contributor, will commemorate this seminal event with a three-part series that will run on Wednesdays. In this first installment, he describes how Sutton and the Hogs set the stage for their magical ‘78 season. Many thanks, Whit. Take it away:

The fall of 1977 was a time for anticipation. I had just started my dream job as a copy editor at the Arkansas Gazette, the future Mrs. Whit E. Knight was entering her senior year of the University of Arkansas, the Expats were looking forward to their last year of freedom before kindergarten, and the growing number of fans of the Arkansas Razorback basketball team were entertaining dreams of back-to-back Southwest Conference titles and a return to the NCAA tournament.

I have been a basketball fan for as long as I can remember and a Razorback basketball fan since the mid-1960s. My all-time favorite team remains Eddie Sutton’s Final Four squad of 1977-78, which set the stage for the success of the program that culminated in the 1994 national championship. It seems like yesterday, not 30 years ago, that that team left its mark on the state’s psyche.

For starters, that group had the closest identification with the state of any of the successful Razorback teams of the last 30-plus years. Its three best players — Ron Brewer of Fort Smith Northside, Marvin Delph of Conway and Sidney Moncrief of Little Rock Hall — were Arkansans. I saw all three of them play high school basketball. Jimmy Counce, the 6-7 defensive stopper, was from Memphis White Station, just across the Mississippi River from Arkansas. Steve Schall, the skinny 6-10 center, was from Raytown, Mo., just up U.S. Highway 71 (OK, 233 miles) from Fayetteville. All five of them settled in Arkansas after their playing days were over. In addition, four of the bench players were storied high school stars from Arkansas: U.S. Reed of Pine Bluff, Chris Bennett of Little Rock Catholic, James “Rocket” Crockett of Helena and Houston Dale Nutt — yes that Houston Dale Nutt — of Little Rock Central.

Brewer, Delph and Moncrief were incredibly gifted players who could have started for any other college basketball team in the country and for all three of them to be on the same squad made this a special group.

It wasn’t like Arkansas fans were unfamiliar with winning basketball — it just had been too long since they had last seen it. The University of Arkansas began playing basketball in 1924, won the Southwest Conference championship five straight times to finish out the 1920s, and continued to rack up titles through the ‘30s and the ‘40s. The 1936 Razorbacks reached the semi-finals of the tournament to select the U.S. Olympics representatives, and Arkansas made it to the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament in 1941 and 1945. But starting in the ‘50s — except for 1958, when they lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to an Oklahoma A&M team that featured Sutton as a high-scoring guard — success eluded the program as Arkansas continually finished among the also-rans in the SWC.

After the 1973-74 Hogs won only 10 games, newly named athletic director Frank Broyles decided it was time to make a commitment to basketball. He turned things around by hiring Sutton from Creighton University, where he had just led the Bluejays to a 23-7 record and a berth in the NCAA tournament. Sutton immediately showed his eye for talent by hiring future Purdue head coach Gene Keady as an assistant and retaining Pat Foster, also a future head coach, from the previous coaching regime.

With his coaching staff set, Sutton’s next task was to halt the exodus of talented black basketball players leaving the state for other colleges.

(Read on …)

With Selection Sunday just around the corner, it’s time to see what kind of shape the Hogs are in for March Madness. “Where We Stand” will run every Monday and is designed to you a quick look at where the Hogs may fit into the postseason picture. Without further ado:

RPI (Ratings Percentage Index): 35

Current Streak: One-game losing streak

Record over last five games: 2-3

Record over last 10 games: 5-5

USA Today/ESPN Top 25: Not ranked

AP Top 25: Not ranked

ESPN’s Bracketology’s Feb. 25 NCAA Tournament Projection: No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region, slated to take on No. 8 seed Oklahoma in a first-round match-up in Raleigh, N.C.

CNN/SI.com’s Feb. 25 NCAA Tournament Projection: No. 10 seed in the South Region, slated to take on No. 7 seed Kansas State in the first round.

The NFL Draft Combine (also known as the annual opportunity for GM’s to let 40-yd dash times and bench press amounts overrule evidence from, you know, real football games) was held over the weekend, and D-Mac fans will be pleased (but not surprised) to know that he did very, very well.

Here’s an excerpt from what ESPN’s Todd McShay had to say:
“Arkansas RB Darren McFadden made a statement with his sensational combine workout on Sunday. McFadden officially ran his first 40-yard dash — the faster of his two attempts — in 4.33 seconds. In addition, he jumped 10 feet, 8 inches in the broad jump and 33 inches in the vertical leap. Comparatively speaking, McFadden’s overall workout was stronger than Adrian Peterson’s a year ago, which included 40 time of 4.41, a 10-7 broad jump and a 38.5-inch vertical.”

And here’s a report from SI.com’s Don Banks:
“Arkansas running back Darren McFadden had a superb Sunday and did nothing but strengthen his case for being the premier prospect in the 2008 draft. He did far more than just run well, although his 4.33 time in the 40-yard dash was eye-opening enough (early reports had him as quick as 4.27, but those proved too inaccurate).

McFadden competed superbly in all facets of his workout, and showed himself to be a complete package. He wasn’t just a sprinter showing off his great straight line speed on the playing surface of the RCA Dome. He caught the ball well, showed great explosiveness in everything he did, and impressed scouts with his enthusiasm and approach to his work.

While McFadden still may not go in the draft’s top three due to the needs of the team picking up high, he showed himself to be an elite athlete who like Peterson last year may linger on the board longer than he deserves to.”

But, as the San Francisco Chronicle’s Nancy Gay reminds us, there are some “character questions” surrounding #5:
“The two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up was asked about his off-field activities, among them a broken toe following a fight outside a piano bar in downtown Little Rock, Ark., in July 2006. McFadden was handcuffed briefly following that incident.‘I know I put myself in a bad situation I shouldn’t have been in,” said McFadden, another player in whom the Raiders have shown interest with their No. 4 overall pick, “and I take full responsibility for it.’“

Overall, though, it was a great (and money-making) weekend for D-Mac. Seems like, contrary to some earlier reports, he just might be able to cut it in the NFL after all.

It’s been too long since we’ve heard from one of our favorite commenters, Tab Prewett, who provided heroic work with his pre- and post-game analysis for the LSU football game and the Cotton Bowl, which can be found here, here, here and here. Below, Tab gives us his thoughts on the basketball team, from both before and after Wednesday’s victory over LSU.

Feb. 20, 2008 - Tonight we play LSU, but I have no enthusiasm. Why? It’s February, and the gray skies linger, and March Madness is several weeks away. And the Razorbacks have lost two in a row.

Honestly, I have little faith in this basketball team. Visions of championship banners are immediately blackened by noncompetitive losses. I still see Hill unable to score, Beverley in the midst of a sophomore slump, Thomas trying to recover from his suspension and Pelphrey in need of guards to press more. Road games loom as insurmountable obstacles.

Yes, this basketball team can be dominating, exciting and inspiring. Then within 10minutes, they will play uninspired and insipid basketball, putting to sleep the most rabid Razorback homer.

(Read on …)

Following up from our Q&A post yesterday, Kentucky blogger Truzenzuzex has put together a really excellent statistical breakdown of how the Hogs and Wildcats stack up. He also offers a much better analysis of the matchups and how the game might go than you’ll read in most newspapers (Wally, we’re looking at you), so if you’re jonesing for some meaty pregame info, both links are definitely something to check out.

When it comes to college basketball, it’s hard to find a school with more tradition and fan intensity (ask Tubby Smith) than Kentucky. With the annual Hogs-Wildcats battle looming, we figured this was a good time to check in with one of our favorite SEC bloggers, Truzenzuzex from A Sea of Blue. He was kind enough to give us his informative and entertaining thoughts on a variety of topics, including the Billy Gillispie hire, the most irritating 90s-era Hog to play against, and why Razorback fans maybe shouldn’t get too used to having John Pelphrey around. And when you’re done reading Tru’s take, head on over to his site to read our answers to his questions about the Hogs. Big thanks to Tru for his time…read on for the full scoop:

1. The Wildcats’ overall record is a very un-Kentucky-like 14-10. However, the team is 8-3 in the conference, has won seven out of its last eight games, and has wins over then-No. 13 Vandy and then-No. 3 Tennessee. Considering all of that, what’s the overall mood of Wildcat fans and what’s your impression of Billy Gillispie so far?

The fanbase, in general, is happy with Gillispie, particularly those who wanted Smith gone so passionately. But I would say that Gillispie has widespread support among the Big Blue Nation, and I am pleased to count myself included. There have been a few missteps and some questionable decision making, but given the difficulty we have had with injuries and the defection of Alex Legion, I think things have gone reasonably well, particularly since the SEC season began and we finally began playing decent basketball. In sum, I would say the State of the Big Blue Nation is satisfied pending future improvement. Essentially, he gets a pass for this season. The radicals can always blame Tubby Smith.

2. Give us a quick scouting report of UK: What are the team’s strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths:

• Shooting — Kentucky is currently second in FG% in the conference, and second in 3-point FG%, and 3rd in eFG%
• Defense — Kentucky is currently 3rd in the league in defensive FG% and 2-point defensive FG%.
• Blocks — UK is currently 5th in blocks/game.

Weaknesses:

• Ballhandling — 10th in TO’s, 10th in A/TO ratio, and dead last in turnover rate.
• Fouls — we foul way too much.
• Rebounding — We are 10th in rebounds/game, and only 6th in rebound %.

3. What are the keys to a Kentucky win on Saturday, and what is your prediction for the game?

• Turnovers — If UK turns the ball over > 5 times more than Arkansas, we will have trouble
• Patterson — If Patterson catches the ball much in the post, Arkansas will have its hands full.
• Defense — Joe Crawford must do a number on Patrick Beverly, defensively.
• Defensive intensity — When the defensive intensity is high, the Cats are very tough.
• Attack the rim — Kentucky is the best free-throw shooting team in the conference.

Prediction? I think the Cats have a good chance to win if they play well.

4. With John Pelphrey returning to Rupp, Saturday’s game will obviously be a special day for both him and Kentucky fans. Describe what Pelphrey the player was like and give us a sense of what he and the rest of The Unforgettables mean to UK basketball.

(Read on …)

Something tells me that when John Pelphrey was hired as the Arkansas basketball coach last spring, he quickly circled February 23, 2008 on his calendar. That, of course, is the day he leads the Hogs into Rupp Arena, where his own jersey hangs from the rafters to honor his accomplishments as part of the celebrated “Unforgettables”.

Today the Slophouse blog quotes Pelphrey as saying about his alma mater, “I didn’t even notice they were up next,” but I have a feeling that the usual straight-shooting coach isn’t giving us the full truth this time. And who could blame him? Not only does the game have major significance for the Hogs’ postseason hopes, but it will surely be an emotional day for him on a personal level as well.

Here’s hoping that the Hogs produce a similar result to Pelphrey’s other personally significant game this season - their resounding win over his mentor Billy Donovan’s Florida team. At any rate, the Kentucky game is always a big deal but this should be a particularly fun one.

Because Al Qaeda makes the cable programming decisions in the metro Atlanta area, I didn’t get to see tonight’s mauling of the hapless LSU Tigers. But, when Stephen Cox and Levan Patsatsia appear in the box score, you know it was a good evening for the Razorbacks.

I don’t know that there’s much of anything else to say about the game. Coming after two road losses and before two tough road games, this was one the Hogs absolutely had to have. I’m concerned that, given the remaining schedule, Arkansas will play its way out of an NCAA bid. If they had somehow pulled another South Carolina, I would have begun preparing myself for a repeat of the end of the 2005 season.

Those that saw the game, please post your observations in the comments section.