The Hog Blogger asks us if we’re excited. Well, um, yeah. Like we haven’t been since wa-a-a-a-y back, before Stan. Before the bad Latter-Day Years of Nolan. Say, 1995.

And why should we be excited?

* National Recognition. Seems like there’s a few folks out there taking notice. Dan Shanoff, writing on the Sporting News Blog, had this to say: “If you had to pick an early-season Coach of the Year, why not John Pelphrey? He lost his top five scorers from a year ago, and his team is even better — no team in college hoops this season has notched a more impressive pair of wins.”

And Andy Katz, over at ESPN, who normally doesn’t much care for things Hoggish, had this to say: “No team in the Big 12 this season may do what Arkansas just did: beat Oklahoma and Texas.”

Gary Parrish, at CBS, says the Hogs are the biggest surprise of the season and has us solidly in the field for the NCAA Tournament: “The Razorbacks are starting a freshman backcourt (Courtney Fortson and Rotnei Clarke), getting major minutes from a former football player (Marcus Monk) and riding a big man who averaged just 4.3 points per game last season (Michael Washington). And it’s working.”

* Whoa. We’re Dancing Already? Okay, I am usually the voice of caution and pessimism or even downright nasty gloom. But let’s do a little projecting here. The Hogs stand 12-1. Even before these two victories, I had seen enough to think the Hogs could go 6-10. For the sake of argument, let’s assume they do no better. That’s still 18-11 and solidly on the bubble.

After we beat Oklahoma (but before we beat Texas), I think a prediction of 8-8 in SEC play would have been warranted. That’s 20-9, and almost surely in. And really, after these two games, allowing yourself to think the Hogs can hold serve at home and sneak a couple on the road is not totally out of line. Say 10-6. That probably wins the SEC West or is no worse than second, and works out to a stunning 22-7. That’s working for seeding, there.

(Read on …)

of a Razorback team.

What a game - I still can’t quite believe that we won it, especially after Fortson and Washington had to miss so much of the first half with foul trouble. But those two came up huge in the second half.

This is surely the biggest regular-season win since … since … well, I’m not sure - I’m too excited to think clearly right now. In any event, it’s the biggest one in a very long time. And this is the toughest Razorback team in a long time. Pelphrey is doing an amazing job with them - they play exactly as he did.

More thoughts to come later. In the meantime, the floor is open for your comments (and be sure to check out J. Hawg 3’s post-game post for more post-game euphoria). We’d love to hear your observations on this very special night.

Oh, and one thing’s for sure - I’ll have to revamp my list of my favorite wins over Texas.

Woo Pig Sooie!

67-61. Texas goes home. I am breathless. My voice is shot. And I wasn’t even in the building; just watched on TV. This is as tough a team as I can remember. Not anywhere near the most talented. But very long on heart and guts. I will leave it to others to talk about Courtney’s guts in pulling it back together after foul trouble. I want to give props to Stefan Welsh, whom I maligned ten days ago. He played lock down D on A. J. Abrams all night, shadowing him all over the court, fighting through screen after screen; and handled the point admirably when Fortson was forced to sit. A fantastic effort. This team gives us much to like. Bravo, gentlemen.

Believe it or not, the North Texas game wasn’t televised in California. So, I asked my dad - Little Rock resident, Razorback fan and former freshman sensation on the Vanderbilt University basketball team - to share his observations from having attended the tussle at Alltel. Here’s his report:

In their first game since the season-changing victory over 4th-ranked Oklahoma, the Hogs took on North Texas at Alltel Arena in Little Rock. This site has not seen stellar play by the Hogs of late, as they lost at Alltel last year to Appalachian State and to Bobby Knight’s Texas Tech Red Raiders the year before.

Fans outside were holding up fingers looking for tickets as we entered, and the inside of the arena was packed to the hilt. The Hogs seemed cocky as the game got underway and they jumped out to an early 9-3 lead, but North Texas was calm and ran their patterns with patience. They always seemed to get open looks for their shots, most of which they hit. They were small, but athletic and disciplined.

Meanwhile, the Razorbacks looked sloppy and were forcing shots on offense, missing most of them. After playing all-world in the Oklahoma game, Courtney Fortson turned the ball over several times and missed all but one of his patented spinning off-balance shots in the paint in the first half. North Texas scored 15 unanswered points during this stretch to take a 35-27 lead, much to the dismay of the fans.

Coach Pelphrey and crew then turned up the defensive intensity a full notch with half-court traps and full-court pressing and, by halftime, the Hogs were only down 42-40. THE MAN for the Hogs in this half was Michael Washington, who had 20 points, many boards and was hitting his charity stripe shots.

In the second half, things remained tight for awhile as the game progressed to 53-53 but then the Hogs caught on fire and the place became bedlam as the Razorbacks went on a run to take a 16 point lead. Again, Washington was the finisher and had scored 30 points just eight minutes into the second half. Fortson settled down and his assists were flowing along with several incredible double-pumping drives for scores.

The play of the game: Courtney drove into the paint and spun 90 degrees in the air to his right. While looking at two Razorbacks on the right whom everyone thought one would receive the pass, he blindly flipped the ball backward over his shoulder to Washington on the left who delivered a thunderous jam. The house came down and the decibel level was as wild as during the Hogs’ heyday.

We coasted from there to the victory. Courtney missed a lot of free throws in this game….we’ll need those in games down the line when the competition gets bigger and tougher, especially since he’s the man who’ll be handling the ball. Stefan Welsh continued his accurate marksmanship from 3-point land and from the free throw line as well. Rotnei Clarke hit some nice treys and played hardnosed hustling ball. Marcus Monk’s output wasn’t as amazing today as in the Oklahoma game but he was solid and continues to hit his free throws. Michael Sanchez had a quiet game, getting outrebounded by the smaller but quicker opposition.

All in all, the Hogs are improving and doing way better than most of us thought they would at this stage. They’re playing hard, tough and scrappy (though not always smart). Hog hoops is on the rise again!

Allow me to begin with a disclaimer.

First, I am a heterosexual male.

Second, I’m very loose with superlatives.

That said, I would court, marry, and bear the children of Courtney Fortson if he would allow it.

However, at the risk of raining on everyone’s parade, I couldn’t help but dwell on two unfortunate truths in the surreal hours that followed the Hogs’ biggest win since Nolan’s departure. (Read on …)

Yesterday my esteemed Razorback Expats colleague J. Hawg 3 wrote an impassioned post about why this year’s Arkansas basketball team simply isn’t that good. They haven’t done anything yet, he argued, so don’t get excited.

It’s quite possible that he’s right, but I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t feel the same way. In fact, although I agree they haven’t done much yet I feel like there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the state of the hoops team. So, in the spirit of a lively and vigorous debate, here are my observations from the game against Northwestern State:

* First, the obvious: Courtney Fortson is the real deal. More than that, actually. As John Pelphrey himself said, he’s special. He’s on a path to be one of the Razorback all-timers, and I don’t think I’m premature in saying that. Savor every game, because you’ll miss him when he’s gone.

* Another note about Fortson: the kid is a born leader. He has presence. You can tell from the way he commands both the action and his teammates on the court. He probably popped out of his mom’s womb and started barking out plays to the hospital staff. We haven’t had a floor general like this on the team since Corey Beck (sorry Kareem).

* Even though Rotnei Clarke’s shot was off against Northwestern State, I liked his style. To be honest, I was sort of expecting a generically stiff white guy 3-point ace, but he has some flair to his game….he had a nice Iversonesque pass off the high dribble in the first half, and his (thwarted) alley-oop to Forston was impressively audacious.

* J. Hawg accused Stefan Welsh of being a ball hog, but the guy (Stefan, not J. Hawg) hit 6 of 8 threes. He was obviously feeling it, so I don’t see much room for complaint there. (And yes, I realize that 75% 3-point shooting probably won’t be the norm for Welsh, but let’s at least savor the moment.)

* I actually kind of agree with J. Hawg about Michael Washington…it was embarrassing how many times he got his shot blocked in the first half. But, he’s had plenty of big games already this season so I’ll be charitable and chalk it up to holiday rust. Still, he’ll need to get meaner for the Hogs to succeed in SEC play.

* More than any one player or single play, though, I was impressed with the Razorbacks’ energy. Yeah, they were playing a crappy team but that doesn’t matter…they brought it. They brought it from opening tip through the end of a blowout and that’s not something to take lightly. How many times did a player from the previous era say something like “I guess they just wanted it more than we did” after yet another frustrating conference loss? Even when this team loses I doubt you’ll be hearing that quote again. (Give credit to Pelphrey and, perhaps even more so, Fortson for that.)

* Bottom line for me is that this team is fun. They’re scrappy and spunky. They’re too young to know they’re not actually that great. They’re not going to win every game, and they may even lose a lot of games, but they’ll always play hard and they’ll always try for the ballsy alley-oops. No matter what their final record is (and I suspect it will be better than the preseason prognostications), this is a team I’ll enjoy rooting for.

Somewhere during the Hogs’ blowout of Northwestern State on Saturday, my mom, Mrs. McHawg, called me. I didn’t get the call because I was attending a Razorback Expats staff meeting at the Oyster Bar. The message she left was “If you don’t like the Hogs in this game you aren’t ever gonna like them.”

I know it’s not polite to disagree with one’s momma, but I didn’t much like the way the Hogs looked. And Stephen and KevinHog, over fried catfish and fried oysters and fried okra and fried onion rings and fried fries, were trying to be upbeat. Stephen thinks these Hogs will be “exciting.” KevinHog, who did not appear to be smoking crack, opined that he thought the Hogs would split the Big 12 mini-tour of Oklahoma and Texas.

Harrumph. Me and Whit E. Knight spent the game grumbling. About what, you say? We beat them by forty! Our press had them handing us the ball! Courtney Fortson passes behind his back! Stephan Welsh scored 27!!

A little perspective, folks. So far, these Hogs have proven that they are contenders . . . in the Southland Conference. And here’s what I saw Saturday:

(Read on …)

When I wrote last night’s post, I only had access to the preliminary box score on Yahoo, which didn’t include assists and rebounds. Therefore, I didn’t realize that Courtney Fortson had notched a triple-double - the first Razorback to do so since Alvin Robertson against Texas in 1984 (that’s hard to believe).

20 points. 10 rebounds (four of the offensive variety). And 11 assists.

As a team, the Hogs had 26 turnovers compared to 23 assists - not a great ratio, to say the least. But Fortson’s turnover/assist ratio was respectable, as he turned the ball over four times.

The kid is a special player. I’m glad he’s on our team.

Here now is part 2 of our basketball Q&A with ArkansasSports360.com reporter Chris Bahn (click here for part 1 and here for Chris’s recent cover story on this year’s team). Many thanks to Chris for his time. If reading ArkansasSports360.com isn’t a part of your daily routine, it needs to be. Now, on with the show:

What’s your prediction for how the Hogs will do this year?

Sixth in the West seems low to me. Arkansas plays in a down division, seems to have some talent and I like Pelphrey. I’m going to say 16-13 at the end of the regular season with a good shot at making the NIT.

Even if they stink, I feel confident they’ll be more exciting to watch than they have been in past years. There were times Stan Heath’s teams won and it felt like a loss. I could see this team losing and it feel like a victory … if that makes sense.

What’s the latest on the possibility of Marcus Monk joining the team this season? Do you think he could be a significant contributor?

It looks like Monk could be with the team in time for its Dec. 10 game against North Carolina Central. I have no idea what Monk will be able to contribute statistically. I do know he’s a smart kid with a short learning curve; so it shouldn’t take him long to understand Pelphrey’s system. He’s also a tremendous leader and a guy that the players will listen to (at least that was the case with football). Arkansas has no seniors on this team, so a guy like Monk who understands hard work, etc. should benefit a bunch of young guys trying to find their way. He’ll be an example-setter, which is something this team probably needs.

Has anyone emerged as a locker-room leader on the team? If not, who’s the most likely to do so at some point this year?

By virtue of their status as the oldest members of the team Michael Washington and Stefan Welsh are the first names that come to mind. Both did some things in the off-season that would suggest they’re at least attempting to embrace that role. Washington packed on a ton of muscle and improved his conditioning. Welsh stuck around Fayetteville instead of going home to Virginia. Both hosted get-togethers for teammates and organized pick-up games in an effort to earn trust and respect. And they’re saying and doing all the right things so far.

From what I’m told, there’s a good chance Fortson will be the emotional leader of the team, filling the void left by Patrick Beverley. He might not always make the best decisions — on or off the court — but he’ll be the guy to get in teammates’ faces to challenge them. He’ll not be intimidated on the court, which should rub off on his teammates, hopefully for the better.

With the arrival of the hoops season upon us, we decided it was time to chat about this year’s Razorback team with Chris Bahn, ArkansasSports360.com’s outstanding Hog beat reporter. Bahn covers both the football and basketball teams, and his work is an essential part of our daily sports reading. In the first installment of a two-part Q&A, Bahn discusses John Pelphrey’s performance last season, the dynamic freshmen duo of Courtney Fortson and Rotnei Clarke, and the likelihood of Michael Washington enjoying a breakout season. Many thanks to Chris for his time (and be sure to check out his recent cover story on this year’s team).

What’s your opinion of the job John Pelphrey did in his first year as coach of the Hogs? How does he compare to other Razorback coaches in this stage of their tenures?

It seemed like Pelphrey did a nice job, at least from my vantage point. He inherited a bunch of underachievers and guided them to a second round NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in about a decade. Pelphrey generally seemed to know what buttons to press with that group and, unlike Stan Heath’s tenure with the same players, you rarely heard them say the other team “wanted it more” when they lost. That alone was worth a contract extension for Pelphrey.

And Pelphrey had the best debut season of any coach in Arkansas history. That’s saying something considering this program includes two Hall of Famers like Eddie Sutton and Nolan Richardson. That doesn’t guarantee Pelphrey will have Sutton or Richardson-type success, but you have to appreciate how he started his tenure.

There’s been a lot of hype around Courtney Fortson and Rotnei Clarke. What kind of seasons should we expect from them? Have any other newcomers caught your eye?

Freshmen tend to be pretty unpredictable, but I would be shocked in Fortson and Clarke didn’t appear in a lot of headlines and story leads this year. Individually, they are solid players and together they have great chemistry. Watching Fortson drive the lane, draw in a defense and then dish out to Clarke for a wide-open three-pointer is a thing of beauty. They’ll have their share of mistakes, but I like Arkansas’ future with those two guys in the backcourt.

I’m going to have to reserve judgment on the rest of the newcomers, but I’ll mention Montrell McDonald here just so I can say I did if he has a good year.

True or false: Michael Washington will enjoy a breakout season in 2008-09.

True.

Remember the past two seasons when Washington looked out of shape and winded after about six minutes? That’s not going to happen this year. He’s completely transformed his body and seems to have the endurance to complement his natural athletic and basketball ability.

Based on what you’ve seen to this point, what are the strengths and weaknesses of this year’s squad? What Razorback team of the past would you say they most resemble? (Note: we’re hoping you say 1992-93.)

Well, just off the top of my head, I’d point to the 1996 team that included a quick, tough freshman point guard (Kareem Reid/Courtney Fortson) and a sweet-shooting freshman on the wing (Pat Bradley/Rotnei Clarke) with an underappreciated junior post presence inside (Darnell Robinson/Michael Washington). Arkansas was 20-13 with a NCAA Tournament appearance in 1995-96. A year later they went 18-14 with a NIT Final Four trip. I don’t know if this group will pull off that kind of success this year, but the key pieces remind me a little bit of the ones on those teams.