We’re always suckers here for a good limerick here at Razorback Expats, so we found this 3rd Sunday in Blogtober post pretty amusing. Check it out.

A few short hours ago, the Hogs were still perched precariously on the NCAA tournament bubble, thanks to their rather lackluster stretch of games in late February. But, thanks to a very strong 81-75 victory over #17 Vanderbilt, Arkansas solidified its Big Dance credentials beyond any doubt. (They also continued one of their odder runs in recent memory…despite the very up & down quality of this team, they’ve now beaten the Commodores eight out of the last nine games.)

The defining quality of the Razorbacks this year has been their extremely schizophrenic nature, so it was a happy sight to see the Good Hogs show up for this game. In particular, props are due to Gary Ervin, who hit several big late game baskets en route to 18 total points.

At this point, the Hogs are playing for a better seed, and with Tennessee coming up there’s an opportunity for a big win to impress the selection committee (and the opposite, of course, but I’m feeling optimistic at the moment). If the Good Hogs show up again, who knows…anything is possible.

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.

Many football curmudgeons that we know like to bitch and moan about the instant grades and rankings that are published in the wake of National Signing Day. Not us. Oh,  we agree that such analysis really isn’t, in the end, worth that much. But … we still find reading such reports to be a whole lot of fun, particularly, when it concerns a certain new Hog coach’s first haul.

Here’s a quick scan of what the experts think:

* ESPN.com ranked Arkansas’ recruiting class the 18th-best in the country (and behind those of conference rivals Alabama, Florida, Georgia and LSU). As for a letter grade, it gave the Hogs a “B.” The site’s summary of the Hogs’ class (which was actually written by Scouts Inc. staffers) begins, “Love him or hate him, Bobby Petrino is back in college football, and from an offensive standpoint, particularly in the passing game, this is the best thing that could have happened for Arkansas fans …”

* Rivals.com isn’t as high on the Hogs: The Razorbacks are nowhere to be found in the site’s ranking of the Top 25 recruiting classes, and the site lists Arkansas’ recruits ninth among the 12 SEC classes.

* Scout.com has Arkansas’ class ranked at No. 23 in the country.

* And, finally, Tom Dienhart of The Sporting News says the Hogs’ class is the eighth-best in the SEC.

If there’s one thing the above lists agree on, it’s this: Looks like Alabama’s days of 6-6 regular-season records and losses to Louisana-Monroe may be over. That, my friends, is a real tragedy.

It’s the first day of February, and if my series of complex mathematical equations is correct, March is the next month on the calendar. That means it’s time to start obsessing and fretting about the Razorbacks’ chances of making the NCAA Tournament (it is against official Expat policy to refer to the tourney as “The Big Dance”).

So, if the tournament were to start today, would the Hogs be in it? Yes … but barely, according to ESPN’s Bracketology page. Specifically, they would be a 12th seed in the West Region and would face 5th-seeded Pittsburgh in the first round. According to the page, Arkansas would be one of the last four teams to receive an at-large bid. (Sounds like a carbon copy of last year doesn’t it?) Overall, the SEC would receive six bids; Tennessee, Ole Miss, Vandy, Mississippi State and Florida also would make it.

The Hogs have 10 regular-season games left, but five of those are on the road. We’d all love for the Razorbacks to get hot and make a return trip to the NCAAs more of a sure thing (and the last two games have encouraged me to perform some pre-bandwagon-jumping stretching exercises). However, the realist in me says that the Hogs will still be firmly on the bubble when Selection Sunday rolls around.

If we did, maybe it would have been the Hogs rolling over inferior competition en route to a gaudy regular season record and a spot in the mythical national title game (where, it still being a bowl game, we would have been destroyed…naturally). But, the Hogs don’t play in the Big 10 so instead it was Ohio State out there getting its butt kicked by LSU.

Our sincere congratulations go to LSU. They’re obviously a very tough team, and it’s nice to see an SEC school holding that championship trophy. And from a Razorback perspective, the best part about the game is that we can forever remind the Tigers that, despite their lofty poll status, our team proved itself superior when we met head-to-head on the field (here’s some priceless evidence).

So LSU fans, enjoy your big win and all the glory that it provides. But before you get too cocky, remember this moment:

Razorback fans should be feeling pretty appreciative towards LSU coach Les Miles today. First, he led his team to a win over Tennessee in the SEC championship game, thus giving the Hogs a good shot at the Cotton Bowl. Second, he (apparently) has committed to coming back to the Tigers next year (instead of going to Michigan, as was commonly assumed), meaning there’s one less job opening to compete with ours. I’m sure that’s weighing on Tommy Tuberville’s mind tonight.

And on a personal note, I’m glad he’s staying. The SEC is certainly a much more interesting place with Les and his crazy antics around.

If you’re a Razorback blogger, it doesn’t get much more fun than wildly speculating on possible football coaches. Although other sites, particularly the Hog Blogger, are all over this topic more than we could ever hope to be, we just couldn’t stay out of the fray. So, with no regard whatsover to truth, accuracy or anything resembling journalistic standards, here’s our quick (and probably completely incorrect) breakdown of the current candidates (or “candidates”).

The Untouchables:
* Jimmy Johnson - Unless Jimmy can run practices from the Caribbean while sunning himself on the deck of his boat, there is absolutely no possible way this is happening. Still, I keep mentioning his name because it’s a fun rumor to stoke.

* Butch Davis - Nope. To be honest, I’m very fine with that. I never quite saw the appeal of a guy who, over his last five seasons of coaching, went 3-8 with North Carolina and 24-33 with Cleveland. I know some people were seduced by the ‘name’, but I say we dodged an expensive bullet here.

* Tommy Tuberville - Just when it looked like it was time to cross him off this list, his name comes back in play. Maybe. Personally, I think it would be pretty sweet if he wound up with the Hogs but I’m not getting my hopes up…the smart money says he’s angling for a raise and an extension at Auburn.

Head Coaches Maybe Looking to Make a Move:
* Lane Kiffin - When I first read about this one, my natural reaction was to scoff and think “no f’ing way!” But, rumors keep popping up, so who knows. I live in Oakland, and although I barely follow the Raiders, my impressions of him have been positive (despite the Butch Davis-esque 3-8 record). The San Francisco Chronicle had a brief report about the rumor today…also, for a fun read, check out this thread on some Raiders message board about the possibility.

* Mike Leach - Well, the guy certainly knows offense. Ironically, if he winds up with the job fans might be complaining in a few years that we don’t run the ball enough. If you have some time on your hands, check out this very interesting and in-depth profile of Leach and his “thinking man’s” approach to football from the New York Times magazine, written by acclaimed “Moneyball” author Michael Lewis (it’s a couple of years old).

* Chris Peterson - Frankly, I don’t know much about him other than that Boise State pulled out some crazy plays to upset Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl last year.

* Brian Kelly - I know even less about him, sorry. Hopefully you’re not relying on Razorback Expats to be your sole source of news about the Hogs.

Up & Coming Assistants:
* Bo Pelini - Word is that he’s a better fit for Nebraska. Personally, I can’t get that excited about a guy who allowed the Hogs to roll through his defense for 50 points last week. I mean, I know we have a good running game and all, but come on! That’s not much of an audition. Speaking of good auditions, though, what about this next guy…

* Will Muschamp - His Auburn defense shut down the Hogs more than any other team I’ve seen in the last couple of years. Assuming Tuberville passes, I think we should give him a long look. If he does roll into Fayetteville for an interview, though, let’s hope for his sake that he looks a little less shell-shocked than he does in this video (starting at the 1:10 mark).

* Brent Venables - Again, I have to plead ignorance here (a common theme). The Hog Blogger likes him, so that counts for something.

* Gus Malzahn - Hmmm. Where have I heard this guy’s name before? It definitely rings a bell, but I just can’t place it…

Included for Humor’s Sake Only:
* Coach O - Come on, it’d be fun! An old-fashioned coaching swap between us and Ole Miss. If nothing else, we would wind up with some awesome YouTube videos out of the deal.