Comparing '17-18 Hogs to '14-15 and '16-17 teams ...

[Kevin McPherson]

Each situation is unique, and feel free to examine the nuances and differences of each team, but this is simply an exercise to detail what we already know: CMA's Arkansas teams start slow in SEC play ...

* 2014-15 Hogs (27-9, 13-5 SEC for 2nd place, went 2-1 in SECT while reaching finals, went 1-1 NCAAT, finished season ranked Top 20) ... started 2-2 in SEC play, went 3-1 in next 4 games, then went 8-2 last 10 games leading up to SECT.

* 2016-17 Hogs (26-10, 12-6 SEC for 3rd place, went 2-1 in SECT while reaching finals, went 1-1 NCAAT, finished season unranked) ... started 1-3 SEC, went 4-0 next 4 games, then went 7-3 last 10 games leading up to SECT.

* 2017-18 Hogs (14-6 to date, 4-4 SEC which is middle of the pack to date) ... started 1-3 SEC, went 3-1 next 4 games, the rest of the story is a big ?-mark right now ...

Not making any predictions on how this team finishes SEC play, but I think it's reasonable to think they'll finish strong relative to how they started. OKSt at home should be a W (not banking it, but it should be), then it's reasonable to think Hogs can split next week's road swing against TA&M & LSU ... after that, Hogs will have 5 of their last 8 games at home ... protect home court and steal just ONE more road game, and Arkansas would finish league play at 11-7, which in this tougher version of the SEC might be good enough to be among the top 3-4 teams in the league when looking at overall resume for NCAAT seeding.

[Hog Fan...DOH!]

I just hope they play themselves out of an 8 seed.  I'd love this team as a 6, depending on the draw of course.

[Kevin McPherson]

I just hope they play themselves out of an 8 seed.  I'd love this team as a 6, depending on the draw of course.

I think anything from a 4- or 5-seed to a play-in 11-seed are ALL still on the table for this team.

[Dominicanhog]

finish league play at 11-7, which in this tougher version of the SEC might be good enough to be among the top 3-4 teams in the league when looking at overall resume for NCAAT seeding.

11-7 would be nice but 10-8 is more likely and it still does the things you say because the league is respected much more now than in the last several years...

Just get in and be playing decent ball, anything can happen with sr guards..... my biggest concern is FT shooting and finding another go to scorer...

[elksnort]

Nice work.

I just hope they make the dance.

[lynbug]

We continue to struggle with FTs and rebounds.  We're don't really have an award winning defense in most games.  I think if we can not lose too much RPI ground we make the dance.  But, how far can we go with these FT and rebound struggles?

[razorpimp]

K-Mac - were you as concerned with defense on those previous teams as this years team?

This years team just seems too weak to go on a big run

[HogBeliever625]

K-Mac - were you as concerned with defense on those previous teams as this years team?

This years team just seems too weak to go on a big run

Not K-Mac but the defense last year was pretty bad to start conference play too. That team was soo dangerous down the stretch and this team has the potential to be the same

[BrooklynRoss]

My wife (from New England) commented that the SEC this year is like the classic Big East. We're going to beat each other up and nobody is going to want to play any of us in the Tourney.

[Breems]

K-Mac - were you as concerned with defense on those previous teams as this years team?

This years team just seems too weak to go on a big run

I'm sure the D didn't look very promising last year when we started 1-3.

[Kevin McPherson]

K-Mac - were you as concerned with defense on those previous teams as this years team?

This years team just seems too weak to go on a big run

Absolutely. Last year's team was not very good defensively (for that matter, neither was the '14-15 team). But, CMA made adjustments at halftime of that game at LSU last year, when Arkansas came out playing matchup zome and came from behind to win ... that propelled that team to close out the SEC slate on a strong note heading into postseason.

Hogs went 6-3 on the road last year in the SEC, and in 5 of those games they trailed by AT LEAST 12 PTS (TN, TA&M, Vandy, LSU, SCar) ... that UA team was much better at the FT line, though, which helped in the comebacks, but make no mistake that team was no juggernaut defensively.

[Smalltownhog95]

There's still hope. But as crazy as it is to say with 7 seniors this team has to grow up fast. Barford has been good (not great). Macon has been in a slump and forcing it (Maybe hitting those 3 threes is what he needed). Hall is coming along nicely and on pace to helping us tremendously. Gafford needs the ball thrown inside when he has his man sealed or he'll never fully develop his inside game. CJ needs to find his rhythm. There's 3-5 more sec wins if nothing changes. If we start moving the ball effectively and stop chasing so much on D we can still finish with a decent seed in the SEC tourney and look forward to the big dance.

[Kevin McPherson]

Each situation is unique, and feel free to examine the nuances and differences of each team, but this is simply an exercise to detail what we already know: CMA's Arkansas teams start slow in SEC play ...

* 2014-15 Hogs (27-9, 13-5 SEC for 2nd place, went 2-1 in SECT while reaching finals, went 1-1 NCAAT, finished season ranked Top 20) ... started 2-2 in SEC play, went 3-1 in next 4 games, then went 8-2 last 10 games leading up to SECT.

* 2016-17 Hogs (26-10, 12-6 SEC for 3rd place, went 2-1 in SECT while reaching finals, went 1-1 NCAAT, finished season unranked) ... started 1-3 SEC, went 4-0 next 4 games, then went 7-3 last 10 games leading up to SECT.

* 2017-18 Hogs (14-6 to date, 4-4 SEC which is middle of the pack to date) ... started 1-3 SEC, went 3-1 next 4 games, the rest of the story is a big ?-mark right now ...

Not making any predictions on how this team finishes SEC play, but I think it's reasonable to think they'll finish strong relative to how they started. OKSt at home should be a W (not banking it, but it should be), then it's reasonable to think Hogs can split next week's road swing against TA&M & LSU ... after that, Hogs will have 5 of their last 8 games at home ... protect home court and steal just ONE more road game, and Arkansas would finish league play at 11-7, which in this tougher version of the SEC might be good enough to be among the top 3-4 teams in the league when looking at overall resume for NCAAT seeding.

We're getting a more clear picture that once again, Arkansas under CMA surges in the 2nd half of SEC play ... after starting league play 1-3 this season, Hogs have gone 8-3 since (includes win over Big 12's OKSt) ... UA has won 4 games in a row for the 1st time since December, but what might be a bit more telling is that each of those wins has been by double-digit margins (3-point D has been the biggest improvement and reason for the surge, IMO).

Okay, so the last 4-game stretch of the season appears to be brutal = RPI Top 20 KY at BWA on Tues, RPI Top 35 Bama on the road on Saturday, RPI Top 10 Auburn at BWA a week from Tues, and wrapping up the regular season with RPI Top 25 Mizzou on the road in 2 weeks ... an 0-4 or 1-3 finish seems unlikely, 2-2 might be the best bet, but there's not a team on the remaining slate that is Arkansas (19-8, 8-6 for tie for 3d in SEC, RPI No. 24) can't beat and a 3-1 finish might be enough to put UA in a 6- or 7-seed projection heading into the SECT.

Gonna be an exciting finish with a lot at stake!

[Atlhogfan1]

Not brutal.  At least not now.  Mizzou and Bama will be very tough road games.  The schedule turned very favorable for us after the game at Florida especially with what our opponents had available to play in terms of rosters when we played.   Yesterday first win over a likely NCAAT Team since Mizzou on 1/13.   

Credit to the Hogs how they've handled the last few opponents.

[Kevin McPherson]

Not brutal.  At least not now. Mizzou and Bama will be very tough road games.  The schedule turned very favorable for us after the game at Florida especially with what our opponents had available to play in terms of rosters when we played.   Yesterday first win over a likely NCAAT Team since Mizzou on 1/13.   

Credit to the Hogs how they've handled the last few opponents.

When I said the last 4 games equated to a brutal stretch, that is relative to any 4-game stretch Arkansas has played so far in the first 27 games. RPI Nos. 8 and 18 at home, and RPI Nos. 24 & 33 on the road. Throw in RPI No. 21 TA&M yesterday, and there's no doubt Arkansas is facing it's biggest consecutive hurdles at the very end of the season. Are you saying it's not?

You can diminish what has been accomplished so far this season, but the point of the thread was that CMA teams start league play slow and finish strong ... it's trending that way again, although it's not a settled issue.

[Atlhogfan1]

When I said the last 4 games equated to a brutal stretch, that is relative to any 4-game stretch Arkansas has played so far in the first 27 games. RPI Nos. 8 and 18 at home, and RPI Nos. 24 & 33 on the road. Throw in RPI No. 21 TA&M yesterday, and there's no doubt Arkansas is facing it's biggest consecutive hurdles at the very end of the season. Are you saying it's not?

You can diminish what has been accomplished so far this season, but the point of the thread was that CMA teams start league play slow and finish strong ... it's trending that way again, although it's not a settled issue.

Relative to the schedule to this point, it appears tougher.  The road games certainly look as though they will be.  But the home opponents aren't the teams we thought they could be.  UK lost 4 straight before beating Bama at home and Bama is very Hog-like this season home vs road.  AU, as you know, now isn't near the team they were even a week ago. 

Didn't diminish anything.  Nothing I posted was untrue.  Just added some context you failed to mention.  It is predictable that well into conference play Mike will finally figure out who to play and what adjustments to make.  It coincided with the schedule breaking our way as well. 

[BoarEd]

The difference maker for this team has been the emergence of Darius Hall and Gabe Osabuohien. It took a while, as is typical with freshmen ball players, but those two guys are giving the Hogs much needed depth off the bench at guard. What I've also noticed is that those two guys seem to have elevated everyone else's defensive intensity on the court. Check Arkansas's opponent's shooting % over these last four games. It's incredible the difference there. And opponent's points per game fell through the floor as well.

This team is poised to make a deep run in the tournament provided the stage doesn't get too big for everyone and they continue playing exactly as they have been. I think this team is capable of winning every game left on the schedule. (It isn't probable, but is achievable.)

[Kevin McPherson]

Relative to the schedule to this point, it appears tougher.  The road games certainly look as though they will be.  But the home opponents aren't the teams we thought they could be.  UK lost 4 straight before beating Bama at home and Bama is very Hog-like this season home vs road.  AU, as you know, now isn't near the team they were even a week ago. 

Didn't diminish anything.  Nothing I posted was untrue.  Just added some context you failed to mention.  It is predictable that well into conference play Mike will finally figure out who to play and what adjustments to make.  It coincided with the schedule breaking our way as well.

* KY still has one of the most talented rosters in college basketball that money can buy, the 'Cats are still Top 20 RPI, the 'Cats are a game back of the Hogs with a legit shot to finish in the top 2-3 in the league ... UA hasn't beaten KY since '13-14 (4 seasons ago) ... just adding some context you failed to mention.

* Auburn was a projected No. 1 seed before losing yesterday, a feat no one saw coming after losing a couple of key pieces before the season ever started. The Tigers have been the only dominant team in the SEC, which is a very deep, tough league this year. Yes, losing McLemore will hurt, but we don't know yet that Brown will or won't play and be effective against UA ... he's been playing through injuries for a bit ... just adding some context you failed to mention.

* You want context, so let's look at UA's schedule that you say has been "breaking" its "way" ... after starting 1-3 in league play (W vs ranked and current SEC No. 2 TN followed by 3 straight losses to middle-of-SEC-pack MSSt, ranked and current SEC No. 1 Auburn, and bottom-half-of-SEC LSU), here's how Hogs went 8-3 since ...

-- Hogs beat a good NCAAT team in Mizzou, RPI Top 25
-- Hogs lost on the road against a good NCAAT team in FL
-- Hogs beat a decent GA team on the road that has since only lost one more time at home (Auburn) while beating FLA twice and upsetting No. 18 TN (if GA remains a Top 75 RPI team, that will count as a Quadrant 1 win for Hogs)
-- Hogs beat a decent OSU team (albeit not at full strength) that took down both Kansas and WVa on the road after losing to the Hogs, also has a road win at FSU and beat OU at home
-- Hogs swept an admittedly weak Ole Miss team, but when UA won the first time by 4 pts at BWA in January, Ole Miss came in 3-3 in the SEC wins over SCar, MSSt, and FL (and a rim-out at TA&M from being 4-2)
-- Hogs beat down a SCar team by 16 pts that admittedly has been up and down, but does have Ws over KY, at FLA, and now Auburn
-- Hogs beat down a Vandy team by 18 pts that is 3-1 in its last 4 games (the lone loss being Hogs) with the wins being over GA, MSSt, and FLA
-- Hogs split w/a good NCAAT in Texas A&M, RPI Top 25...and the 19-pt win was against an Aggie team that was 2 possessions away from winning at Mizzou that would have meant a 5-game win streak (includes wins at Auburn and against KY) coming into the Hog game
-- Hogs lost at LSU, a team that has wins over ranked Michigan at neutral site, RPI Top 20 Houston at home, RPI Top 25 Mizzou at home, and sweeps over Aggies and Hogs

* Another thing that matters is that not only have the Hogs won 4 games in a row, they've won by margins of 16 pts, 18 pts, 11 pts, and now 19 pts ... they are beating SEC teams handily at this point after winning their first 4 SEC games by a total of 11 pts! They may not sustain it, but it adds context to improvement versus just having the schedule break their way.

* Here's more context for you: Arkansas's resume is limping a bit because of the problems in the OOC that OU, MN, and UConn have had. UA was OU's only loss in its first 13 games, but Sooners have lost 5 straight; UA beat a Top 15 MN team that was at its full strength when they played, but has since sufferd multiple losses among its starters that have led to an implosion; UConn was not a good team, but it was tracking RPI Top 75 but also suffered personnel issues before tumbling outside the RPI Top 100. When Arkansas played these teams, they were quality wins.

* No matter what you, me, or anyone else thinks right now, based on NCAAT at-large metrics Arkansas currently has 5 Quadrant-1 wins (OU, TN, Mizzou, GA, TA&M) with an opportunity to pick up 4 more in the next 4 games (KY, Bama, Auburn, & Mizzou). With context, it's obvious that wins are precious for all teams in the SEC this year. It hasn't been an easy schedule, thus there really weren't any sustained schedule breaks going Hogs' way ... as you suggested.

[Swinesong1]

* KY still has one of the most talented rosters in college basketball that money can buy, the 'Cats are still Top 20 RPI, the 'Cats are a game back of the Hogs with a legit shot to finish in the top 2-3 in the league ... UA hasn't beaten KY since '13-14 (4 seasons ago) ... just adding some context you failed to mention.

* Auburn was a projected No. 1 seed before losing yesterday, a feat no one saw coming after losing a couple of key pieces before the season ever started. The Tigers have been the only dominant team in the SEC, which is a very deep, tough league this year. Yes, losing McLemore will hurt, but we don't know yet that Brown will or won't play and be effective against UA ... he's been playing through injuries for a bit ... just adding some context you failed to mention.

* You want context, so let's look at UA's schedule that you say has been "breaking" its "way" ... after starting 1-3 in league play (W vs ranked and current SEC No. 2 TN followed by 3 straight losses to middle-of-SEC-pack MSSt, ranked and current SEC No. 1 Auburn, and bottom-half-of-SEC LSU), here's how Hogs went 8-3 since ...

-- Hogs beat a good NCAAT team in Mizzou, RPI Top 25
-- Hogs lost on the road against a good NCAAT team in FL
-- Hogs beat a decent GA team on the road that has since only lost one more time at home (Auburn) while beating FLA twice and upsetting No. 18 TN (if GA remains a Top 75 RPI team, that will count as a Quadrant 1 win for Hogs)
-- Hogs beat a decent OSU team (albeit not at full strength) that took down both Kansas and WVa on the road after losing to the Hogs, also has a road win at FSU and beat OU at home
-- Hogs swept an admittedly weak Ole Miss team, but when UA won the first time by 4 pts at BWA in January, Ole Miss came in 3-3 in the SEC wins over SCar, MSSt, and FL (and a rim-out at TA&M from being 4-2)
-- Hogs beat down a SCar team by 16 pts that admittedly has been up and down, but does have Ws over KY, at FLA, and now Auburn
-- Hogs beat down a Vandy team by 18 pts that is 3-1 in its last 4 games (the lone loss being Hogs) with the wins being over GA, MSSt, and FLA
-- Hogs split w/a good NCAAT in Texas A&M, RPI Top 25...and the 19-pt win was against an Aggie team that was 2 possessions away from winning at Mizzou that would have meant a 5-game win streak (includes wins at Auburn and against KY) coming into the Hog game
-- Hogs lost at LSU, a team that has wins over ranked Michigan at neutral site, RPI Top 20 Houston at home, RPI Top 25 Mizzou at home, and sweeps over Aggies and Hogs

* Another thing that matters is that not only have the Hogs won 4 games in a row, they've won by margins of 16 pts, 18 pts, 11 pts, and now 19 pts ... they are beating SEC teams handily at this point after winning their first 4 SEC games by a total of 11 pts! They may not sustain it, but it adds context to improvement versus just having the schedule break their way.

* Here's more context for you: Arkansas's resume is limping a bit because of the problems in the OOC that OU, MN, and UConn have had. UA was OU's only loss in its first 13 games, but Sooners have lost 5 straight; UA beat a Top 15 MN team that was at its full strength when they played, but has since sufferd multiple losses among its starters that have led to an implosion; UConn was not a good team, but it was tracking RPI Top 75 but also suffered personnel issues before tumbling outside the RPI Top 100. When Arkansas played these teams, they were quality wins.

* No matter what you, me, or anyone else thinks right now, based on NCAAT at-large metrics Arkansas currently has 5 Quadrant-1 wins (OU, TN, Mizzou, GA, TA&M) with an opportunity to pick up 4 more in the next 4 games (KY, Bama, Auburn, & Mizzou). With context, it's obvious that wins are precious for all teams in the SEC this year. It hasn't been an easy schedule, thus there really weren't any sustained schedule breaks going Hogs' way ... as you suggested.

Mic drop!

[AlmaHog2011]

I support Kevin's messages!

[Atlhogfan1]

* KY still has one of the most talented rosters in college basketball that money can buy, the 'Cats are still Top 20 RPI, the 'Cats are a game back of the Hogs with a legit shot to finish in the top 2-3 in the league ... UA hasn't beaten KY since '13-14 (4 seasons ago) ... just adding some context you failed to mention.

* Auburn was a projected No. 1 seed before losing yesterday, a feat no one saw coming after losing a couple of key pieces before the season ever started. The Tigers have been the only dominant team in the SEC, which is a very deep, tough league this year. Yes, losing McLemore will hurt, but we don't know yet that Brown will or won't play and be effective against UA ... he's been playing through injuries for a bit ... just adding some context you failed to mention.

* You want context, so let's look at UA's schedule that you say has been "breaking" its "way" ... after starting 1-3 in league play (W vs ranked and current SEC No. 2 TN followed by 3 straight losses to middle-of-SEC-pack MSSt, ranked and current SEC No. 1 Auburn, and bottom-half-of-SEC LSU), here's how Hogs went 8-3 since ...

-- Hogs beat a good NCAAT team in Mizzou, RPI Top 25
-- Hogs lost on the road against a good NCAAT team in FL
-- Hogs beat a decent GA team on the road that has since only lost one more time at home (Auburn) while beating FLA twice and upsetting No. 18 TN (if GA remains a Top 75 RPI team, that will count as a Quadrant 1 win for Hogs)
-- Hogs beat a decent OSU team (albeit not at full strength) that took down both Kansas and WVa on the road after losing to the Hogs, also has a road win at FSU and beat OU at home
-- Hogs swept an admittedly weak Ole Miss team, but when UA won the first time by 4 pts at BWA in January, Ole Miss came in 3-3 in the SEC wins over SCar, MSSt, and FL (and a rim-out at TA&M from being 4-2)
-- Hogs beat down a SCar team by 16 pts that admittedly has been up and down, but does have Ws over KY, at FLA, and now Auburn
-- Hogs beat down a Vandy team by 18 pts that is 3-1 in its last 4 games (the lone loss being Hogs) with the wins being over GA, MSSt, and FLA
-- Hogs split w/a good NCAAT in Texas A&M, RPI Top 25...and the 19-pt win was against an Aggie team that was 2 possessions away from winning at Mizzou that would have meant a 5-game win streak (includes wins at Auburn and against KY) coming into the Hog game
-- Hogs lost at LSU, a team that has wins over ranked Michigan at neutral site, RPI Top 20 Houston at home, RPI Top 25 Mizzou at home, and sweeps over Aggies and Hogs

* Another thing that matters is that not only have the Hogs won 4 games in a row, they've won by margins of 16 pts, 18 pts, 11 pts, and now 19 pts ... they are beating SEC teams handily at this point after winning their first 4 SEC games by a total of 11 pts! They may not sustain it, but it adds context to improvement versus just having the schedule break their way.

* Here's more context for you: Arkansas's resume is limping a bit because of the problems in the OOC that OU, MN, and UConn have had. UA was OU's only loss in its first 13 games, but Sooners have lost 5 straight; UA beat a Top 15 MN team that was at its full strength when they played, but has since sufferd multiple losses among its starters that have led to an implosion; UConn was not a good team, but it was tracking RPI Top 75 but also suffered personnel issues before tumbling outside the RPI Top 100. When Arkansas played these teams, they were quality wins.

* No matter what you, me, or anyone else thinks right now, based on NCAAT at-large metrics Arkansas currently has 5 Quadrant-1 wins (OU, TN, Mizzou, GA, TA&M) with an opportunity to pick up 4 more in the next 4 games (KY, Bama, Auburn, & Mizzou). With context, it's obvious that wins are precious for all teams in the SEC this year. It hasn't been an easy schedule, thus there really weren't any sustained schedule breaks going Hogs' way ... as you suggested.

What difference does it make how long its been since we've beaten UK?  Doesn't make them any better or worse this season.  This is a weaker UK team than their recent teams.  We seem to agree on that.

Yes AU was projected as a 1 before yesterday.  Now they aren't and won't be.  At least you now acknowledge their roster situation.

Mizzou - NCAAT team
Florida - fading and will be on the bubble, but when Hogs lost to them they were playing better and looked like a good NCAAT team
UGa - you can call them decent or whatever you want - not an NCAAT team
Ok St - not an NCAAT team, missing 2 or their top 3 scorers vs Hogs  - you kind of skimmed over that
OM -
SC -
Vandy
A&M - NCAAT team - no PG for the last week or the rest of the season

Like I said, no wins vs an NCAAT team since Mizzou till yesterday.  We seem to agree.

You aren't enlightening me on any of this.  OU was a very good win.  Great if you want to go there considering neutral court.

"there really weren't any sustained schedule breaks going Hogs' way" - Since the Fl loss, we've played 2 games against a team who will be in the NCAAT - A&M and went 1-1 with the win when they aren't at full strength.  9 games.  2 vs NCAAT teams.  Didn't say it was easy. 

[Kevin McPherson]

What difference does it make how long its been since we've beaten UK? UA has struggled against KY (and FLA) in recent years, whether its home, away, or neutral. Most of those games have been lopsided losses, regardless of the talent or strength of those teams. It's relevant until UA breaks through against either team. 

Yes AU was projected as a 1 before yesterday.  Now they aren't and won't be.  At least you now acknowledge their roster situation. Again, Auburn's roster was down when the season started and look how far they've come when many suggested they'd falter out of the gates. Tougher for the Tigers now, to be certain, but they've still got very good players and they aren't going to lay down. To preimptively suggest this isn't the team we thought it could be (so as to diminish the accomplishment of a win if UA does that) doesn't change the fact that the UA-Auburn game in a little over a week will help determine SEC champ and SECT byes and seeding at the top. For Hogs, it could mean a 1- or 2-seed jump in NCAAT projections. It's huge and comes in the toughest stretch of games for the Hogs, which was part of my original point before your "context" talk.

Mizzou - NCAAT team
Florida - fading and will be on the bubble, but when Hogs lost to them they were playing better and looked like a good NCAAT team
UGa - you can call them decent or whatever you want - not an NCAAT team that has beaten FLA twice and TN after losiong to Hogs ... may not be an NCAAT team, but it will count as a quality win as long as GA remains in the Top 75 RPI.
Ok St - not an NCAAT team, missing 2 or their top 3 scorers vs Hogs  -  - you kind of skimmed over that
OM -
SC -
Vandy
A&M - NCAAT team - no PG for the last week or the rest of the season

Like I said, no wins vs an NCAAT team since Mizzou till yesterday. We seem to agree. Never disputed this one part of your post, but you also said the schedule broke favorably for Hogs, and I laid out why that wasn't as much of a factor as you suggest.

You aren't enlightening me on any of this.  OU was a very good win.  Great if you want to go there considering neutral court. I don't doubt that I'm not enlightening you, was just adding more "context" to the season and overall resume.

"there really weren't any sustained schedule breaks going Hogs' way" - Since the Fl loss, we've played 2 games against a team who will be in the NCAAT - A&M and went 1-1 with the win when they aren't at full strength.  9 games.  2 vs NCAAT teams.  Well, my starting point in the OP was the 1-3 record to begin SEC play and comparing to previous UA teams' first 4 SEC games -- you're the one who moved the lines to after the FLA game so as to make your own point that is not apples-to-apples to what the OP was about, which set the table for everything that followed. Anyway, since the 1-3 start, Hogs are 8-3 with 2 Ws over NCAAT teams Mizzou and TA&M, they got their 1st road win against a GA team that currently counts as 1 of their 5 quality wins (regardless of what you think of that team, it's a quality W), and went 5-1 against the rest (includes a 2nd road win) that may not not be NCAAT teams, but even that part is improvement compared to the 0-2 record against such teams when Hogs broke out of the gates 1-3. Throw in the recent 4-0 run with 16.0 avg margin of victory and its a far cry from the way this team was playing, and you simply can't chalk all of that up to a so-called favorable schedule.

[sadhogfan]

What difference does it make how long its been since we've beaten UK?  Doesn't make them any better or worse this season.  This is a weaker UK team than their recent teams.  We seem to agree on that.

Yes AU was projected as a 1 before yesterday.  Now they aren't and won't be.  At least you now acknowledge their roster situation.

Mizzou - NCAAT team
Florida - fading and will be on the bubble, but when Hogs lost to them they were playing better and looked like a good NCAAT team
UGa - you can call them decent or whatever you want - not an NCAAT team
Ok St - not an NCAAT team, missing 2 or their top 3 scorers vs Hogs  - you kind of skimmed over that
OM -
SC -
Vandy
A&M - NCAAT team - no PG for the last week or the rest of the season

Like I said, no wins vs an NCAAT team since Mizzou till yesterday.  We seem to agree.

You aren't enlightening me on any of this.  OU was a very good win.  Great if you want to go there considering neutral court.

"there really weren't any sustained schedule breaks going Hogs' way" - Since the Fl loss, we've played 2 games against a team who will be in the NCAAT - A&M and went 1-1 with the win when they aren't at full strength.  9 games.  2 vs NCAAT teams.  Didn't say it was easy. 

It's fun to watch people continue to grasp at straws after they have been completely dominated by data.

[razorback1829]

What difference does it make how long its been since we've beaten UK?  Doesn't make them any better or worse this season.  This is a weaker UK team than their recent teams.  We seem to agree on that.

Yes AU was projected as a 1 before yesterday.  Now they aren't and won't be.  At least you now acknowledge their roster situation.

Mizzou - NCAAT team
Florida - fading and will be on the bubble, but when Hogs lost to them they were playing better and looked like a good NCAAT team
UGa - you can call them decent or whatever you want - not an NCAAT team
Ok St - not an NCAAT team, missing 2 or their top 3 scorers vs Hogs  - you kind of skimmed over that
OM -
SC -
Vandy
A&M - NCAAT team - no PG for the last week or the rest of the season

Like I said, no wins vs an NCAAT team since Mizzou till yesterday.  We seem to agree.

You aren't enlightening me on any of this.  OU was a very good win.  Great if you want to go there considering neutral court.

"there really weren't any sustained schedule breaks going Hogs' way" - Since the Fl loss, we've played 2 games against a team who will be in the NCAAT - A&M and went 1-1 with the win when they aren't at full strength.  9 games.  2 vs NCAAT teams.  Didn't say it was easy.

Just cause you wrote a bunch of words, doesn't mean you actually said anything. Literally no facts, all feelings.

[Atlhogfan1]

It's fun to watch people continue to grasp at straws after they have been completely dominated by data.

What data?  Margin of victory?   Addressed earlier in thread. 

[BoarEd]

 At the end of the day, Arkansas is still in the hunt for an outright SEC title. And this is in a year when everyone in the entire country will tell you that the SEC is vastly improved as an overall conference.

What does this mean? That Arkansas has a damn fine team on their hands, and that Mike Anderson has done a damn fine job coaching said team.

[SemperFi]

Enjoying this thread gentlemen. Please, keep it going. This thread is telling me more about this team than any of the other goofy threads being posted out there. Nice work, especially by Kevin M and Atl.

[niels_boar]

If you look at what the bottom of the conference did on Saturday, it's apparent that any four-game winning streak of double-digit wins in the SEC is to be cherished.  The difference between the top and bottom has never been huge in the SEC this season.  I posted that the conference looked crunched before the first SEC game.  Nothing has changed much in the last month and a half. 

UK lost four games in a row after getting a road win at West Virginia, but three of those losses were on the road to A&M, Mizzou, and Auburn.  The other was a 2-point loss to UT at home.  Their losing streak says more about the SEC than UK. They then rebounded with a 10-point win against Bama. It's not like they suddenly got worse.  It's just a tough slog in the SEC this season.

A&M has the same starting five as during the win streak, which happened to coincide with three of four games at home.  Funny how that happens.  Wilson had already lost the starting job to Starks before the win streak.  Wilson was quality depth, but he only played 11 minutes in their win over UK.   Against Auburn he had 4 assists and 5 TOs.  Starks scored 23 points in 22 minutes.  I think we have to wait and see what happens with A&M once they get back home before writing them off as hopelessly crippled because of Wilson.   They were already one of the worst ballhandling teams in the SEC with him.

[jabber71]

Not brutal.  At least not now.  Mizzou and Bama will be very tough road games.  The schedule turned very favorable for us after the game at Florida especially with what our opponents had available to play in terms of rosters when we played.   Yesterday first win over a likely NCAAT Team since Mizzou on 1/13.   

So if we give less credit when we win against teams that have lost players due to injury or stupidity, should we not give credit to consistently having a team healthy enough and smart enough to still be playing at the end of the season?

I say this because I do not think it is a coincidence, I think it is a direct cause and effect to the style of coaching Mike has maintained. We all know what our style does to the opposition during a game, but think about the cumulative effect throughout the season, I do not have the time to research it, but I would love to see how many minutes our 1-10 players play compared to the rest of the teams in the SEC. I think the reason we surge at the end of the season is our players have better conditioning and less time on the floor. This helps because of less fatigue but it also reduces the chance of injury, numbers prove injuries happen more often when your tired.

The other facet is the caliber of character Mike recruits and demands from his players. We may not start the year with the most 4*  athletes every year, but imo always have the most 4* young men. At the end of the season while our team is intact because quality men make smart decisions, other teams lose their stars because while they were good athletes they were not coached to make good decisions off the court.

So to me why it looks like we surge at the end of the season, is not a failure to do well at the start, but rather at the end of the year, when it really matters, we have more gas in our tank and better men on the court.