This team has a chance to do well.

[WhatsitHOGabout]

I like the teams that are loaded with solid role players who know their role.

This team is going to be better than the experts think.

Should be a fun season! 

[PonderinHog]

We'll know more this time next week, but I like what I see, so far.  This is my first time to see them this year.  CSU may not be a good barometer.

[Danny J]

We'll know more this time next week, but I like what I see, so far.  This is my first time to see them this year.  CSU may not be a good barometer.

I think you are right....we will know more by this time next week.

[PonderinHog]

I think you are right....we will know more by this time next week.

But where will the points come from?   

[Big Nasty 34]

I think you are right....we will know more by this time next week.

I just hope we play close solid games. No irritating year one road-like games.

[chiefhawg]

We will not do as well as we should until Durham learns how to feed the low post. Beard may do a better job.

[TomBigBeeHog]

I think you are right....we will know more by this time next week.

Split would be nice.

[JIHawg]

Agreeance.   We are turning into a fairly balanced team.

[yraciv]

I see a first round exit or NIT final four run.  I think this team could gel late in the season, and could get hot from deep & upset somebody, but there is going to be a lot of up and down.  We don't have a go to player, and the pressure defense doesn't appear to be working well with these strict foul rules, and we need to stop losing 3 point shooters.  The lack of a star player will hurt and if Kingsley gets in foul trouble our post game is in serious trouble.

Luckily, depending on how you look at RPI, we're in the SEC so we can still compete and be a middle of the pack team.

[sickboy]

I said it before and I'll say it again -- I like this team. Think they have a chance to be way better than people gave them credit for.

[ErieHog]

The offense is light years better than I anticipated;  I thought this would be a team that would struggle to score consistently, and that would be made/broken through how much could be generated in transition.

That said, our defense hasn't been all it might be.   I think a ton of that will come through the experience of playing extended minutes together.

I was as downbeat a person as you would find, prior to this offseason;  the day after the draft, I would have had to be talked into calling this a 15 win team.

Now, I think 18-20 isn't unrealistic.  We might even have a shot at some form of post-season play, which, all told, is a long way from what I expected.

[Ray Piggers]

I'm not going to jump the gun, BUT... Hannahs is smooth and Whitt's switch may have flipped tonight. Also, looking around the league I don't see many teams I'm scared of. 

[wheelspigharvey]

Offensively it's less about Kingsley or someone down low being worth 20 points a game and more about having that threat so we can stretch their D and find a spot to attack.  If they're on him more shots for the shooters and vice versa.  I thought Kouassi looked a lot more confident on defense at least.  I also liked the teams body language during timeouts. 

[Big Nasty 34]

Definitely can't double down on Moses consistently with Bell and Hannahs out there.

[bphi11ips]

I like this team.  They need some support from the students.

One of my favorite teams was the 1992-93 squad.  Mayberry, Day and Miller were gone and no one expected much at all.  Then they beat Arizona on the road in December.  Freshman Scotty Thurman scored 28 points.  They went on to win the SEC West and lost to North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen.

I don't expect the same from this team, but they'll be better than some think.  The similarity between now and 92-93 is where I think the program is headed. 

[Karma]

Man, I don't see it. 13 wins.

[Arazorbackguy1]

Just wondering if everyone in this thread didn't watch the Akron game.  When we face stiffer competition, it's gonna get ugly. 

[wheelspigharvey]

Just wondering if everyone in this thread didn't watch the Akron game.  When we face stiffer competition, it's gonna get ugly.

It's early in the season, I still think we can play better than we did in that game.  I think we are looking at trying to play reasonably well and not digging a hole for ourselves until Beard can come give us some more at the PG spot.

[The_Iceman]

Just wondering if everyone in this thread didn't watch the Akron game.  When we face stiffer competition, it's gonna get ugly.

Agreed. We have a lot of players on this team that will get shut down by the bigger and more athletic SEC defenders. We will struggle to score in conference.

[Danny J]

I'm not going to jump the gun, BUT... Hannahs is smooth and Whitt's switch may have flipped tonight. Also, looking around the league I don't see many teams I'm scared of.

Yeah...I like Whitt being aggressive. He needs to continue to look for his shot. He will learn how to pump fake and drive to the basket also. His willingness to actually look for mid-range jumpers is pretty rare these days. Most guys either want layups/dunks or 3 pointers.

Also...Hannah's is MUCH better on offense than I figured he would be. Right now on offense he is a very legit threat that teams will need to prepare for. I also like his ability to pump fake and drive to the basket and shoot mid-range jumpers.

Kingsley is super aggressive and I really like that. Hopefully he continues to do that and work on his post game. That jumper he shoots looks really nice. I knew he had a decent stroke but you can tell he has worked on that. Thompson is progressing as well.

All and all it really is hard to tell from a game like last night but we will know better after the next two games.

[FaytownHog]

Man, I don't see it. 13 wins.

This. Did everyone just watch this past game against a nobody that we should always blow out and make these assumptions? After watching the first 3 games we look SLOP-EEEEE. Hoping Beard's return will help with this some but i think we're an NIT bubble team at most. Going to be a rough year. (side note: I would love to be wrong, but i doubt it.)

[PonderinHog]

I was actually surprised by Thompson's play last night, on both ends of the court.  That alley oop dunk was impressive.  If he gets his confidence up, it will really help.

[FaytownHog]

I was actually surprised by Thompson's play last night, on both ends of the court.  That alley oop dunk was impressive.  If he gets his confidence up, it will really help.

Now if we could just figure out a way to play Charleston Southern every game.

[jdunhog]

I really believe this will be a rough year!  I do like the guys playing hard. I don't see why a kid would not want to play for Mike. We have a exciting offensive scheme!

[Danny J]

This. Did everyone just watch this past game against a nobody that we should always blow out and make these assumptions? After watching the first 3 games we look SLOP-EEEEE. Hoping Beard's return will help with this some but i think we're an NIT bubble team at most. Going to be a rough year. (side note: I would love to be wrong, but i doubt it.)

Yeah...we will struggle to get to 17...no doubt. That doesn't mean there aren't good things happening. We will need those things next year going forward.

[FaytownHog]

The 2011-12 season started out with similar results against inferior opponents.

South Carolina Upstate  W 83-63
Oakland                       W 91-68
Houston                       L  87-78

That years team went 18-14, 6-10 in conference. So I expect similar results this year. But with the conference trending up it could be worst for us.

[jjdlc]

We have the ability to put Up lots of points quickly, and it's not all just one player.  If we can figure out something on defense, I can see us winning some games we shouldn't.  Nobody is predicting a deep NCAA tourney run, but things aren't looking quite as bleak as many of us expected.

[FaytownHog]

We have the ability to put lots of points quickly., and it's not all just one player.  If we can figure out something on defense, I can see us winning some games we shouldn't.  Nobody is predictin a deep NCAA tourney run, but things aren't looking quite as bleak as many of us expected.

No one is expecting a tourney appearance at all if you're paying attention. lol

[jjdlc]

No one is expecting a tourney appearance at all if you're paying attention. lol

Did I say they were?

[jdunhog]

I don't think a tourney bid but I'm still gonna watch and enjoy.  Maybe we can win 6 to 7 conference games!

[nwahogfan1]

Man, I don't see it. 13 wins.

I agree with you if we don't have great pg play.   This team needs a really good pg.  The difference between 13 wins and 18+ wins will be determined by how good of pg play we get.  Asset to TO ratio will be critical plus old fashion pg leadership.

[FaytownHog]

Did I say they were?

You said "no one is expecting a deep tourney run", implying they would make the tourney, which i seriously doubt.

[FaytownHog]

I agree with you if we don't have great pg play.   This team needs a really good pg.  The difference between 13 wins and 18+ wins will be determined by how good of pg play we get.  Asset to TO ratio will be critical plus old fashion pg leadership.

That's the real catalyst here. How big of an impact will Beard be able to make when he gets back in a couple weeks.

[jjdlc]

You said "no one is expecting a deep tourney run", implying they would make the tourney, which i seriously doubt.

Wasn't what I was implying at all.  However, the way some people around here are so eager to disagree with anyone being somewhat positive about the team, you would think that's what people are predicting.

[PonderinHog]

Wasn't what I was implying at all.  However, the way some people around here are so eager to disagree with anyone being somewhat positive about the team, you would think that's what people are predicting.

Imagine if we had lost last night.  Jump Ball would have blown up - again.

[ErieHog]

Just wondering if everyone in this thread didn't watch the Akron game.  When we face stiffer competition, it's gonna get ugly. 

Watched it.  Know a little bit about Akron as well, which is why the game wasn't bothersome.

You are going to lose when teams take 25+ 3s, and hit just shy of half of them, regardless of what the name on the jersey is-- but when it is a good basketball team on top of that,  the loss certainly isn't bad.

Akron, like it or not, is a borderline resume game for teams on the bubble at the end of the year.   They're a quality, veteran basketball team that's playing well, and should play well the rest of the year-- and our kids didn't fold up the tent.   There were a dozen opportunities to fold up the tent in that game, and they kept chipping away.

[sickboy]

Just wondering if everyone in this thread didn't watch the Akron game.  When we face stiffer competition, it's gonna get ugly. 

I watch all the games. The Akron game was an anomaly. Nobody is going to hit that percentage from the three this year. Still, our problem is going to be on the defensive side -- can we stop teams from scoring. Everyone's concern about this team being able to score was clearly wrong. We can score and score in bunches.

The reason I think we have a chance to be good this year is that Kingsley's taken a huge leap forward, Hannahs is a lot better than I expected and Whitt is showing he's going to be able to put points on the board. Beard's defense is going to help this team when we slide into an SEC that isn't that great to begin with.

[Hogsfan1981]

I think everyone can agree this year will be ugly. Can we not build up false hope?

If by some miracle they have a good year then everyone can be pleasantly surprised. You get everyone thinking we have a chance then you are setting everyone up for some thread rage.

I think even the coaches will struggle this year to be on point. They just went through the worst off season in a decade and whiffed on a once in a generation player.

If we make the NIT it will be a MIRACLE.

[FaytownHog]

I watch all the games. The Akron game was an anomaly. Nobody is going to hit that percentage from the three this year. Still, our problem is going to be on the defensive side -- can we stop teams from scoring. Everyone's concern about this team being able to score was clearly wrong. We can score and score in bunches.

The reason I think we have a chance to be good this year is that Kingsley's taken a huge leap forward, Hannahs is a lot better than I expected and Whitt is showing he's going to be able to put points on the board. Beard's defense is going to help this team when we slide into an SEC that isn't that great to begin with.

You mixed something strong with your kool aid. lol. Teams ALWAYS shoot out of the building good from 3 against our D. Akron isn't the first or the last team that will do so.
Kingsley is pretty good but he looks just like last year to me. No mid range or even really short range game but he can dunk, block and get rebounds. Hannah's is putting up better numbers than expected so far but we've played nobody, so time will tell if his numbers will hold up.
Beard is the catalyst. He will make a 3-4 game swing if he can be the glue to tie this sloppiness together.

[wheelspigharvey]

I think everyone can agree this year will be ugly. Can we not build up false hope?

What are you trying to accomplish by saying that?

[opineonswine]

I see 15 to 16 wins.  Would love to be wrong.  BUT....I'm not being negative.  I think we'll be back next year big time.

[FaytownHog]

What are you trying to accomplish by saying that?

He's probably trying to avoid the inevitable bashing of the team and MA when we start getting it handed to us by decent teams when we know right now that we're not that good. If they surprise us, then great! But chances are it's going to be a long year. So why set yourself up for disappointment.

[Biggus Piggus]

Just wondering if everyone in this thread didn't watch the Akron game.  When we face stiffer competition, it's gonna get ugly.

Progress is not linear.

[sickboy]

You mixed something strong with your kool aid. lol. Teams ALWAYS shoot out of the building good from 3 against our D. Akron isn't the first or the last team that will do so.
Kingsley is pretty good but he looks just like last year to me. No mid range or even really short range game but he can dunk, block and get rebounds. Hannah's is putting up better numbers than expected so far but we've played nobody, so time will tell if his numbers will hold up.
Beard is the catalyst. He will make a 3-4 game swing if he can be the glue to tie this sloppiness together.

Akron is the first team to hit 13 threes in one game on Arkansas since Florida hit 13 February 18, 2012. Still, it's not that common for a team to even hit 10 threes in a game against us. A few times per year teams will hit in the 7-9 range. Akron was a once every few years type of performance.

Even so, we still managed to put up 80 points and were in positions to win the game.

And Kingsley averaged 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last year. He's averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds per game so far this year. Not saying he's going to keep those numbers up, but those are Bobby Portis numbers. He's a completely different player this year. That's an unexpected, but pleasant, surprise that we can lean on this year.

[TexomaRazorback]

It's early.  Probably a good wakeup call.

[hogman99]

I like this team.  They need some support from the students.

One of my favorite teams was the 1992-93 squad.  Mayberry, Day and Miller were gone and no one expected much at all.  Then they beat Arizona on the road in December.  Freshman Scotty Thurman scored 28 points.  They went on to win the SEC West and lost to North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen.

I don't expect the same from this team, but they'll be better than some think.  The similarity between now and 92-93 is where I think the program is headed.

So you think this team has anyone close to a Scotty Thurman and Corliss Williamson type players on it? That is a really bold or misinformed statement.

[Biggus Piggus]

Akron is the first team to hit 13 threes in one game on Arkansas since Florida hit 13 February 18, 2012. Still, it's not that common for a team to even hit 10 threes in a game against us. A few times per year teams will hit in the 7-9 range. Akron was a once every few years type of performance.

Akron hit 13 threes and shot almost 50% from long range because the defense was terrible. They hit 11 threes against Villanova, but it took them 33 shots.

[UNCLE BACK]

We just need to get behind the Basketball Program and support them like we do Football. We could really help recruiting by doing that...

[dbhog]

Just wondering if everyone in this thread didn't watch the Akron game.  When we face stiffer competition, it's gonna get ugly.

That is what I think too.  You get a team that has size up front and they will decimate us with inside scoring unless Moses blocks all of their shots.  I think the weak forwards will cause us to lose some games big.  That and we do not guard the perimeter 3 point shooters very well.

[Hawg Red]

Having seen all of our games, and some games by SEC teams and future opponents, I think we have a chance to do a little better than expected. I think we could maybe squeeze out an NIT bid. I know many here don't care for the NIT, but it's better than nothing at all, especially when you have guys that need as much playing time as they can get (Whitt, Thompson, Beard). I think the SEC is really wide open after Kentucky, Vanderbilt and LSU (and LSU is already looking like an underperformer). We'll get an even clearer picture tomorrow after we have a road game under our belts (anything away from BWA/Verizon is a road game in my book). I think Tech has some bigs that could give us trouble, but they weren't too impressive from what I saw of them when I watched a little of their game with Tennessee. It's a 50/50 game for me.

Of course, the thing about the SEC being wide open, for the most part, means that it'll probably go back to the lower level of quality of a couple of seasons ago. If that league RPI drops like it did in the season prior to last season, it might be tough even to make the NIT (we got snubbed because of it in Year 2 under Anderson). I'm not sure we can win enough games to offset. We'll see.