#64 Arkansas Razorbacks: Preview

[SWD26]

http://www.thesportsbank.net/college-bball/64-arkansas-razorbacks-college-basketball-111-in-111/

[C.J. Hollywood]

Thanks for the link.  Interesting that this writer expects us to be better than last year, but not yet an NCAA tournament team.  The national media really seems split over whether we will be good enough to make the tournament.

[Danny J]

Thanks for the link.  Interesting that this writer expects us to be better than last year, but not yet an NCAA tournament team.  The national media really seems split over whether we will be good enough to make the tournament.

I think most of us are split. I think we will be a bubble team. We have to get some road wins this year.

[SWD26]

I think most of us are split. I think we will be a bubble team. We have to get some road wins this year.

This is what concerns me the most. We're still a fairly young team with several newcomers, but having Powell back may help us a lot in this area.

[99toLife]

I think most of us are split. I think we will be a bubble team. We have to get some road wins this year.

I think we make the NCAAT this year as a knock off artist but not strong enough to go far..

[Danny J]

I think we make the NCAAT this year as a knock off artist but not strong enough to go far..

It really depends on the matchup's in the dance. If we stay healthy and and gel then we could go far. I honestly believe that.

[99toLife]

It really depends on the matchup's in the dance. If we stay healthy and and gel then we could go far. I honestly believe that.

I got no argument with that, once you get there like you say it can be a match up thing and crazy stuff can happen in the big tourney.

[Danny J]

I got no argument with that, once you get there like you say it can be a match up thing and crazy stuff can happen in the big tourney.

Yep and especially playing against a team that plays a style of play you haven't seen all year and talent to go with it. Having BJ and MP healthy is key. You just never know with our style of play. The one thing we DON'T want to happen is to get a 8 or 9 seed and play a 1 seed that is just as deep and talented and well coached. If we can get a 6 seed then we play a 3 IF we win our first game and have a chance to make the sweet 16.

The ONE thing this team probably still lacks is mental toughness. We will see this year on the road. We played well at BWA minus the UF game. When we went on the road we looked terrible. All mental toughness.

[The_Iceman]

Gone: F/C-Michael Sanchez, PF-Marvell Waithe, PG-Julysses Nobles (transfer), F/C-Devonta Abron (transfer-TCU)


Enter punch-line here.....

[navyhog24]

Gone: F/C-Michael Sanchez, PF-Marvell Waithe, PG-Julysses Nobles (transfer), F/C-Devonta Abron (transfer-TCU)


Enter punch-line here.....

Thank God!

[iluvmyslute89]

i dont mean to be a debbie downer but if we only make the tourney if one of a couple things happen:

bj young plays like michael jordan all year and the rest of the team falls into a supportive role.(somewhat feasible)

hunter mickelson steps up to provide a post presence on both ends of the floor.(unlikely)

ky madden becomes the player we know he can be.(reasonable expectation)

the guards carry the team despite our lack of post players.(we have three true posts mickelson clarke and powell.) (likely)

marshawn powell returns to his all freshman self.(highly unlikely)

coty clarke steps in from day one and provides great rebounding(unlikely)

edit: we also have to move the ball better on offense than we did last season.

[Hog Fan...DOH!]

i dont mean to be a debbie downer but if we only make the tourney if one of a couple things happen:

bj young plays like michael jordan all year and the rest of the team falls into a supportive role.(somewhat feasible)

hunter mickelson steps up to provide a post presence on both ends of the floor.(unlikely)

ky madden becomes the player we know he can be.(reasonable expectation)

the guards carry the team despite our lack of post players.(we have three true posts mickelson clarke and powell.) (likely)

marshawn powell returns to his all freshman self.(highly unlikely)

coty clarke steps in from day one and provides great rebounding(unlikely)

edit: we also have to move the ball better on offense than we did last season.

We're probably better, right?  Depth alone probably gets us 2-3 more wins.  Sounds like the bubble to me.

[latrops]

We're probably better, right?  Depth alone probably gets us 2-3 more wins.  Sounds like the bubble to me.

Powell alone should be good for 2 or 3 more...depth and experience should be good for 2 or 3 on top of that....so I'm going with 4 to 6 more.

[The_Iceman]

Powell alone should be good for 2 or 3 more...depth and experience should be good for 2 or 3 on top of that....so I'm going with 4 to 6 more.

If we played last years schedule again. Unfortunately, this years schedule is much more difficult.

[Smithian]

Trying to stay away from Jump Ball this season, but I have to comment on this.

The Hogs will be a hell of a lot better than the 64th best team in the nation this season.

[mbgrulz]

If we can check off a few of these things, then I see no reason that we aren't a tourney team...

1. Do our Young 4*'s start playing like it? (I mean Madden, Scott, Mickleson) Those guys need to be solid on a nightly basis.

2. Is Marshawn REALLY back? Any time you have two guys capable of getting 25 on any night, you are likely a good team. He and BJ give us that.

3. Can we get several freshmen to be consistent contributors. We don't need any stars, but can some of them come in and be solid?

4. Will Alandise Harris get cleared? I think some people grossly underestimate him b/c they don't know how to classify his game. He is a proven double figure scorer and proficient rebounder. He would add A LOT to this team.

5. Will Coty Clarke's game translate like we all think? Im excited, but Im not going to buy in until I see it against the big boys.

[The_Iceman]

3. Can we get several freshmen to be consistent contributors. We don't need any stars, but can some of them come in and be solid?

This is why we struggled and faded at the end of the year. We were asking freshman to carry significant minutes and asking them to play major roles on the team.

This year will be better because none of the newcomers will be asked to be the leading scorer or start every game or play the entire game.

Thats the way an established program with a long term coach is supposed to operate, and I expect that to be the norm in the future. Even in 2013, Portis and Kingsley won't be asked to be starters and major contributors right away.

[hogfan98]

Gone: F/C-Michael Sanchez, PF-Marvell Waithe, PG-Julysses Nobles (transfer), F/C-Devonta Abron (transfer-TCU)


Enter punch-line here.....

Addition by subtraction.

[GuvHog]

Yep and especially playing against a team that plays a style of play you haven't seen all year and talent to go with it. Having BJ and MP healthy is key. You just never know with our style of play. The one thing we DON'T want to happen is to get a 8 or 9 seed and play a 1 seed that is just as deep and talented and well coached. If we can get a 6 seed then we play a 3 IF we win our first game and have a chance to make the sweet 16.

The ONE thing this team probably still lacks is mental toughness. We will see this year on the road. We played well at BWA minus the UF game. When we went on the road we looked terrible. All mental toughness.

The Hogs went on the Road to Italy and dominated all 4 games there. That was without incoming Freshmen or JC transfers. I'd say that's a good indication of how the Hogs will do on the road this season.

[The_Iceman]

The Hogs went on the Road to Italy and dominated all 4 games there. That was without incoming Freshmen or JC transfers. I'd say that's a good indication of how the Hogs will do on the road this season.

All the freshman and JUCO transfers played in Italy.

Harris and Gulley did not play.

[GuvHog]

All the freshman and JUCO transfers played in Italy.

Harris and Gulley did not play.

I didn't realize they could join the team for games until the fall Semester started. Thanks for the information.

[thebignasty]

Trying to stay away from Jump Ball this season, but I have to comment on this.

The Hogs will be a hell of a lot better than the 64th best team in the nation this season.

Also, that doesn't automatically make them a tournament team.  Tons of poor conferences with automatic bids.

[THEWILDHOG5]

It all comes down to rebounding and if our big men can contro the paint. We were a weak tema in the power forward center area. But Powell should help us with that. Abron didnt prove himself last year, so we wont miss him.

[99toLife]

It all comes down to rebounding and if our big men can contro the paint. We were a weak tema in the power forward center area. But Powell should help us with that. Abron didnt prove himself last year, so we wont miss him.

We just need to be decent at rebounding, Mikes teams are built on turnovers, not dominating on the boards.

[Pork Twain]

Trying to stay away from Jump Ball this season, but I have to comment on this.

The Hogs will be a hell of a lot better than the 64th best team in the nation this season.

I agree, I just want to enjoy the season.

Much improved and much better than #64

[Shocktheman]

http://www.thesportsbank.net/college-bball/64-arkansas-razorbacks-college-basketball-111-in-111/

Thanks for the link!  +1  Gotta love some college hoops.

[The_Iceman]

We just need to be decent at rebounding, Mikes teams are built on turnovers, not dominating on the boards.

That's true. We don't have to dominate the boards, but we can't be flat out awful either. We also have to win every hustle rebound play. If you winning those, you aren't playing Mike's system.

[99toLife]

That's true. We don't have to dominate the boards, but we can't be flat out awful either. We also have to win every hustle rebound play. If you winning those, you aren't playing Mike's system.

OH I think this year year will look 180 degrees different as far as rebounds and getting to the ball, we won't be any where near as weak as last year.

[pigture perfect]

I am Hopelessly optimistic.

[99toLife]

Having been around Mike's teams in the past I can tell you this has been a better build than he has ever had in the past.  he WILL get us in the NCAAT this year... after that I have no idea.

[pfrg999]

Nothing to see in that Story, I learned Nothing and David Kay has NO idea Who or what this Razorback team is, was and will be..
Looks like he Cut and Pasted Crap from other stories..
  Losing Nobles will not hurt This team..
There are about 10,000 people on this Board could have written a better story with some relevant stats and a better Hognostication!

[razorback93]

I think I can unequivocally state beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are a bubble team.  If we can pick up some nice road wins and hold our own in the conference, we should be able to get in.  I doubt we make a deep run.