For all the upset fans about Arkansas losing in the first round

[Locutus_of_Boar]

Let's go back and look at the other teams losing in the NCAAT. 

North Carolina, Virginia, Auburn...etc teams rated higher lost bad when they couldn't shoot.

One more thing, Could Kentucky have a easier path to the Final Four.   Geeze............

Indeed let's look at other programs...that have been to the Sweet 16 since 1997 whether they could shoot or not.

1   Kentucky   2018
2   Kansas   2018
3   Duke   2018
4   Villanova   2018
5   Syracuse   2018
6   Kansas State   2018
7   Purdue   2018
8   West Virginia   2018
9   Michigan   2018
10   Gonzaga   2018
11   Florida State   2018
12   Texas Tech   2018
13   Texas A&M   2018
14   Clemson[30]   2018
15   Nevada   2018
16   Loyola-Chicago   2018
17   North Carolina   2017
18   UCLA[3]   2017
19   Arizona[8]   2017
20   Xavier   2017
21   Wisconsin   2017
22   Florida[23]   2017
23   Butler   2017
24   Oregon   2017
25   Baylor   2017
26   South Carolina   2017
27   Indiana   2016
28   Notre Dame   2016
29   Oklahoma   2016
30   Maryland[14]   2016
31   Virginia   2016
32   Iowa State   2016
33   Miami (FL)   2016
34   Michigan State   2015
35   Utah   2015
36   North Carolina State[16]   2015
37   Wichita State   2015
38   Connecticut[9]   2014
39   Tennessee   2014
40   Dayton   2014
41   Stanford   2014
42   San Diego State   2014
43   Marquette[10]   2013
44   Ohio State[12]   2013
45   La Salle   2013
46   Florida Gulf Coast   2013
47   Cincinnati   2012
48   Ohio   2012
49   BYU   2011
50   VCU   2011
51   Richmond   2011
52   Washington   2010
53   Saint Mary's   2010
54   Northern Iowa   2010
55   Cornell   2010
56   Louisville[4]   2009
57   Missouri[15]   2009
58   Pittsburgh   2009
59   Memphis[21]   2009
60   Texas   2008
61   Western Kentucky[18]   2008
62   Davidson   2008
63   Washington State   2008
64   Georgetown   2007
65   UNLV   2007
66   Southern California[26]   2007
67   Vanderbilt   2007
68   Southern Illinois   2007
69   LSU   2006
70   Boston College   2006
71   Bradley   2006
72   George Mason   2006
73   Illinois   2005
74   Oklahoma State   2005
75   Milwaukee   2005
76   Wake Forest   2004
77   Alabama[20]   2004
78   Saint Joseph's[22]   2004
79   Georgia Tech   2004
80   UAB   2004
81   Auburn   2003
82   Kent State   2002
83   Temple   2001
84   Penn State   2001
85   Mississippi   2001
86   Tulsa   2000
87   Seton Hall   2000
88   St. John's[13]   1999
89   Iowa   1999
90   Miami (OH)   1999
91   Missouri State   1999
92   Rhode Island   1998
93   Valparaiso   1998
94   Providence   1997
95   California[24]   1997
96   Chattanooga   1997

[99toLife]

Indeed let's look at other programs...that have been to the Sweet 16 since 1997 whether they could shoot or not.

1   Kentucky   2018
2   Kansas   2018
3   Duke   2018
4   Villanova   2018
5   Syracuse   2018
6   Kansas State   2018
7   Purdue   2018
8   West Virginia   2018
9   Michigan   2018
10   Gonzaga   2018
11   Florida State   2018
12   Texas Tech   2018
13   Texas A&M   2018
14   Clemson[30]   2018
15   Nevada   2018
16   Loyola-Chicago   2018
17   North Carolina   2017
18   UCLA[3]   2017
19   Arizona[8]   2017
20   Xavier   2017
21   Wisconsin   2017
22   Florida[23]   2017
23   Butler   2017
24   Oregon   2017
25   Baylor   2017
26   South Carolina   2017
27   Indiana   2016
28   Notre Dame   2016
29   Oklahoma   2016
30   Maryland[14]   2016
31   Virginia   2016
32   Iowa State   2016
33   Miami (FL)   2016
34   Michigan State   2015
35   Utah   2015
36   North Carolina State[16]   2015
37   Wichita State   2015
38   Connecticut[9]   2014
39   Tennessee   2014
40   Dayton   2014
41   Stanford   2014
42   San Diego State   2014
43   Marquette[10]   2013
44   Ohio State[12]   2013
45   La Salle   2013
46   Florida Gulf Coast   2013
47   Cincinnati   2012
48   Ohio   2012
49   BYU   2011
50   VCU   2011
51   Richmond   2011
52   Washington   2010
53   Saint Mary's   2010
54   Northern Iowa   2010
55   Cornell   2010
56   Louisville[4]   2009
57   Missouri[15]   2009
58   Pittsburgh   2009
59   Memphis[21]   2009
60   Texas   2008
61   Western Kentucky[18]   2008
62   Davidson   2008
63   Washington State   2008
64   Georgetown   2007
65   UNLV   2007
66   Southern California[26]   2007
67   Vanderbilt   2007
68   Southern Illinois   2007
69   LSU   2006
70   Boston College   2006
71   Bradley   2006
72   George Mason   2006
73   Illinois   2005
74   Oklahoma State   2005
75   Milwaukee   2005
76   Wake Forest   2004
77   Alabama[20]   2004
78   Saint Joseph's[22]   2004
79   Georgia Tech   2004
80   UAB   2004
81   Auburn   2003
82   Kent State   2002
83   Temple   2001
84   Penn State   2001
85   Mississippi   2001
86   Tulsa   2000
87   Seton Hall   2000
88   St. John's[13]   1999
89   Iowa   1999
90   Miami (OH)   1999
91   Missouri State   1999
92   Rhode Island   1998
93   Valparaiso   1998
94   Providence   1997
95   California[24]   1997
96   Chattanooga   1997

That's all you got! 

[Paul]

There are some here who think that person is already on staff in the form of TJ Cleveland, no, really, some think that. I'm serious. They really think that.

How many former Nolan or Mike assistants have/are doing anything as a d1 HC? The Nolan coaching tree has almost no branches.

Wait!  Scott Edgar is still coaching at Eastern Oklahoma State College with a career  119-115 record!

[Paul]

It seems like the hate for Mike Anderson is overshadowing reality. Jason Williams, one of the more respected basketball pundits stated this has been the most chaotic year in college basketball. Yes, we have had too many double-figure losses this year where the team looked lost, but other teams around the country suffered lopsided losses. Auburn, the regular season SEC champion loses by 31. Virginia, the overall number one seed loses by 20 to a number 16 seed. UNC gets blown out by A&M, and the list goes on. We have an excellent coach and we had a good team this year. The defense was not up to par, but the team played hard and gave their all. I am tired of the hate that is unwarranted against Mike Anderson. The man has turned this program around. This fan base ran off Hall of Fame coaches (Lou Holtz, Eddie Sutton, and Nolan Richardson) and very good coach and man in Ken Hatfield. That is why Dana Altman changed his mind. Mike Anderson is on the right track, but too many people are letting personal feelings get in the way of logical thinking.

You lost me here

[Paul]

Fitting if true.  Wonder what some outsiders will think after this season.

Here is an opinion after last season:

https://www.seccountry.com/sec/ranking-sec-mens-basketball-head-coaches-2017-season

7. Mike Anderson, Arkansas
Career record: 328-172 (128-74)

Tourney appearances: 8 (2 at Arkansas)

Anderson is an average SEC basketball coach and probably nothing more. He finally got back to the tournament this spring, and his Razorbacks were seconds away from upsetting eventual champion North Carolina in the Round of 32. Arkansas performance has been inconsistent across his tenure at a relatively good basketball program. The expectation will be to string together tournament appearances in 2018.

After this year I think MA ranks lower in the hierarchy of SEC coaches 

[niels_boar]

I downloaded the box scores of every NCAAT game this season. The winners in the games averaged 36% from the arc to 29% for the losers. On deuces the winners averaged 52% to 46% for the losers. Okay, Captain Obvious, the winners made more baskets. That's a tautology.

However, when I look at the season stats for the winners, they averaged 36.8% from the arc to 36.4% to the losers. In other words, it wasn't the case of obviously more skilled, more efficient teams advancing. They were identical on average. In fact, the correlation between what teams shot from the arc in the tournament and how they shot on the season was only 0.2, indicating that they are almost unrelated.

Maybe the difference was in defense. The winners simply defend the arc better, giving them an advantage. However, winners and losers both averaged surrendering 34% from the arc on the season. Moreover, the correlation between the defensive 3FG% that teams surrendered in the tourney to their D3FG% on the season was literally 0.00 to two decimal places. Defending the arc well on the season had no relationship whatsoever to how well the arc was defended in the tournament on average.

The story is the same for deuces. Furthermore, there is no big spread in how well the winners and losers rebounded, performed at the line, or handled the ball in the tourney. Differences in assists can be explained by shots falling or not falling. Differences in FTs (plus a little less than 3 for winners) are probably due to intentional fouling at the end of the games. There was a 1% difference in OReb% between winners and losers. Really, making shots swamped everything else.

I don't see a lot of evidence of brilliant X's and O's deciding the majority of games. It appears that many teams really did shoot the ball about as well or better than they normally do, whereas others were cold.

[Deep Shoat]

Anybody who's not upset about Arkansas losing in the first round isn't a Razorback fan, I'm guessing.

[niels_boar]

Anybody who's not upset about Arkansas losing in the first round isn't a Razorback fan, I'm guessing.

Of the 36 programs that have been eliminated in the NCAAT so far, there are two that are happy to have gotten in and won a game (Marshall and UMBC) and a few mid-majors that are satisfied that they got in and became cannon fodder or scared the beejuz out of a higher seed.  The other 20-something fan bases are rending cloth and wondering why their idiot coach didn't get them to the SS.  It's March.

[ShadowHawg]

Having someone try to convince me not to be upset after losing in the first round on the tourny tells me all i need to know about the current state of the basketball program.

Eddie Sutton lost in the first round 3 times to pitiful opponents and he is a god here.

The hate seems "selective" to me.

[ChopSooie]

You guys do realize that Kentucky has better recruits and they ran into a similar issue this year and lost. They had worse shooters but we both had a bad shooting night. It happens. This time wasnt a Mike Anderson team. He struggled coaching Macon and Barford the way he wanted the team to play. They were not his type of players guys. We struggled because of it.

[HognotinMemphis]

Eddie Sutton lost in the first round 3 times to pitiful opponents and he is a god here.

The hate seems "selective" to me.

No he did not. And certainly did not without mixing in a FF, and Elite 8 and a Sweet 16. You are either an idiot or totally without knowledge of Sutton's record at Ark. Anderson couldn't carry Sutton's lunch.

[steveaustin69]

You guys do realize that Kentucky has better recruits and they ran into a similar issue this year and lost. They had worse shooters but we both had a bad shooting night. It happens. This time wasnt a Mike Anderson team. He struggled coaching Macon and Barford the way he wanted the team to play. They were not his type of players guys. We struggled because of it.

Thank god in year 8 he'll finally have "his type" of players.

[hogsanity]

Eddie Sutton lost in the first round 3 times to pitiful opponents and he is a god here.

The hate seems "selective" to me.

Are you talking about just while Eddie was the coach at Arkansas? If so, would you name the 3 "pitiful" teams he lost to in the 1st round?

In 77 only 32 teams made the field, fewer than half of what get in today, and the lost to a  Wake Forest team that made the "elite 8". Then they made the Final 4 in 78, Elite 8 in 79, got in as a 10 seed in 80 and lost to 7 seed KSU, made the sweet 16 in 81, lost as a 4 seed to 5 seed KSU in 82 in the 2nd rnd, made the sweet 16 again in 83, in 84 lost in the 2nd round to eventually final 4 team UVA, and then lost as a 9 seed to 1 seed St Johns in 85 in the 1nd round.

So care to show us where he lost in the 1st round 3 times to "pitiful" teams.

[SemperFi]

Some of you are all about making excuses for next year. If you're not pissed about the condition of the basketball team then you're not a fan of the Razorbacks, but instead a follower of the guy that I cannot call Head Coach. Arkansas is deep in tradition and has some of the finest facilities in the entire Nation. The state of Arkansas also produces excellent talent so you're not having to battle every SEC team for those top notched recruits year in and year out. It's all about coaching and in this case the lack of as I believe that we had some good players that just needed to be coached. Stop making excuses for a guy that has every advantage at his disposal and refuses to get it done.

[razorback1829]

Some of you are all about making excuses for next year. If you're not pissed about the condition of the basketball team then you're not a fan of the Razorbacks, but instead a follower of the guy that I cannot call Head Coach. Arkansas is deep in tradition and has some of the finest facilities in the entire Nation. The state of Arkansas also produces excellent talent so you're not having to battle every SEC team for those top notched recruits year in and year out. It's all about coaching and in this case the lack of as I believe that we had some good players that just needed to be coached. Stop making excuses for a guy that has every advantage at his disposal and refuses to get it done.

I'm not pissed one bit. We have a healthy program that is going to the tournament consistently. MA is one run in the tournament from shutting everybody up. Which I predict will happen. Sooner than the whinebags think.

[OkieBack]

I'm not pissed one bit. We have a healthy program that is going to the tournament consistently. MA is one run in the tournament from shutting everybody up. Which I predict will happen. Sooner than the whinebags think.

A healthy program?  I'd say "yes".  The real question is are we going to do any better than we have in the last 7 season?  I hope so for the sake of the program and for CMA.  Progress is the name of the game and 8 years is an eternity in college basketball.

The one thing that I have to give it up to the naysayers this year is the SEC sent zero teams to the Final 4.  ZERO.  And only 2 teams made it to the Sweet 16?  That is an atrocity for the SEC.  Collectively the conference sucked come tournament time.  Turrible.

[razorback1829]

A healthy program?  I'd say "yes".  The real question is are we going to do any better than we have in the last 7 season?  I hope so for the sake of the program and for CMA.  Progress is the name of the game and 8 years is an eternity in college basketball.

The one thing that I have to give it up to the naysayers this year is the SEC sent zero teams to the Final 4.  ZERO.  And only 2 teams made it to the Sweet 16?  That is an atrocity for the SEC.  Collectively the conference sucked come tournament time.  Turrible.

For teams that are not blue bloods, is working our way back to consistent NCAA tournament contention was the biggest step this year. We will strike. And I would say this solid core of freshman coming in will be a big part of it.

[hogsanity]

I'm not pissed one bit. We have a healthy program that is going to the tournament consistently. MA is one run in the tournament from shutting everybody up. Which I predict will happen. Sooner than the whinebags think.

Well sure. Cause 7 years isn't long enough to make one run to just the 2nd weekend. Will 8 or 9 or 10 be long enough?

[hogsanity]

Hahaha.  I think our team did as well as it possibly could,

That the issue though. Why, in yr seven, does the coach have a team that the best it can do is a 17 pt beating in the 1st rnd of the ncaat?

[OkieBack]

For teams that are not blue bloods, is working our way back to consistent NCAA tournament contention was the biggest step this year. We will strike. And I would say this solid core of freshman coming in will be a big part of it.

I hope you are right.  There is nothing more than I'd rather see than CMA kicking butt in the NCAAT.  I'm just not sure how many more seasons he can endure like this without making a significant impact in the tournament.  For allot of coaches who are worth their weight, it really doesn't take 8 years to reach some level of success in the NCAAT.  Mike has done it elsewhere, but for whatever reason it hasn't happened at Arkansas yet.  It's beyond me. 

[razorback1829]

I hope you are right.  There is nothing more than I'd rather see than CMA kicking butt in the NCAAT.  I'm just not sure how many more seasons he can endure like this without making a significant impact in the tournament.  For allot of coaches who are worth their weight, it really doesn't take 8 years to reach some level of success in the NCAAT.  Mike has done it elsewhere, but for whatever reason it hasn't happened at Arkansas yet.  It's beyond me.

Arkansas, although I love it and it is home, has its fair share of obstacles to overcome. The program was a complete dumpster fire, with kids who were young and had to be cycled through the program. That was 2 years gone just to do that. Then you get the awful offseason in 2015, some of what fate dealt us with as well as key misses that the staff didn't do a good enough job preventing you can say, along with the 16-16 team. That was actually a masterful coaching job cause that team shouldn't have won 16 games.

But you got a program that has been to the tournament back to back years, as well as 3 out of the last 4 years. A great recruiting class foundation to build with, and even more talent coming through the state. Remember, Moses Moody loves him some CMA. I feel more optimistic than not. If you're in the tournament consistently, you will strike sooner or later. And CMA has shown that ability. All it takes is one run.

[Rzbakfromwaybak]

How did it hurt the identity of the program. This is a program that as a 7 seed saw it's team be labeled the under dog by Vegas and most analysts. They already knew the identity of the program and they predicted the game accordingly.

Yep. Sounds like that makes it even worse.  Everyone seems to know we're not that good.

[Mike Irwin]

That may be a major reason for him not staying, if the money's there to be had.

Yeah. That. 

[PonderinHog]

Somebody's enjoying this immensely!

Yeah, me too.

[steveaustin69]

Arkansas, although I love it and it is home, has its fair share of obstacles to overcome. The program was a complete dumpster fire, with kids who were young and had to be cycled through the program. That was 2 years gone just to do that. Then you get the awful offseason in 2015, some of what fate dealt us with as well as key misses that the staff didn't do a good enough job preventing you can say, along with the 16-16 team. That was actually a masterful coaching job cause that team shouldn't have won 16 games.

But you got a program that has been to the tournament back to back years, as well as 3 out of the last 4 years. A great recruiting class foundation to build with, and even more talent coming through the state. Remember, Moses Moody loves him some CMA. I feel more optimistic than not. If you're in the tournament consistently, you will strike sooner or later. And CMA has shown that ability. All it takes is one run.

This is incredibly overblown. The environment was certainly not good, but Mike is paid well to fix the culture. That doesn't take years. They lost one (1) scholarship due to APR sanctions. The team was not devoid of talent, and it did not suffer significantly in the future due to his predecessor.  His second and third recruiting rankings were 46 and 19, respectively. He signed five (5!) guys in year two. He missed out on Goodwin and Stokes. Was that Pelphrey's fault?

Mike's first team and recruiting ranking:

Fr - 26
Fr - 43
Fr - 68
Fr - 145
So- 123
S0 - NR
Jr - 71
Jr - 226
SR - 81

Missing a few due to transfers/jucos muddying finding their HS ranking