Keep your eye on the goal

[parallaxpig]

Beating Ky would be great but the goal for this program at its current state is to get to the NCAA tourney. We need 12 SEC wins, don't matter against who. With the next two recruiting classes coming in, things could start to happen as for tourney appearances and wins in tourney.  Arkansas basketball is back to the pre Eddie Sutton days. Just get to the tourney and start building from there...........

[hobhog]

Beating Ky would be great but the goal for this program at its current state is to get to the NCAA tourney. We need 12 SEC wins, don't matter against who. With the next two recruiting classes coming in, things could start to happen as for tourney appearances and wins in tourney.  Arkansas basketball is back to the pre Eddie Sutton days. Just get to the tourney and start building from there...........

That's what has been agreed on since game 1. Make the tourney or bust. This team has the talent to make a run and that's what needs to happen. Starts next game.

[LR_Matt]

Agreed, frustrates me how we usually give UK a decent game then go lose a very winnable road game.

[JIHawg]

The fans and Mike are at a disconnect as far as expectations, or goals.  Mike said it wasn't about not letting Monk kill us, it was about beating Kentucky.

For the fans, it was about making Monk look ordinary.  After five years of Mike's 40 fast minutes or whatever he calls it, fans don't expect to beat Kentucky and Florida or anybody else that is half-good.  We've altered our expectations to smaller goals.  Sad but true.  We are just beat down as a fan base.

[daprospecta]

The fans and Mike are at a disconnect as far as expectations, or goals.  Mike said it wasn't about not letting Monk kill us, it was about beating Kentucky.

For the fans, it was about making Monk look ordinary.  After five years of Mike's 40 fast minutes or whatever he calls it, fans don't expect to beat Kentucky and Florida or anybody else that is half-good.  We've altered our expectations to smaller goals.  Sad but true.  We are just beat down as a fan base.

For good reason but let's not like we are completely devastated. We have accumulated quite a few top 10 wins in his tenor here. We had momentum going into year 5 before the mishap and now year 6 looks promising heading into year 7 & 8. 

[Breems]

The fans and Mike are at a disconnect as far as expectations, or goals.  Mike said it wasn't about not letting Monk kill us, it was about beating Kentucky.

For the fans, it was about making Monk look ordinary.  After five years of Mike's 40 fast minutes or whatever he calls it, fans don't expect to beat Kentucky and Florida or anybody else that is half-good.  We've altered our expectations to smaller goals.  Sad but true.  We are just beat down as a fan base.

The expectations were altered long ago. After 20 years of mediocre basketball, you can't expect the fans to view UK and UF as anything other than extra credit opportunities.

[Sivad]

Beating Ky would be great but the goal for this program at its current state is to get to the NCAA tourney.

In Year Six of this nostalgia chase.

[Jonteviosk]

The fans and Mike are at a disconnect as far as expectations, or goals.  Mike said it wasn't about not letting Monk kill us, it was about beating Kentucky.

For the fans, it was about making Monk look ordinary.  After five years of Mike's 40 fast minutes or whatever he calls it, fans don't expect to beat Kentucky and Florida or anybody else that is half-good.  We've altered our expectations to smaller goals.  Sad but true.  We are just beat down as a fan base.

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

[Hoggish1]

Beating Ky would be great but the goal for this program at its current state is to get to the NCAA tourney. We need 12 SEC wins, don't matter against who. With the next two recruiting classes coming in, things could start to happen as for tourney appearances and wins in tourney.  Arkansas basketball is back to the pre Eddie Sutton days. Just get to the tourney and start building from there...........

Right.  This is no time for backsliding.

[Hawg Red]

The fans and Mike are at a disconnect as far as expectations, or goals.  Mike said it wasn't about not letting Monk kill us, it was about beating Kentucky.

For the fans, it was about making Monk look ordinary.  After five years of Mike's 40 fast minutes or whatever he calls it, fans don't expect to beat Kentucky and Florida or anybody else that is half-good.  We've altered our expectations to smaller goals.  Sad but true.  We are just beat down as a fan base.

We'll expect to beat schools like when we have the talent to do so. We don't right now. Could we in the next couple years? Quite possibly. So, until then, most fans aren't going to expect to win those games, though I do think the Florida game at home was not looked at as an automatic loss. We need to handle our business as much as we can against everyone else in the conference. When Gafford, Perry, Garland, and Co. are in the program, expectations will likely rise. The worm has turned in recruiting for Anderson inside the state. It took a few years. In-state pull had somewhat eroded due to the Heath and Pelphrey eras. When Mike took over, he become our 3rd head coach in 10 years. Doesn't look like Mike is going anywhere, and despite missing on Archie when he first took the job, and then Allen and Monk, he's gotten the top in-state talent on board for the next 3 years (and he did get the top in-state players in 2013 and 2014, as well as retaining what Pelphrey had for 2011). That's some real momentum. And getting the top players in Arkansas means more now that maybe ever before when you look around and see Arkansas players are the leading scorers for the two best teams in the SEC, and another is the 2nd leading scorer and leading assist man for another SEC program (I.J. Ready at Miss. State). We will have a much stronger leg to stand on if we can keep that talent inside the state.

It's a process. I think most fans will admit it is taking a little longer than they had expected it would. I think most fans that really follow the basketball program haven't given up on getting to the point to where we can reasonably expect to hold our own with Florida and Kentucky. We just know that now is not quite that time.

[Hoggish1]

The expectations were altered long ago. After 20 years of mediocre basketball, you can't expect the fans to view UK and UF as anything other than extra credit opportunities.

I'm sorry, but FU is not in the same universe as UK.  FU is not a basketball school.  They are in the same category as the other 13 teams in the SEC in my mind.

[Atlhogfan1]

We have accumulated quite a few top 10 wins in his tenor here.

2
2013 vs #2 Fl in BWA
2016 vs #5 A&M in BWA

[FineAsSwine]

2
2013 vs #2 Fl in BWA
2016 vs #5 A&M in BWA

well, technically he is correct. 2 is a few. 

[Hawg Red]

I'm sorry, but FU is not in the same universe as UK.  FU is not a basketball school.  They are in the same category as the other 13 teams in the SEC in my mind.

You're right that they aren't on the same level as Kentucky. But they are still operating at a much higher level that anyone else in the conference. They have an incredible recruiting base and make killer coaching hires. Recruiting has taken a step back with Donovan's departure but I'd expect it to raise back up as they continue to be a winning program.

[hog golf]

2
2013 vs #2 Fl in BWA
2016 vs #5 A&M in BWA

well that didn't take long.

[Atlhogfan1]

2
2013 vs #2 Fl in BWA
2016 vs #5 A&M in BWA

well that didn't take long.

Not many matchups to look at considering we stopped playing teams like UConn, Syracuse and Michigan as we did in the early years and the SEC provides very few. 

1-8 vs ranked teams since beginning of 14-15 season till now. 7-17 from 2011-12 till now with 3 of those in 2012. 

[3kgthog]

It seems the hopeful ones are basing their feelings on recruiting classes that aren't here yet instead of the actual product on the court. That really says a lot about the bad basketball being played by the Artist Formerly Known as the Winningest Program of the '90s. Three losses by an average of 16 points isn't exactly making me see the light.

[hogwood]

Beating Ky would be great but the goal for this program at its current state is to get to the NCAA tourney. We need 12 SEC wins, don't matter against who. With the next two recruiting classes coming in, things could start to happen as for tourney appearances and wins in tourney.  Arkansas basketball is back to the pre Eddie Sutton days. Just get to the tourney and start building from there...........

Agreed on everything there. I think 12 is the magic number.

[parallaxpig]

10 more

[parallaxpig]

9 more

[Hog Solo]

9 more

I believe to be comfortable we need to be at least a 24 regular season win team. 

[parallaxpig]

12 SEC wins will get us there.

[daprospecta]

I believe to be comfortable we need to be at least a 24 regular season win team. 

We get to 24 and we won't be talking if, we will be talking seeding.

[ListenHereMister]

Where are the 9 wins?
Lsu x 2
Vandy x2
@ mizzou
Bama
Ole Miss
A and M
At Auburn?

Who else?
At SC?
Uga?
At Fla?

[ShadowHawg]

Where are the 9 wins?
Lsu x 2
Vandy x2
@ mizzou
Bama
Ole Miss
A and M
At Auburn?

Who else?
At SC?
Uga?
At Fla?

At vandy won't be easy but SC is not clearly better than anyone in this league. That game is much more winnable than you think. GA won't be favored d coming here.

No guarantees but that schedule is doable.

[parallaxpig]

Need 7 more............

[hobhog]

At vandy won't be easy but SC is not clearly better than anyone in this league. That game is much more winnable than you think. GA won't be favored d coming here.

No guarantees but that schedule is doable.

I think every team on our schedule considers the Hogs a winnable game, and always will with MA here.

[parallaxpig]

Still 12 because now one of the wins has to be a road win over SC or FL.......they finish winning 5 of 6 their in.....have my doubts they can accomplish this though......

[parallaxpig]

4 more

[parallaxpig]

One more baby!!!!

[parallaxpig]

Lock is the word of the day.

[FineAsSwine]

Still 12 because now one of the wins has to be a road win over SC or FL.......they finish winning 5 of 6 their in.....have my doubts they can accomplish this though......

Are you starting to believe now Neo?

[parallaxpig]

I took the red pill