This Team Is Better Than I Expected

[bigdaddyhawg]

I know "moral victories" are pretty hollow deals, but other than the TAMU disaster, this team is playing at a much higher level than I ever expected.

If Mike can keep improving this crew, they could accidently find a way to slip back into the tourney.  While I'm not really expecting that to happen, it is still worthy of comment that they are playing at that level.

They were very close to beating a respectable, talented team on the road last night, and didn't even play all that great. 

One other comment: Johnny Jones is not much of a coach IMO.  Great recruiter apparently, but not much of a coach.

[Kevin]

Played well in a place the hogs never play well

[Bowfishinghogfan]

Since you think we won't make the dance, are you happy with this team even though we will miss the dance. 1 trip in 5 years won't cut it. Seat will warm once it is mathmatically impossible to make the dance without winning the SEC tourney

[lefty08]

Man, you sure do wear out those cut and paste tools

[Farmer Hogget]

Some of you just hate Mike Anderson and it doesn't matter what the state of Arkansas basketball was in when he came, it doesn't matter who is and is not on the team, you will never be happy with Mike Anderson.  Every post you make like, "1 trip to the dance in 5 years won't cut it" clearly show your agenda.

I love Mike Anderson, he's doing a fantastic job with this team and they have FAR exceeded my expectations.  I hope Mike stays until he retires.  Now, if we could do something to get rid of the haters.

[fullfan]

All I know that Ben Simmons did not have to go to Kentucky to get noticed by the NBA.  His " business" decision to go where he can be the best player on the floor is paying off for him and lsu.

Yes these hogs show no fear and play to their strengths.

[PonderinHog]

Some of you just hate Mike Anderson and it doesn't matter what the state of Arkansas basketball was in when he came, it doesn't matter who is and is not on the team, you will never be happy with Mike Anderson.  Every post you make like, "1 trip to the dance in 5 years won't cut it" clearly show your agenda.

I love Mike Anderson, he's doing a fantastic job with this team and they have FAR exceeded my expectations.  I hope Mike stays until he retires.  Now, if we could do something to get rid of the haters.

Lack of post season play and poor recruiting is their last argument.  It gets old, but so does not making the dance and losing top recruits.   :razorback:

Go hogs!

[farmhawg]

Some of you just hate Mike Anderson and it doesn't matter what the state of Arkansas basketball was in when he came, it doesn't matter who is and is not on the team, you will never be happy with Mike Anderson.  Every post you make like, "1 trip to the dance in 5 years won't cut it" clearly show your agenda.

I love Mike Anderson, he's doing a fantastic job with this team and they have FAR exceeded my expectations.  I hope Mike stays until he retires.  Now, if we could do something to get rid of the haters.

amen.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Since you think we won't make the dance, are you happy with this team even though we will miss the dance. 1 trip in 5 years won't cut it. Seat will warm once it is mathmatically impossible to make the dance without winning the SEC tourney

My comments weren't about any global perspectives/attutudes, simply my observations on this team and where it stands.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Now, if we could do something to get rid of the haters.

Producing a consistently top 25 program, that plays in the tourney every year, and competes most years for conference championships would go a long way to "getting rid of the haters", I believe.

[HSVhogfan2]

Lack of post season play and poor recruiting is their last argument.  It gets old, but so does not making the dance and losing top recruits.   :razorback:

Go hogs!

Poor recruiting will ultimately be MAs undoing if he stays blindly loyal to the current staff. There were underlying circumstances on losing Monk and Allen, but no excuse to have a as poor a off season as he has had the last couple of years.

I am one of the biggest MA supporters. He finally has HIS team. A team without any locker room clashes that play there ass off for one another and for him. That is the first time since he's been here. I will hold off judgment for one more year, but he HAS to get some more legit D1 talent on the roster, even if it means like Nolan did, of making the hard decison to help someone transfer.

[elksnort]

Some of you just hate Mike Anderson and it doesn't matter what the state of Arkansas basketball was in when he came, it doesn't matter who is and is not on the team, you will never be happy with Mike Anderson.  Every post you make like, "1 trip to the dance in 5 years won't cut it" clearly show your agenda.

I love Mike Anderson, he's doing a fantastic job with this team and they have FAR exceeded my expectations.  I hope Mike stays until he retires.  Now, if we could do something to get rid of the haters.

How dare someone have a different opinion.

CMA seems to be doing a very good job with this team. They are fun to watch and root for. With these guys coming in next year, my expectation will be NCAAt. Anything less, is a failure.

[Hoggish1]

I know "moral victories" are pretty hollow deals, but other than the TAMU disaster, this team is playing at a much higher level than I ever expected.

If Mike can keep improving this crew, they could accidently find a way to slip back into the tourney. While I'm not really expecting that to happen, it is still worthy of comment that they are playing at that level.

They were very close to beating a respectable, talented team on the road last night, and didn't even play all that great. 

One other comment: Johnny Jones is not much of a coach IMO.  Great recruiter apparently, but not much of a coach.

If Mike gets us in, it will be no accident.  The team is playing better, as a group, than any other team he has had here...

[The_Iceman]

Poor recruiting will ultimately be MAs undoing if he stays blindly loyal to the current staff. There were underlying circumstances on losing Monk and Allen, but no excuse to have a as poor a off season as he has had the last couple of years.

I am one of the biggest MA supporters. He finally has HIS team. A team without any locker room clashes that play there ass off for one another and for him. That is the first time since he's been here. I will hold off judgment for one more year, but he HAS to get some more legit D1 talent on the roster, even if it means like Nolan did, of making the hard decison to help someone transfer.

Correct. Recruiting is why we haven't won more games this year, not "coaching." Mike is maximizing the talent he has,  but he is also responsible for the talent he has (or doesn't have).

[jjdlc]

This season has shown just how good a coach CMA is.  There is not one single person here who would have predicted this team averaging in the high 80s in scoring, and playing as well as we have on the road. 

Yes, there are recruiting issues, but he has done a better job in that department this year.  There is also a lot of really good instate talent in the next few years, CMA is going to have a chance to make up for last off season.

[bigdaddyhawg]

If Mike gets us in, it will be no accident.  The team is playing better, as a group, than any other team he has had here...

I get your point, and I agree for the most part, but at this point, with the non-conference resume' we have (and that's not going to change even if we start playing great BB), and the general thinking re: SEC BB, I think it's fair to say we'll need a few breaks to be part of the dance.  I'm not sure it's fair to expect we'd win out, win the conference, or even win the SECT.

[labb]

Re: Recruiting: If you were putting together a team would you rather have three H.S. players that are projected to be one and done's or three of the top J.C. AA's?

[lc480]

No I want 5 players who are there to play team ball and not worry about where or not they are going to make it to the NBA. I think this team plays better together and shares the b :razorback:all better than any team Mike has had since he has been here.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Re: Recruiting: If you were putting together a team would you rather have three H.S. players that are projected to be one and done's or three of the top J.C. AA's?

I've said for a long time I don't want or care about the one and done's.  IMO that's not how a winning BB program will ever be built here.

IMO we don't even need to get a top 10 recruiting classes year in and year out to produce winning teams that dance every year.

We do need really good players who are good kids/good students who will fit Mike's style, who can shoot the rock.

But we need better players than transfers from D2 schools and rejects from other P5 programs.  And we can do better than that, without question.

A really good JC player mixed in here and there is not a problem, and can be an important part of the program.  I just don't want to get where we depend on those kids year after year.

[Science Fiction Greg]

I think everyone understands it is ultimately Mike Anderson's responsibility to get talent here.  The question is should you throw the baby out with the bath water because of it.  I think it's pretty obvious he's a very good coach.  Some things didn't go his way last off-season.  We all understand that that comes back to him.  The question is do you want to be punitive to him and get rid of what is pretty obviously a good coach when getting another coach here is at best a crapshoot?  Or do you want to what is most likely best for the program and keep supporting him and the team and not hope for a coaching change?

The only logic behind wanting to change coaches due to the rough off season is to punish Mike Anderson for what he has done.  I don't think there is much to show that what happened this off-season will happen again or continue to happen.  There is every sign that the future is bright.  There is every sign that the man is a good coach.

Throwing out that it's his responsibility that our talent level is where it is is just stating the obvious and doesn't mean he isn't a good coach or that he isn't what's best for the program right now.  We all get that it's his responsibility.

[3kgthog]

1. Not burying your head in the sand and not being satisfied with one NCAAT berth in 5 years doesn't mean a person hates Mike Anderson. Anyone that says so is simply overreacting and way too sensitive. That record would get a coach fired (or at least warm his seat) at any university with any sort of basketball history.

2. What difference does our scoring make if our defense sucks? Sure, we might get steals, but we give those points back in FTs, rebounds, and easy layups. Case in point the Vandy game. Forcing almost 30 turnovers should NOT mean a team needs OT to put away an average opponent at BWA.

3. I'll never blame MA for Monk. Now that the dust has settled, it appears Marcus exploited his brother and used willing pro-Razorback businessmen and coaches to further Marcus's business goals outside of Arkansas. Malik may have truly sipped the Coach Cal Koolaid, but I'll never believe he wasn't slightly influenced by Marcus. You don't move to Bentonville for just basketball when your brother was already receiving interest from everyone in the country. We got played like a violin at a Shoji Tabuchi show.

[Hoggish1]

I get your point, and I agree for the most part, but at this point, with the non-conference resume' we have (and that's not going to change even if we start playing great BB), and the general thinking re: SEC BB, I think it's fair to say we'll need a few breaks to be part of the dance.  I'm not sure it's fair to expect we'd win out, win the conference, or even win the SECT.

Note, I started my post with IF.

The team is playing far better, as a team, than it has since I've watched him.

Getting in is no accident, if it happens.

[jjdlc]

Did you just call a timeout?

You know as well as I do, had he not called that timeout, and MSU threw the ball down the court and scored, there would be just as many people bitching because CMA didn't call a timeout to set the defense.  darned if you do, darned if you don't.

[SleepyJ]

Mike Anderson is a good recruiter he recruits hard working players with good attitudes... Too bad some of our fans are looking for any stupid reason to say anything bad about mike... With all the set backs this team is facing mike has them playing really good basketball.. WE WERE THE BETTER TEAM LAST NIGHT...... And it's sad but no one gives the man his credit for how he developed players... We don't need a bunch of 1 and dones making dumb mistakes because they play for the name on the back of the jersey instead of the front... We are trending in the right direction... And it's scary how good we'll be next year.. Our biggest problem is our fan base not our coach...

[Rocky&Boarwinkle]

Simmons was obviously the best natural talent on the floor last night.  And even though they pulled out a 2 point win at home, Simmons was part of the reason for and part of the reason why they almost lost it too.  Sometimes he drove in and looked like a world beater.  Other times he drove in and when faced with good defense, refused to pass off to other open players.  IMHO he played selfish, and I know many times you want your star player to be selfish in a way, but I think he is going to hurt LSU several times this year because of those tendencies.  I feel that most of the 1 and done type players are like that and after the dust has settled, I think Monk not coming here might be fine for us in the long run.  If the talent we have was just a tad better, especially about playing defense, the type of hard work and team passing we are seeing would be a formula for being a very good, top 25 type team.  Unfortunately we are a little undersized, and the size we do have is not that offensively talented.  At this time, I would rather see Kouassi get more of Miles' minutes.  He is a fierce rim protector and is a much more avid rebounder.  Even if all of his scoring is garbage buckets, I think we are a better defensive team with him out there instead of Miles.

[ArkansasI]

I happily pass my kudos to Mike and the Hogs. Good game yesterday - heartbreaking loss. I hate that we lost, but I love the passion.

Though I have been critical of Mike, not today. Now let's go beat Kentucky.

[ChicoHog]

As you all know I have never been an Anderson fan.  But I give him props for this group.  This is probably the most enjoyable team to watch since he has been here.  Bell, Hannahs and even Beard are all good shooters.  Kingsley has been very good inside and is probably the MVP of the team.  Durham is much improved.  Miles and Thompson know their roles.  Really a fun team to watch as they shoot well.  In most years we struggle against zone teams but not this year.  And what I really like is we are not pressing as much and giving up easy baskets.  Also not as many stupid fouls on the perimeter reaching or grabbing.  This may be the first time I've seen Anderson adjust to his talent and not force his "system" on a team that does not need it.  So kudos to the coaching staff and team and I will keep watching these guys and hope they do well. 

[elksnort]

As you all know I have never been an Anderson fan.  But I give him props for this group.  This is probably the most enjoyable team to watch since he has been here.  Bell, Hannahs and even Beard are all good shooters.  Kingsley has been very good inside and is probably the MVP of the team.  Durham is much improved.  Miles and Thompson know their roles.  Really a fun team to watch as they shoot well.  In most years we struggle against zone teams but not this year.  And what I really like is we are not pressing as much and giving up easy baskets.  Also not as many stupid fouls on the perimeter reaching or grabbing.  This may be the first time I've seen Anderson adjust to his talent and not force his "system" on a team that does not need it.  So kudos to the coaching staff and team and I will keep watching these guys and hope they do well. 

Very good post. It would be great to make the NIT.

[The_Iceman]

Re: Recruiting: If you were putting together a team would you rather have three H.S. players that are projected to be one and done's or three of the top J.C. AA's?

Honextly, i would rather have Jimmy Whitt's and Moses Kingsley's, 3-4 years four star players, than a team of 5-star one and dones.

[ErieHog]

This is probably his best shooting team, from top to bottom, since he came to Arkansas.   People forget how much of a difference it makes for Anderson's play style, when you have multiple guys with legitimate 3 point range.

We're going to shoot our way into a lot of competitive games against better talent; we're also going to shoot our way out of a few, to some real clunkers.   

[Atlhogfan1]

We are on pace to break the program record for 3pt % for a season by a big margin.

On pace for highest FG% since the NC team.

Should give them a chance most every SEC game.

[HawgAdvocate]

We're going to shoot our way into a lot of competitive games against better talent; we're also going to shoot our way out of a few, to some real clunkers.   

Cosign, the 2000 SEC Tournament Champs.

[MountieDawg]

The ones that amaze me are the ones that say nobody expected this team to be so good and MA deserves all the credit....  Most of those people predicted only 2 or 3 non conf losses and 18 to 20 wins this year... Now as this team is 1 game above 500 we should all believe MA has done a great job this year.... 

There are 14 games left this year and the hogs would have to win 11 of them to get to 20 wins.... They will have to win 7 of the 14 to have a winning record. IF they get to 20 wins I will agree MA has done a great job with this talent, but this talent is his fault, no one else to blame.

[Hawgphish]

I watched practice early on before a football game and no way did I think they would be this competitive.  Kudos to the players and coaches.

[MountieDawg]

I watched practice early on before a football game and no way did I think they would be this competitive.  Kudos to the players and coaches.

I believe you, since November I think this may be the only basketball post you have other than a couple that say the new scoredboard is nice at BWA.

[Sharky]

They are playing better than expected, but our only near-quality wins are against Vanderbilt and Evansville. Even LSU is a sub-100 RPI team. CMA is an okay coach, a couch that will keep us middle of pack even on rebuilding years. On good years, we should be able to be a top-3 conference team. But there's nothing in his resume to show that he is the elite coach that so many want.

For the 20th highest paid coach in the country, and the second highest-paid state employee in Arkansas, we should be a team that reaches the top-25 every year, and we are not even close this year. At best, we've been an on-the-cusp tourney team, but, again, we aren't this year (despite some of you wearing rose-colored lenses). Is that good enough? I think people have a right to expect more.

There also seems to be a significant change to a motion half court offense this year, rather than press or die, more of a hybrid system. I'm curious to see what comes next. I'm still not convinced CMA ball can put us consistently in the tourney, much less a tourney contender. That said, it's good to see us playing with some heart on the road.

But are we getting what we're paying for ... not even close.

[bigdaddyhawg]

They are playing better than expected, but our only near-quality wins are against Vanderbilt and Evansville. Even LSU is a sub-100 RPI team. CMA is an okay coach, a couch that will keep us middle of pack even on rebuilding years. On good years, we should be able to be a top-3 conference team. But there's nothing in his resume to show that he is the elite coach that so many want.

For the 20th highest paid coach in the country, and the second highest-paid state employee in Arkansas, we should be a team that reaches the top-25 every year, and we are not even close this year. At best, we've been an on-the-cusp tourney team, but, again, we aren't this year (despite some of you wearing rose-colored lenses). Is that good enough? I think people have a right to expect more.

There also seems to be a significant change to a motion half court offense this year, rather than press or die, more of a hybrid system. I'm curious to see what comes next. I'm still not convinced CMA ball can put us consistently in the tourney, much less a tourney contender. That said, it's good to see us playing with some heart on the road.

But are we getting what we're paying for ... not even close.

I disagree.  There was a large part of our fan base that is very happy to pay Mike his salary to have a chance at the glory days one more time, and IMO that's really the only route that Jeff Long could have wisely taken.

It is what it is, but it's better than a permanently divided fan base IMO.

[arrow30]

I know "moral victories" are pretty hollow deals, but other than the TAMU disaster, this team is playing at a much higher level than I ever expected.

If Mike can keep improving this crew, they could accidently find a way to slip back into the tourney.  While I'm not really expecting that to happen, it is still worthy of comment that they are playing at that level.

They were very close to beating a respectable, talented team on the road last night, and didn't even play all that great. 

One other comment: Johnny Jones is not much of a coach IMO.  Great recruiter apparently, but not much of a coach.

[longpig]

I started watching when conference play started, looks to me like they're playing together and finishing games much better than last season at the same point on the schedule.

[Slater]

Mike is a good coach, his teams always play hard (they love him) and this season is not a disaster. The Razorbacks will be in the NCAA in 2017, all is well.

[ArkieBrat]

It is so much fun to watch this team.  Most likely, they won't make the dance but I will still be behind CMA & this team, no matter what.  I will be happy if they make the NIT.  GO HOGS!!!!

[Letsroll1200]

This team plays together and is getting better. Beard and Whitt seem to be playing with confidence when the second unit enters the game. This game Thursday night is huge because Kentucky is going to be ready.

I like our chances against the wildcats because they struggle to shoot the 3 ball. We need Dusty to have a solid game and rebound the ball n order to win. I knew MA would have this team playing well before the season because he is a solid basketball coach. Go Hogs!!!!

[BadHog]

It's amazing how satisfying it is to watch the Hogs handle zone defense this year. What a difference a shooter or two makes.

I'm still missing BP and Qualls.

[Breems]

Anyone think we'll sneak in the NIT after all?

[PonderinHog]

Anyone think we'll sneak in the NIT after all?

I'll revisit this after the SECT.

[ErieHog]

Anyone think we'll sneak in the NIT after all?

I just don't see enough wins on the schedule, without winning a couple of SECT games.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I think we fall a bit short.

[Danny J]

I just don't see enough wins on the schedule, without winning a couple of SECT games.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I think we fall a bit short.

I think you right. I still think we will be lucky to finish right at .500 in conf play

[HoopS]

Gonna be tough. That's one of the reasons I was so upset with the loss last night. We needed it and I thought we outplayed them. Give it a couple more weeks and we can start to zero in on what it'll take. 

[Farmer Hogget]

Producing a consistently top 25 program, that plays in the tourney every year, and competes most years for conference championships would go a long way to "getting rid of the haters", I believe.

Or, you could just go be a kentucky fan.  Bye, now!  Don't let the door hit your backside on the way out, okay?  Don't go away mad. . .just go away. 

[LZH]

Some of you just hate Mike Anderson and it doesn't matter what the state of Arkansas basketball was in when he came, it doesn't matter who is and is not on the team, you will never be happy with Mike Anderson.  Every post you make like, "1 trip to the dance in 5 years won't cut it" clearly show your agenda.

I love Mike Anderson, he's doing a fantastic job with this team and they have FAR exceeded my expectations.  I hope Mike stays until he retires.  Now, if we could do something to get rid of the haters.

This is hilarious.