Next up....Alabama!

[RacinRazorback]

IMO this is a HUGE game for us. I read on here how we are safely in the NCAA tourney, the 2nd best in the SEC, and so on. After being at BWA and seeing the egg that we laid in front of a packed crowd, I wouldn't bet on it. IF we drop tomorrow nights game at home, we are in trouble. Hopefully CMA can get us back on track. WPS!

[latrops]

IMO this is a HUGE game for us. I read on here how we are safely in the NCAA tourney, the 2nd best in the SEC, and so on. After being at BWA and seeing the egg that we laid in front of a packed crowd, I wouldn't bet on it. IF we drop tomorrow nights game at home, we are in trouble. Hopefully CMA can get us back on track. WPS!

If the NCAAT selections were made today, we'd be in.  We slipped a bit last week, though....to the point that we don't have much margin for error.  A loss to Alabama at home would move us to the wrong side of the bubble and put us in a really bad spot moving forward...needing to not only win out at home but also win at least 3 more on the road.  That would be a lot to ask of a team sitting at 2-3 in the conference with back to back home losses, especially with a trip to UK left on the schedule (though a miraculous win there might cancel out at least two losses).

[Breems]

I'd bet the house that the defensive intensity will increase tenfold this game. Doubt they want to be embarrassed on their home floor again.

[Wild Bill Hog]

We'll win.

[arkansasrazorback]

Bama plays zone defense.  Hopefully, more than Portis and Qualls show up.  If Portis or Qualls has an off night, it might not be pretty.

[bigred223]

Forget the zone crap. We will score enough points. We have to make plays on defense, plain and simple.

[texhog]

I think this is a pivotal game. It might not put us in the dance with a win but a loss could put us outside looking in.

[RacinRazorback]

I think this is a pivotal game. It might not put us in the dance with a win but a loss could put us outside looking in.

Exactly! And this is a pretty good Bama team. I certainly am not overlooking them just because it's a home game. Another home loss would be hard to overcome. WPS!

[bigdaddyhawg]

It's simple: We play like we did vs. Vandy, we win.  We play like we did against Tenn/OM, we lose.

[latrops]

Bama plays zone defense.  Hopefully, more than Portis and Qualls show up.  If Portis or Qualls has an off night, it might not be pretty.

Zones aren't kryptonite for us.  Madden, Bell, Qualls, Portis, Beard, and Harris all can shoot.  If we could get a couple of players other than Qualls or Portis hitting jumpers like they are capable of a zone wouldn't be much of a problem.  We need to make open shots of our own while cutting down on the open looks for our opponents.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Zones aren't kryptonite for us. 

Maybe, but they certainly aren't medicine either.

[latrops]

I'd bet the house that the defensive intensity will increase tenfold this game. Doubt they want to be embarrassed on their home floor again.

No matter how intense we are or how hard we play, our defense is going to give up some open looks because it extends itself so much while lacking an impact rim protector.  The issue is whether we can force and score off turnovers (while not turning it over too much ourselves).  If Bama doesn't turn it over much and generally makes it a half court game, we'd better hit our perimeter shots. 

[latrops]

Maybe, but they certainly aren't medicine either.

Ole Miss was shooting 70+% into the 2nd half.  We have things we need to work on offensively, but much of that is just having guys hit when they have a good look and cut down on our own turnovers.  Defensively is where we have to make drastic improvements.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Ole Miss was shooting 70+% into the 2nd half.  We have things we need to work on offensively, but much of that is just having guys hit when they have a good look and cut down on our own turnovers.  Defensively is where we have to make drastic improvements.

The discussion wasn't, at that point, about defense.  It was about how we struggle against zones.

The main reason we struggle is we do not play a PG who is good at getting into the cracks of a zone and getting the ball to shooters in good shooting positions.

We have had a couple of games where Williams or Portis found holes inside the zone and we found them consistently, but, for the most part, all we do is passively pass the ball around the zone, accomplishing nothing OR we stand outside the zone, pounding the ball into the floor, again, accomplishing nothing.

All this has nothing to do with our defense.

[opineonswine]

I predict we lose.

[Hawg Red]

I expect the Hogs to come out rabid tomorrow night. They'll be out to prove a point. Might not be a blowout (Bama is very solid defensively) but we'll win. We'll stop the bleeding.

[opineonswine]

I expect the Hogs to come out rabid tomorrow night. They'll be out to prove a point. Might not be a blowout (Bama is very solid defensively) but we'll win. We'll stop the bleeding.

I wouldn't bet on it.  This team is too unpredictable.

[bigdaddyhawg]

I expect the Hogs to come out rabid tomorrow night. They'll be out to prove a point. Might not be a blowout (Bama is very solid defensively) but we'll win. We'll stop the bleeding.

We're playing poorly recently.  Bama seems to be playing better.

Which is why I pick the Hogs. 

[Hawg Red]

We're playing poorly recently.  Bama seems to be playing better.

Which is why I pick the Hogs. 

Both Alabama and Arkansas have lost back-to-back games. Arkansas was on a 7-game win streak and Bama was on a 6-game win streak.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Both Alabama and Arkansas have lost back-to-back games. Arkansas was on a 7-game win streak and Bama was on a 6-game win streak.

OK.  I didn't get to see their game vs. UK.  I guess I was comparing how they've played recently vs. earlier in the year.

[Danny J]

I am not even the slightest bit worried about Bama. They are not a great offensive team and they don't have really strong upperclassmen PG play. I will be surprised if the game is within 10 points at the end.

[Hog1952]

I predict we lose.

Agree opineonswine unless we are hitting a lot of 3's.  :razorback:

[razorbackkid]

Forrest Gumps' box of chocolates.....I have no idea of how our team will play.

[Sharky]

I am not even the slightest bit worried about Bama. They are not a great offensive team and they don't have really strong upperclassmen PG play. I will be surprised if the game is within 10 points at the end.

Bama's two top scorers are junior and senior guards who also average a combined 3.1 turnovers per game. Qualls and Madden are averaging a combined 4.1 turnovers per game. Hardly seems like a turnover machine?

We might well destroy Alabama. They certainly don't average as many points as us, but who knows, really. If CMA ball is consistently anything, it's consistently unpredictable. At least we should be very well rested and firing on all cylinders tonight.

[bigdaddyhawg]

I am not even the slightest bit worried about Bama. They are not a great offensive team and they don't have really strong upperclassmen PG play. I will be surprised if the game is within 10 points at the end.

Seems your take on things needs a bit of adjustment.