Part III: Heath's Hogs Take on Kentucky to Recapture Magic over Kentucky

[Bomis Hawg]

Part I
Part II

...After Arkansas let Nolan Richardson go, they hired former Eastern Michigan player and Kent State head coach Stan Heath as the new head coach.  He would struggle out of the gate...

Heath didn't have the weapons that Nolan had his last few years, or even what Heath had at Kent State.  In the first match between Arkansas and Kentucky under Heath ended with another first in this great series, it was  Tubby Smith's first career win at Bud Walton Arena -- second evey by Kentucky.

In 2003, Arkansas was close heading into the break, but the Wildcats thumped the Hogs in the second.  Kentucky would eventually win the game easily 66-50.  It was the second fewest points ever scored at Bud Walton Arena (37 is the record; set previously in the season).

Then, Kentucky put it to Heath's Hogs in 2004.  Arkansas was close until a 12-point run by Kentucky nearly knocked the Hogs out.  Then, in the second half, the Wildcats put up another big run to take a lead that would float up to the 20s.  A sound beating by Kentucky, 73-56, is nothing new in Rupp Arena.  But, it was the fewest points an Arkansas team scored on Kentucky in back-to-back games since joining the SEC.  "We tried to feed off our offense tonight, and that doesn't work,'' Heath said. "We didn't bring the type of intensity to win on the road in this environment.''

But, once Heath starting pumping the program with his recruits, the team started to show signs of life.  And, the Kentucky game delivered also.  This 2005 game was reminiscent of the old days when Kentucky and Arkansas routinely staged some of the Southeastern Conference's fiercest battles. There were nine ties and seven lead changes throughout the game.  Michael Jones would get injured early and would not return.  Ronnie Brewer would hurt his ankle early after having played a very good first half.  Hogs had a great game.  A last second Eric Ferguson three-pointer, after hitting one seconds earlier, fell short and Kentucky somehow found a way to leave Bud Walton Arena with a victory -- the first two-game winning streak at Bud Walton or Barnhill.

Last year, Heath had a team that would make a return to the NCAA tournament.  But, the mighty Wildcats took a pag efrom the Razorback teams of old -- cutting a major deficit into a victory.  They sliced an 18-point lead by Arkansas to only a dozen by halftime.  After Arkansas was up 54-34, the typical run in this series came.  The Wildcats found a way to slowly eat away at the lead then hit their high gear.  They took a 17-3 run that turned a 57-51 Arkansas lead into a 68-60 UK edge with 2:24 remaining. The lead reached nine with 1:43 remaining before Arkansas scared the daylights out of the Cats with a final-minute scoring barrage that was helped by UK making just 6-of-12 free throws in the final 60 seconds.  But, Kentucky held on to a 78-76 win.

The two games in 1995 werer the only two-game span that was closer than the 3-point difference in the last two games in the series.

Today, Arkansas and Stan Heath being the quest to recapture the magic of Bud Walton Arena as well as the magic over the Wildcats at Bud Walton.  Arkansas is 3-1 at home in February against Kentucky.  This year's super duo of Patrick Beverley and Sonny Weems haven't been in this rivalry, but many have.  But, neither did Corliss or Scotty did when they beat Kentucky in 1993.  Kareem, Derek, and Pat had 6 games under their belt, but they played well in the series prior.

Our time is now.  It's been nearly seven years since the Razorbacks have beat Kentucky.  Arkansas has a chance to rekindle the Arkansas mystique.  For all of the fans that will jam-pack Walton Arena, it could be one of those days in Arkansas history that you'll look back on in 10 years and say, "I was there." 

Arkansas was the team in the SEC.  Today, Arkansas begins the reclimation of their spot atop of the SEC's heavy hitters.  Go Hogs!

[HogISH™]

nice work again.

you think we can get all parts on a DVD soon

HogISH

[Bomis Hawg]

DVD with extras and added commentary, with deleted scenes?

Would be nice. 

[jamie72921]

Too bad Kentucky had fall back to us, instead of us reching to them.

[Bomis Hawg]

Too bad Kentucky had fall back to us, instead of us reching to them.

I think it's all relative. 

Today, especially in the SEC, you won't have two teams like Kentucky and Arkansas just dominate a league like that.  Competition and talent distribution is not the same.

Still, I see your point.  I think both teams met in the middle, more than Kentucky dropping.  The Kentucky teams that went to three straight National Title games were unreal.  Arkansas in the two straight National Title trips were really good.

That sort of 5-year run by the SEC is just hard to duplicate.  Arkansas had a Sweet 16 run in those three years by Kentucky, and the Wildcats had an Elite 8 run during Arkansas' run.

It might be a while before two teams in the SEC do that again.

[jamie72921]

Too bad Kentucky had fall back to us, instead of us reching to them.

I think it's all relative. 

Today, especially in the SEC, you won't have two teams like Kentucky and Arkansas just dominate a league like that.  Competition and talent distribution is not the same.

Still, I see your point.  I think both teams met in the middle, more than Kentucky dropping.  The Kentucky teams that went to three straight National Title games were unreal.  Arkansas in the two straight National Title trips were really good.

That sort of 5-year run by the SEC is just hard to duplicate.  Arkansas had a Sweet 16 run in those three years by Kentucky, and the Wildcats had an Elite 8 run during Arkansas' run.

It might be a while before two teams in the SEC do that again.

It all cycles though, doesn't it?

I just don't want to see what happened to rivalry between us and Texas in football repeat here.

It got to where those games were no longer televised anywhere because the programs had slipped.

I love this rivalry. It has been a lot of fun. I can't wait for the day that both these programs return to prominence, and I do believe they will.

I will enjoy todays game, just because. Go Hogs!