Thoughts from the game?

[The Waterboy]

I'm surprised at some of the Qualls negativity here tonight.  He punched down a one handed dunk with his right hand while moving to his left.  Extremely athletic as we've all seem multiple times.  He likes to chest pound a little after dunks but I like the fire. 

He didn't have his best game overall but he knocked down 2 big 3's from the corner and dribbled his face on the floor pretty frickin hard. 

Personally I think he's a stud. 

[jry04]

My opinion of Qualls has little to do with his game.  He is an exciting player and great athlete who has continued to improve.  Love watching him take a perimeter shot with that lift. 

The T in the first half is just a glimpse.  I'm really concerned of what may happen at some point this season.  Notice Lee talking to him after the T.  If he doesn't get this under control, he will ruin his long term career.   

the T was a little ridiculous, though. He was celebrating his big play like he always does. The inbounder dropped the ball to let someone else inbound it while Qualls was getting. Ready to inbound it and he walked into Qualls. I see that exact thing happen 3 or 4 times every game and tonight was the first time I have seen him get called for a T. The refs were pretty bad all game, though.

[Rawker]

Hate to derail a thread...but, yes, it's (your post history) is almost 100% NEGATIVE in regards to basketball. At least wait until we lose before you go on your set-play spiel.

Hate to pile on, but....actually in this case I enjoy it.  Showtime nailed it with that last statement, so I'll just withhold my take and get out some popcorn for the show.

[Atlhogfan1]

the T was a little ridiculous, though. He was celebrating his big play like he always does. The inbounder dropped the ball to let someone else inbound it while Qualls was getting. Ready to inbound it and he walked into Qualls. I see that exact thing happen 3 or 4 times every game and tonight was the first time I have seen him get called for a T. The refs were pretty bad all game, though.

I believe if that had been most any other Hog player, a T would not have been called.  Possibly a warning from the official. 

[BentonvilleJeff]

About the lack of set plays. Mike learned from Nolan that your set plays are on defense primarily and that sets up the offense.

One thing I like about Qualls is he's got a knack for coming up with big buckets when you have to get one. I don't think he's overrated at all.

[kaptainkory]

the T was a little ridiculous, though. He was celebrating his big play like he always does. The inbounder dropped the ball to let someone else inbound it while Qualls was getting. Ready to inbound it and he walked into Qualls. I see that exact thing happen 3 or 4 times every game and tonight was the first time I have seen him get called for a T. The refs were pretty bad all game, though.

I thought that whistle was way over zealous, too.  Just step in and tell him to tone it down first.  It was a dead ball, after all.

The last few years MA has had too many "heroes".  Heroes are great at home, but you need a few "villains" to win on the road.  Qualls does need to be smart, but you can't fault him for staring down the competition in their house and saying "bring it on"!  You have to have a player or two with that bad boy attitude, or you'll get whipped like a little school girl by average teams when you take the show on the road.

[-Blu]

you need a few "villains" to win on the road.  Qualls does need to be smart, but you can't fault him for staring down the competition in their house and saying "bring it on"!  You have to have a player or two with that bad boy attitude, or you'll get whipped like a little school girl by average teams when you take the show on the road.

[BadHog]

Portis is a stud. Imagine him with some of the fire of Qualls. I'd like to see that develop.

I really thought our pressure defense served us well on the road tonight with the turnovers it created - that offset the excessive whistle blowing.

[AWHAWG]

Darn.  This is the same crap that was said about Nolan's teams.

you mean like when they were doing it against Duke and Stewart bobbles the ball and passes to Thurman. should have been a set play

[Biggus Piggus]

I liked how the Hogs stayed in control despite the refs' pathetic pandering to the home crowd. Resilience can take this team far.

[Atlhogfan1]

Minutes tonight
Portis 30
Qualls 29
Williams 27
Bell 26
Madden 21
Watkins 17
Beard and Harris 14
Kingsley and Durham 9

[Iwastherein1969]

I liked how the Hogs stayed in control despite the refs' pathetic pandering to the home crowd. Resilience can take this team far.

that was impressive....I think we haven't been this tough since '98 ...this crew may and will get beaten from time to time, but they aren't intimidated by anyone

[Hogz87]

Anyone else think the mostly uneven and, for stretches, inconsistent, one-sided officiating might've had anything to do with Qualls' technical?  Seems like right after the T, there was a string of pretty head-scratching, questionable calls in SMU's favor and also some "are you serious?" no-calls that should've been in our favor.  Kinda made me think the refs thought Qualls was trying to show them up and they let it affect how they called the game immediately after.  Not saying this explained the same uneven officiating throughout the rest of the game, but I couldn't help but feel like it played a factor the first several minutes after Qualls got T'd up. 

And I actually like Qualls and don't even really have a problem with what he did tonight when he got T'd up.  Now, when he kept on jawing and nearly got tossed, I thought that was taking it too far.  But I like having that almost too cocky, in your face annoyance type player that can get under the other team's skin.  Adds some swagger and attitude to the team. 

Overall, I'm happy with how we played tonight.  Wish we hadn't looked so sloppy and disjointed for short stretches on offense, but it happens.  We were on the road against a good defensive team who was being allowed to get away with and do things on defense that we weren't allowed to get away with on defense.

[Capt. Hamm]

Road win! We need to be able to take the show on the road to be a great team! Go Hogs!

[Potosihog]

I loved Jacory's energy while at the same time being under control in the game.  Just one request for CMA, Please, Please take him out of the game with 2 min left.  His defense is good but if I am the opposing team I do not foul ANYBODY except JW.

Qualls reminds me of Darrell Walker.  YEAH BABY..........Oh No!  With that kind of intensity you have to take the bad with the good.  I really like his game and it is not just about the dunks.  Love the intensity.  Hopefully he learns from this game and learns to walk away when he needs to.

Beard has surprised me.  Especially on the road in a hostile environment.  His game wasn't perfect tonight but that young man has confidence.   I remember a lot of conversation on here during the off season about him helping us in year two.  Doesn't look like it is going to take that long.

Bobby--we love you and sure are going to miss you next year.  I know we are only 4 games in but the improvement from last year till now is astounding.

This team has a chance to be very, very good.  I hope they stay coachable.

[HognitiveDissonance]

Good win.
Not the same SMU team expected to face in the summer. Top recruit not playing, and Kennedy is out. But still a good road win. They will get better and play well and people will remember we beat them on the road.
Like Jacorey's improvement, but yes, take him out when it becomes a FT contest.
A Harris does some good things, but still is the weak link in the offense a lot. Too many forced plays.

No one expects this team to compete for a national title, I know, but this team has too many wasted possessions. Too many bad shots, empty trips, and turnovers. They also need a more consistent low-block threat and one more consistent 3-pt shooter. In other words, a Corliss/Thurman combo. Portis, as good as he is, is a stretch forward. When you have a guy to drop it to on the low-block who is a threat to score or draw fouls, it really opens the game for the perimeter guys and helps with the spacing. Likewise, a serious threat spaces the floor and gives more room for the post guys. And when you have both, then you're a threat for serious things. I still can't figure out why Moses doesn't play more; he has a nice shot and his defense is outstanding. Put Moses and Portis on the floor at the same time. Portis will float and Moses can post up. On D, that's great rim protection, allowing the guards to gamble a bit more.

I see this team as being Anderson's best...an extremely deep team that is the same from player 2-12(Portis is a clear #1)...with pretty good shooting and very good defense....but missing the pieces mentioned above to do serious damage.

Even though I don't expect us to beat UK this year, I think it's actually a team like Ark that will beat them. You HAVE to get those bigs from UK running up and down the floor. That makes them play your game, and make their perimeter guys handle the ball, play well, and beat you. You know darn well you're not going to beat them in a halfcourt game. Their bigs are incredible.

[TomBigBeeHog]

Sounds like you think we shouldn't be ranked. 

[ErieHog]

I loved Jacory's energy while at the same time being under control in the game.  Just one request for CMA, Please, Please take him out of the game with 2 min left.  His defense is good but if I am the opposing team I do not foul ANYBODY except JW.

Qualls reminds me of Darrell Walker.  YEAH BABY..........Oh No!  With that kind of intensity you have to take the bad with the good.  I really like his game and it is not just about the dunks.  Love the intensity.  Hopefully he learns from this game and learns to walk away when he needs to.

Beard has surprised me.  Especially on the road in a hostile environment.  His game wasn't perfect tonight but that young man has confidence.   I remember a lot of conversation on here during the off season about him helping us in year two.  Doesn't look like it is going to take that long.

Bobby--we love you and sure are going to miss you next year.  I know we are only 4 games in but the improvement from last year till now is astounding.

This team has a chance to be very, very good.  I hope they stay coachable.

Jacorey was our best FT shooting option to play the 4 or 5, when Portis fouled out;  over the course of last season, he was better from the line than Harris, Kingsley, or even Michael Qualls.

Just another case of a strange preconception coloring what has been a pretty darn good performance by Jacorey.

[Lanny]

I thought that whistle was way over zealous, too.  Just step in and tell him to tone it down first.  It was a dead ball, after all.

The last few years MA has had too many "heroes".  Heroes are great at home, but you need a few "villains" to win on the road.  Qualls does need to be smart, but you can't fault him for staring down the competition in their house and saying "bring it on"!  You have to have a player or two with that bad boy attitude, or you'll get whipped like a little school girl by average teams when you take the show on the road.

Excellent

[Corkscrew Johnson]

Jacorey was our best FT shooting option to play the 4 or 5, when Portis fouled out;  over the course of last season, he was better from the line than Harris, Kingsley, or even Michael Qualls.

Just another case of a strange preconception coloring what has been a pretty darn good performance by Jacorey.

1.  When the other team is in 100% foul mode, you don't need a traditional 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 on the floor.  You cab sub around that for defense.  And if you happen to get stuck in a situation where they are on the floor, inbound the ball to the right player.
2.   Jacorey got really flustered after missing that first free throw.  Talk about wearing your emotions on your sleeve. Maybe this was a learning experience for him.

[ErieHog]

1.  When the other team is in 100% foul mode, you don't need a traditional 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 on the floor.  You cab sub around that for defense.  And if you happen to get stuck in a situation where they are on the floor, inbound the ball to the right player.
2.   Jacorey got really flustered after missing that first free throw.  Talk about wearing your emotions on your sleeve. Maybe this was a learning experience for him.

You need to be able to defend  and rebound in games that are within a possession or two inside the final 2 minutes.    Keep in mind it was Jacorey's excellent decision making that enabled Qualls to get his 2 big FTs, as well.

I have no idea why people are so dead-set against Jacorey playing important minutes, especially when he has been so very productive.

[Randy Lively]

I'm surprised at some of the Qualls negativity here tonight.  He punched down a one handed dunk with his right hand while moving to his left.  Extremely athletic as we've all seem multiple times.  He likes to chest pound a little after dunks but I like the fire. 

He didn't have his best game overall but he knocked down 2 big 3's from the corner and dribbled his face on the floor pretty frickin hard. 

Personally I think he's a stud. 

and then didn't get back on D and they got an easy lay up.

[thebignasty]

Qualls mouthing forever after the T didn't help Arkansas get any calls.

[ChicaGO HOGS GO]

Thought we played well, and happy to win in a tough environment. Thought without a whistle (or two) we were close to blowing them out. This team has the talent, and is showing tenacity. One game at a time, with a big one against Iowa State coming up.

Go Hogs GO

[TheArkansasTraveller]

A few things I noticed.

Jacorey Williams deserves the minutes over Harris with the first group. He's erractic like Harris, but doesn't take the really bad shots that Harris does. I like him with the first group. 

Just because Jacorey is with the 2nd team off the bench doesn't mean he doesn't belong as a starter.  MA likes what he brings and needs him to come off the bench and deliver better than AH would by getting into the opposing teams legs. Look at the minutes played at the end of the game and that will tell you everything you need to know about how he's being used.  He's strategically perfect where he's at.  :razorback: :razorback: :razorback:

[TheArkansasTraveller]

Why is Qualls your least favorite Hog ever?  I love his intensity and hard-nosed attitude!

Yea, that's a head scratch.  Qualls made us a sportscenter top 10 regular last year when there hasn't been much positive recognized about Arkansas Basketball in a long time. 

[TheArkansasTraveller]

This.

I think he is sooo overrated, and at the same time, am in complete awe of some of the plays he pulls off.

Again, how is he overrated?  He didn't get picked preseason all SEC.  He's going to start because he is one of the top 5 best players on the team.  How is he overrated much less "soooo overrated"?  He's been nothing but dynamic with pretty good basketball IQ.

[ErieHog]

Again, how is he overrated?  He didn't get picked preseason all SEC.  He's going to start because he is one of the top 5 best players on the team.  How is he overrated much less "soooo overrated"?  He's been nothing but dynamic with pretty good basketball IQ.

Still has significant hand dominance for a supposed secondary ball handler; still can't go left, even against inferior athletes; struggles to create his own shot off the bounce;   still disappears for long stretches;  gambles on defense, and is among our worst at trying to cherry pick a break opportunity.  He passes up shots that would free him up to work off the bounce later, because he wants to attack the rim, even when it is to the detriment of the offense.    Frequent bouts of immaturity and sulking, which contribute to his disappearances.

His passing is better than it has been, but you still won't get the ball in a productive position if you are on his left side, or being passed to off a left-handed bounce.   His basketball IQ is actually quite poor, save for his understanding of spacing in transition and offensive rebounding.   He lets ticky tack fouls (which he commits too many of) get him out of his game, and into a dialogue with the referees.

Dynamic athleticism and momentum creating moments make people overvalue him significantly;  he's a very nice player, and a team needs that kind of dynamism to shake it out of funks every now and then,  but if Qualls were a clear cut second option on your team,  you aren't tournament bound.

The rest of the world rates him as what he is-- a highlight reel with basketball limitations.

Our fan base tries to rate him as 1B, to Portis' 1A, and only after a long, regretful sigh that he can't be 1A.

Realistically, he's the 3rd most important Hog to our success, maybe.

And no, this isn't Qualls bashing.  This is being honest about it, and grateful for what he does bring to the team, but not operating under any illusions that him getting hurt would derail our season as significantly as a number of others.

His game has come a long way, but still has a long way to go.     He's always going to inspire that William Mills/Ron Huery type comparison for being the immense athletic talent;  thankfully, he hasn't paired that with their poor decision making off the court.

[Atlhogfan1]

Still has significant hand dominance for a supposed secondary ball handler; still can't go left, even against inferior athletes; struggles to create his own shot off the bounce;   still disappears for long stretches;  gambles on defense, and is among our worst at trying to cherry pick a break opportunity.  He passes up shots that would free him up to work off the bounce later, because he wants to attack the rim, even when it is to the detriment of the offense.    Frequent bouts of immaturity and sulking, which contribute to his disappearances.

His passing is better than it has been, but you still won't get the ball in a productive position if you are on his left side, or being passed to off a left-handed bounce.   His basketball IQ is actually quite poor, save for his understanding of spacing in transition and offensive rebounding.   He lets ticky tack fouls (which he commits too many of) get him out of his game, and into a dialogue with the referees.

Dynamic athleticism and momentum creating moments make people overvalue him significantly;  he's a very nice player, and a team needs that kind of dynamism to shake it out of funks every now and then,  but if Qualls were a clear cut second option on your team,  you aren't tournament bound.

The rest of the world rates him as what he is-- a highlight reel with basketball limitations.

Our fan base tries to rate him as 1B, to Portis' 1A, and only after a long, regretful sigh that he can't be 1A.

Realistically, he's the 3rd most important Hog to our success, maybe.

And no, this isn't Qualls bashing.  This is being honest about it, and grateful for what he does bring to the team, but not operating under any illusions that him getting hurt would derail our season as significantly as a number of others.

His game has come a long way, but still has a long way to go.     He's always going to inspire that William Mills/Ron Huery type comparison for being the immense athletic talent;  thankfully, he hasn't paired that with their poor decision making off the court.

Mills was a name I thought of but didn't want to post.  Huery and Ali Thompson are a couple of others.  He has had issues but we won't discuss them.  Lets just hope they don't happen during a game as I've already seen signs this season suggesting they could. 

[Atlhogfan1]

I thought that whistle was way over zealous, too.  Just step in and tell him to tone it down first.  It was a dead ball, after all.

The last few years MA has had too many "heroes".  Heroes are great at home, but you need a few "villains" to win on the road.  Qualls does need to be smart, but you can't fault him for staring down the competition in their house and saying "bring it on"!  You have to have a player or two with that bad boy attitude, or you'll get whipped like a little school girl by average teams when you take the show on the road.

When Scotty stared down an inbounder in Rupp and hit his chest during a Hog run, that was bravado and possibly inspirational.

When Qualls has done what he has on the court this season including in Dallas, he scares the hell out of the coaches and his teammates as they know what could happen.  Notice how they try and control him and then sat him.  His antics aren't inspiring or toughness that will flow over to his teammates. 

[mhuff]

and then didn't get back on D and they got an easy lay up.

That is exactly what happened. I don't think his mind was on the game there for a while. There were a couple of times that Portis and Kingsley got beat getting back down court. It surprised me because they know better. MA should have worn them out in practice...... The defense could be much better..... It really shocked me that we could play that poorly and still win. We could be really , really good.

We are getting a lot of assists ,but we are not running our half court offense well at all. Now I hear people talk about set plays...... what the heck is wrong with that. How about a man cutting across the middle and a pass for an easy lay up. I see everybody else working for those set ups for high percentage shots...... but not us as much as we should. We are not getting the ball inside to any one as much as we should. Watch Gonzaga if you want to see a well oiled machine.

[Iwastherein1969]

When Scotty stared down an inbounder in Rupp and hit his chest during a Hog run, that was bravado and possibly inspirational.

We'll never have another "Scotty Ice"....one imagines his blood pressure never exceeds 110/65...the most clutch college player these eyes have ever seen...although the former Hog PG sitting down on the end of the bench as an assistant these days comes close, Lee "I stuck it down deep in the heart o Texas" Mayberry