What ESPN Says About Razorbacks’ NCAA Tournament Hopes
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The SEC portion of Arkansas’ schedule has not been kind to first-year coach John Calipari.
Already shorthanded, the Razorbacks’ victory over Texas last week with a seven-man rotation nearly solidified them as an NCAA Tournament at-large bid team. Just a few short days later Arkansas is back on the tournament bubble after a horrific loss to SEC doormat South Carolina.
Arkansas cannot afford to lose in similar fashion during its road trip to Vanderbilt Tuesday night. With Adou Thiero’s health still in question after hyperextending his knee late in the second half against Missouri eight days ago, the Razorbacks will have to find offense by committee at Memorial Gymnasium.
Similarly to how Calipari’s team struggles to consistently make shots, Vanderbilt suffers from defensive lapses allowing 74 points per game which ranks No. 234 out of 364 Division I programs. Even though the Razorbacks couldn’t drop a beach ball in the ocean against South Carolina, the Commodores allow opponents to make over 37% of attempts from three-point range this season.
In the month of February, Arkansas went 5-3 including notable victories over Texas, Kentucky and Missouri. In that stretch, the Razorbacks made over 38% from three and exactly 74 points per game which is exactly the amount Vanderbilt allows this season.
While Arkansas is currently included in the “Last Four In,” they avoid the play-in round in Dayton as the top No. 11 seed. If the Razorbacks fail to figure things out with their limited rotation, there is a strong possibility North Carolina leaps them and several others with a Saturday showdown against Duke.
It’s worth noting both of Arkansas’ final two regular season games will be Quad 1 opportunities against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. The Commodores are on lowest rated No. 9 seed and the Bulldogs as the second highest No. 7 seed.
Calipari’s Hogs would benefit as a double digit seed considering how short handed they are. If the Razorbacks finish 1-1 in the regular season and win a game in the SEC Tournament, it may be enough to avoid no-man’s land, playing a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the second round.
