Arkansas Loss Exactly What Hogs Needed
Arkansas fans might have initially felt a little down yesterday after the abrupt ending to what was a gutty performance in a second round SEC Tournament loss to Ole Miss Thursday, but that last second three was exactly what the Hogs needed.
A win not only would have added another day of wear and teary on the heavily damaged bodies of the Razorbacks, it may have propelled them to the No. 9 line, which is a terrible place to end up in the NCAA Tournament. As it stands, Arkansas will be either a low No. 10 or a high No. 11.
The difference between facing a No. 7 and a No. 8 seed is negligible. However, avoiding the No. 1 seed in the next round, no matter what recent Razorback history says, is the better option.
Also, the Hogs need an extra day to duct tape themselves together. Center Zvonimir Ivisic injured his hand in the first game and had to play with more tape on him than a 1980s Ford radiator hose.
He came in against Ole Miss and grimaced through the pain when there was no other choice because of how short-handed the Razorbacks are, but he didn’t need another day of inflicting more damage while Auburn’s Johni Broome licked his chops at a weakened foe.
As for forward Billy Richmond, he needs the extra time to learn how to load up on fluids, develop a taste for bananas and work on his conditioning. The fan favorite gives it his all when he’s on the court, but because of foul and health issues, plus his own success, he had to log way more minutes than he’s used to working, thus cramping up in both games.
How a young man gets to this point in the season without being in condition to go a fully 45 minutes without slowing down must have former coach Nolan Richardson wondering if he’s in the Twilight Zone. How much that can improve in a week is anyone’s guess, but an extra day to rest up and rebuild his body can’t hurt.
Beyond the obvious physical needs, Arkansas coach John Calipari has been handed a gift. The South Carolina game emphasized the need to keep pushing when the Hogs get up big and also the importance of hitting a free throw for a four-point lead with a few seconds left rather than intentionally missing and hoping the other team doesn’t hit a last second shot.
He also has a concrete visual of why it’s important not to foul on a two-point attempt in the closing seconds when the Hogs are up three and also why it’s better to not start the final possession with no shot clock until under eight seconds so the worst thing that can happen is overtime.
There are no down sides to how this played out. Arkansas competed hard, built even more confidence with its players, created an easier path in the NCAA Tournament, gained more time to rest a banged up team and lost in a jarring way full of teachable moments.
With the team so short-handed, the odds of injury to yet another player would have gone up against Auburn. It would have been a disaster for the Hogs to go into that game that could do little for them as far as NCAA Tournament success and have a Cooper Flagg moment where Aidoo or Brazile went down with a serious injury.
The Razorbacks are in the tournament and with Oklahoma losing to Kentucky in that wild finish the final 29 seconds Wednesday night, the odds of ending up in a play-in game are pretty much zero. So, while it’s technically a loss, take the win Arkansas fans.
Hope Ivisic’s hand gets better and Richmond’s conditioning improves and get ready for what should be Arkansas’ best possible shot at reaching its full potential in the NCAA Tournament. It wouldn’t be that way otherwise.
