The Madness Looms, Heath Lays It On the Line

Wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt in the final week of the regular season were nice, but they're far from resounding enough to put the Razorbacks into the NCAA Tournament field. No, it's going to take quite the showing in Atlanta later this week for Arkansas to get there now. Which isn't to say it's impossible; it's just not all that likely.

A lot of people around these parts have argued for Stan Heath to be fired at the end of the year, claiming he's had his run with the school and that it's time for a change. (Isn't it amazing how the fans clamor for a coach with integrity, class and intelligence, when they have a guy with all of that already?) I'm going to reserve my judgment on Heath's future for now, pending the outcome of this week's conference tournament.

But clearly, a lot rides on the line for the Hogs this weekend. There's no question Arkansas was a young team this year, folks. Without Ronnie Brewer, Eric Ferguson or Jonathan Modica, the Hogs had very little experience on the perimeter going into the season, and it showed with major troubles in the ballhandling department.

Of late, things seem to have changed. It took a little pushing and shoving with Mississippi State last Wednesday to pull it out of them, but it appears the Razorbacks are finally showing the toughness, tenacity and togetherness that eluded them all season. Getting it to translate to the Georgia Dome this week will be Stan Heath's major task.

Which brings us back to Stan and the question of whether or not he'll return as coach next year. This much I know: you better have the replacement lined up and ready to roll before you make a move here. Heath increased his win total in each of his first four years before a bit of sidestep this year. But his team was mostly young, inexperienced and lacking a leader. It's taken almost the entire season, but of late, freshmen Michael Washington and Stefan Welsh have stepped up their games and now combine with Patrick Beverley to give Arkansas a talented corps foundation for the next few years.

I don't think Arkansas should have to win the SEC tournament for Stan Heath to return next year. Three wins and a trip to the SEC Final would probably leave Arkansas just a bit short in its quest for a Big Dance berth this year, but it ought to be enough to show folks that this team is headed in the right direction. And for Arkansas, that's what this week in Atlanta is all about: showing the Razorback faithful that the future is bright by giving them a taste of it right now.

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Now for the fun stuff....

Josh's Projected Top 16 Seeds:

#1 seeds: Ohio State, UCLA, Florida, Kansas

#2 seeds: North Carolina, Wisconsin, Texas A & M, Georgetown

#3 seeds: Memphis, Southern Illinois, Pittsburgh, Nevada

#4 seeds: Texas, Virginia, Butler, Washington State

Josh's All-America First Team

F- Nick Fazekas, Nevada
F- Kevin Durant, Texas
C- Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
G- Acie Law, Texas A & M
G- Alando Tucker, Wisconsin

All-America Second Team

F- Mario Boggan, Oklahoma State
F- Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt
C- Greg Oden, Ohio State
G- Chris Lofton, Tennessee
G- Sean Singletary, Virginia

Honorable Mentions: Glen Davis, LSU; Brandon Rush, Kansas; Arron Afflalo, UCLA; Jarrius Jackson, Texas Tech; Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh; Roy Hibbert, Georgetown; Demetris Nichols, Syracuse; Aaron Brooks, Oregon; Joakim Noah, Florida; A.J. Graves, Butler
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-JAB