Hogs Rout Tigers, Grab First Round SEC Bye

Was this what we expected out of the Razorbacks all year long?

It’s hard a question to answer, even after the team’s 77-64 rout of hapless Auburn on Saturday’s Senior Night at Bud Walton Arena. 20-10 overall, with a 9-7 mark in the league . . . worthy of an NCAA bid? Probably, but not without a little more work in the SEC Tournament this weekend. At least according to Arkansas coach John Pelphrey, who set the single-season school record for wins by a first-year coach against the Tigers.

“I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t know right now,” Pelphrey offered up in Saturday’s post-game press conference. “Just let our play do the talking and have someone else make the decision.”

Their play did more of the talking at home against Auburn on Saturday. Senior Night got contributions from the full complement of seniors (six in all) on the roster: Vincent Hunter with a rim-rattling slam; Darian Townes a career-high 14 rebounds; Charles Thomas resurgent with ten points and feisty defense; Steven Hill active and aggressive in the lane; Gary Ervin quick on the break, dishing in transition; slumping leading scorer Sonny Weems sparking the club with a couple early jumpers.

For this much-maligned senior group, it was all hands on deck, and everyone chipped in.

“The fans have never let us down,” proclaimed Townes, just minutes after more than 18,000 Razorback fans offered up some final curtain calls for a group that has been frustratingly inconsistent for them. “I feel like now we’ve got to take this thing on the road and keep it alive for them.”

Call Atlanta the road if you like. What it really amounts to is a neutral court setting that holds the Razorback season in the balance.

“These guys have been through a lot,” said Pelphrey. “I just want them to take it a couple steps further.”

The first of those steps will be the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on Friday against the winner of Vanderbilt and Auburn. Arkansas gets a first-round bye in Atlanta as the second seed out of the Western Division. In all likelihood, a win against Vanderbilt in Friday’s quarters would lock up an at-large NCAA bid for the Hogs. A loss and---well, let’s just say Sunday evening will be highly suspenseful for the Razorbacks and their fans.

“I don’t know if we’re in (the Dance) yet or not, but the bottom line is we still feel like we have work to do,” said sophomore guard Patrick Beverley. “This team hasn’t achieved its full potential yet.”

Beverley’s red-hot shooting has sparked the Hogs again down the stretch. Over his last three games, the sophomore is average over 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 three-pointers and 3 steals per contest. When he’s on top of his offensive game, Arkansas has multiple scoring threats and can keep pace with pretty much anyone in the country. When he’s off, the Hogs have major production problems and keep be beaten by anybody.

Now if only John Pelphrey can find a way to bottle up some of that Bud Walton home-cooking and take it with his troops to Georgia this weekend.

-JAB