Mark's SEC West Forecast

An extension of my SEC picks, as promised:

1.

Alabama: A returning Heisman trophy winner, an undefeated QB and a horde of talent will be too much for Arkansas to overtake, and the Tide will roll back into Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game for a third straight year. The defense will need to replace eight starters (not counting Hightower), but another highly rated recruiting class and defensive whiz Nick Saban should allow Alabama to stay atop the league.

2.

Yet another step in the Bobby Petrino world-takeover will vault the Hogs into national prominence behind the arm of Ryan Mallett and the offensive genius of Petrino. Expectations are sky high, and anything less than 9-3 will be viewed as a disappointment in God's country. A tough road game between the hedges in Athens against Georgia and a home tilt against the defending national champions will tell this season's tale. I expect a split in those two and I'm starting to lean more toward 10-2 than 9-3. The Kool-Aid tastes delicious!

3.

I'm definitely not drinking the Herbstreit beverage, so I certainly won't be going nuts by picking Auburn to be any higher than third. The gimmicky offense and suspect defense haven't changed, and lest we forget, the head coach is still a nobody. No more words should be wasted on the Tigers with an identity crisis. Can anyone explain how a Tigers team cries War EAGLE? I don't care for the story so spare me.

4.

LSU is always super-athletic and talented, as they seem to always recruit well. The talent had better win out over coaching, however, because the Mad Hatter Les Miles is a moron. If they can out-play his ineptitude they have a shot, but 4th (at best 3rd) is where they'll end up.

5.

Jeremiah Masoli's on-again off-again eligibility aside, the QB Killa will work his magic this year and there will no doubt be hundreds of smoke draws, fullback dump-offs to the flats, and one-man routes from offensive (insert sarcasm) mastermind Houston Dale Nutt. The addition of Masoli could re-arrange this list as Auburn, LSU and Ole Miss could easily switch places, but this is my prediction. May be wishful thinking, but here's hoping they don't win a game.

6.

Dan Mullen will have the Bulldogs out of the cellar very soon, but it won't be this year. All-everything RB Anthony Dixon is gone, and there just is not enough talent to equate to enough wins to pull the 'Dogs out of the doldrums.

Arkansas Baseball at Mid season

I came out and said in this blog before the baseball season started that Arkansas would win the national championship.  This Hog team has done absolutely nothing to put a damper on those expectations.  Right now sitting at 28-6 (9-3 in the SEC) the Hogs have won every SEC series but one at LSU.  Arkansas handled LSU on Friday and blew a six run lead in the seventh inning to lose on Saturday.  They could not muster up any momentum after they lost on Saturday only to lose on Sunday.  Since then Arkansas has won 15 of 16 with the only loss coming to a powerful Kentucky team. 

This team is better than the team that went to Omaha last season.  Why?  They are better in every phase of the game.  Two things that stick out on this team is: they are not striking out as much which makes their batting averages better.  Number two they are pitching better than last season. 

 Many Razorback fans down through the years have grumbled about Arkansas batting averages not being on par with other SEC teams.  There was some validity to that.  This season almost every starter is hitting over .300 with Zach Cox and Travis Sample hitting over .400, although Sample does not have enough at bats to qualify as a leader in the SEC.  The power numbers are better Arkansas currently ranks third in the SEC in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, and homeruns (currently one behind Kentucky).  They rank second in hits runs scored and runs batted in.  Those are great numbers.  Brett Eibner, Andy Wilkins, and Zach Cox make up what some call the most powerful trio in college baseball.  Not to mention Colin Kuhn has been playing off the charts.  Monk Kreder was brought in to hit homeruns and he has not done that but he has hit over .300 and is on a 16 game hitting streak.  With the addition of Sample to this lineup it becomes one of the best in college baseball. 

Arkansas' pitching has been better than many thought it would be this season.  Arkansas ranks third in the SEC in earned run average, number two in opponents batting average, and the number one spot in the most important category which is wins.  Arkansas' starting pitchers are getting the job done especially Drew Smyly.  Smyly slated to be Arkansas' third starter before the season has locked down the number one spot with his 1.99 earned run average which ranks fifth in the SEC.  Brett Eibner is coming off of his best outing of the year versus Mississippi State.  Randall Fant came in and took the Bulldogs down only allowing one earned run, leading Arkansas to a 13 to three victory.  He then came home to get in trouble and will have to sit out this weekends series versus Georgia.  The move of Mike Bolsinger, Arkansas' number one starter to start the year, back to the bullpen may prove to be Arkansas' biggest move.  Bolsinger was the Hogs bullpen ace last season.  He pitched pretty well as a starter, but he seems to be more comfortable coming out of the pen.  D.J. Baxendale has been a shut down closer all year long.  Even though, hitters seem to be catching up to him he seems to have the stuff and the toughness to be a great closer in the SEC.  The bull pen has had early struggles, but it seems they are all coming together right now to be a very formidable pitching staff.  

Right now Arkansas is in position to host a regional and super regional at Baum Stadium, ranking in the top five in most polls and being rated number two in the ratings percentage index (RPI).  Although, baseball is a funny game.  Anything can happen, but if the Hogs continue to play as they have been a trip to Omaha is in the future.  The question is can they go there to win it?

After the Madness

It's all downhill from here.

Nah, it's gonna be ok with a little softball to be played and a little Razorback baseball to help us keep our sanity. Every year the Blitz crew spends several months after the NCAA tournament waiting on Hog football to get going.

Yes, there are MLB and NBA games(including the playoffs), but March Madness marks the end of the excitement for us most of the time. It's a sad day watching the title game, especially when Duke wins it, because it means we are down to baseball and the latest football gossip.

Another trip to Omaha for the Hogs is a real possibility, but my opinion of baseball has been well documented (I'm not a big fan). So I will suffer through this with the hope and expectation that the football season will be one for the ages.

I can't wait to get a review together and talk about the outlook for the season and the stars on both sides of the ball up on the Hill. Like my excellent tourney picks (insert sarcasm) I will be laying down the analysis sometime in the summer for the football season, and hopefully I will be able to predict with accuracy a banner year.

After all, I had West Virginia!

The issues of Arkansas Basketball

If you have been following our top 10 college basketball programs of all-time you noticed that Arkansas got honorable mention, which in essence made them the 13th ranked program of all-time. Looking at the top 13 it's pretty hard to imagine a team that has fallen from grace like the Razorbacks have. Arizona is the only one that is close. When you compare the two programs the Wildcats are superior to the Razorbacks since 1995.


In my formula I felt that it gave weight to teams who had sustained greatness. It was not about who had won the most national championships or final fours, but who had won those championships, been to the final fours, won the conference championships and other criteria over time. The Razorbacks qualified.


This whole debate started when I was listening to a local radio show that stated the Arkansas basketball program was Mississippi State outside of a few great years. This formula blows that notion out of the water. When I began thinking about a formula to try to score the greatest programs my initial thought was rank all-americans instead of NBA draft picks. The problem I ran into it was down right impossible to find a reputable all-american list for each program. Also, lately NBA draft picks and not all-americans have been the measuring stick for a programs success. Although throughout college basketball history this fact has not always been true. If you take recent success out of the formula and you put all-americans in the formula instead of NBA draft picks then Arkansas ranks about eighth all-time, which is exactly where The Sporting News ranked them a few years ago. My question when considering all things is can you make a program who has not had much success in 14 years a top 10 program? To me the answer was no.


The North Carolina's, the Duke's, the Kentucky's, and the Kansas' are programs that have had sustained success over time. Even when you get outside of those programs in the top 10 like Michigan State, Louisville, Syracuse, and Arizona those programs have had lulls but always come back. Honestly, none of those programs have had such a long period of time that they have been irrelevant like Arkansas has. Why? What has happened? There have been several things that happened. From Nolan's out bursts to his mistreatment at Arkansas or John White trying to make the University of Arkansas the Harvard of the South to the detriment of the athletic program, there are many factors that have made Arkansas a fallen program. Not to mention the Stan Heath experiment where Stan got some good players to come through here, but was not a strong enough coach or personality to bring the program to where Arkansas fans expect it. Now Arkansas has John Pelphrey and as of right now the program has regressed since he has been the head coach. Is all of it his fault? Probably not. Dana Altman did leave after one day on the job. Bottom line is though each coach is responsible for his program no matter the problems before or after he became the coach. Butler's coach is in his third year and they went to the national championship game.


What is acceptable at Arkansas? Is it the height of Nolan Richardson's program where Arkansas was a threat to go to the Final Four every year? Is it Eddie Sutton's program that had a shot to get there but was more than likely a sweet 16 team? I know one thing that is not acceptable and that is the current state of the program. You will never see Duke, North Carolina, or Kansas have such problems in their programs. Arkansas is clearly not those programs though and probably never will be. For that matter Kentucky who has had problems in the past they will not ever have 14 years of sustained failure as Arkansas has had. Adding to that, Michigan State, Syracuse, and Louisville will not have such problems and all these programs have similar histories as Arkansas.


The pattern you will see if you look at the top 10 programs of all-time is great coaches. Each school has at least had two of them and Arkansas is no different with Eddie Sutton and Nolan Richardson. Although both were great Eddie had problems that would have lead to his ultimate demise. Nolan thought he had become greater than the program and frequently made the statement he didn't want any superstars. In the last six years of his tenure at Arkansas he did not get them and the program suffered.. The problem is in the seven years since Nolan Arkansas has not been able to land a coach that is acceptable for Arkansas as a program. Is the money there? Are the facilities there? Is the tradition there? The facilities are there with or without a practice facility. The tradition is there. Somebody needs to sell that. The money is speculated to not be there. It has always been there before. Is that a product of today's economy or changes in the top of the athletic program?


The University of Arkansas has committed to another year of John Pelphrey and all of Arkansas is hoping that he can bring the program back. Recruiting seems to be better for 2010. It might get a lot better here in the spring signing period. There is a 2011 and class that looks to be promising for the Razorbacks. Things could be on the up and up, but if significant improvement is not made next year then it is time for a change no matter how the 2011 class feels. Any program can not let a group of recruits hold the program hostage. Arkansas is no different.


Whatever the problem. Arkansas deserves better right now. This program is a proud program one that has history that can compete with almost any in college basketball history. It is time for this program to start taking steps toward bringing the program back to the future.

Hog Talk Episode 7

Hog baseball, spring football, and thoughts on the basketball national championship game

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Programs #9-10

Honorable Mention: UCONN 382, Ohio State 373, Arkansas 367

10. Arizona: 387

The Wildcats are carried by NBA players scoring 122 in putting players in the NBA draft. The Wildcats have been to 25 straight NCAA tournaments before missing the tournament this season and 28 overall. The Wildcats have 15 points as a #1 seed (1988, 1989, 1998, 2000, and 2003). The Wildcats have won 11 PAC 10 conference championships. They have been to four final fours and won one national championship. Even though UCLA has been the class of the PAC 10 Lute Olsen did a good job of making the Wildcats the number two program in the conference. The cherry on top is the 1997 national championship.

9. Syracuse: 408

The Orange, formerly the Orangemen, have been a pretty consistent program over time. Coach Jim Boeheim took the Orange to new heights with their only national championship in 2003. Of course, NBA star Carmelo Anthony had something to do with that. Anthony is one of the 57 NBA draft picks that have came through the school along with 1990 number one pick Derrick Coleman. The 'Cuse also has made 19 Sweet 16 appearances and been to four final fours. The tough Big East conference has not been kind to Syracuse as they have some of the fewest conference championships of the top 10 of all-time with eight.

A Weekend of Madness

So far this weekend I've seen highs and lows. The Cornell Big Red won as I predicted, and the Siena Saints lost to level out my upset picks... Several games I could not foresee upsets in surprised me, Old Dominion over Notre Dame and Ohio over Georgetown both crushed me!

Then Saturday happened. I was on a high after the Diamond Hogs won the SEC opener at LSU Friday night, when the bottom fell out. LSU came from four runs down in the bottom of the 7th to win 8-7 over the Hogs. Villanova decided it would be a good idea to let Omar Samhan dominate them and the two-seed went home crying (I felt a tear too).

Then Northern Iowa snatched my soul...

I have an estimated 15 brackets out there in cyber-space, and in all but one of them I have Kansas cutting down the nets. Tonight I have one bracket left. Northern Iowa used nine three-pointers to keep the Jayhawks at bay. As Ali Farokhmanesh dropped in his fourth three of the night I thought I heard the sound of brackets crackling in the fire. Maybe that was just mine.

So now I'm disappointed. The only thing that could make this worse would be for someone like Duke to win it all. I'm going to be rooting for my sleeper West Virginia, and my Cinderella Cornell.

Hopefully tomorrow the Hogs will win the series they should've swept, the Dukies will go down in flames, West Virginia and Syracuse will cruise, and I'll hit a million threes in the Sunday afternoon pick up games in Clarksville.

With my luck, I wouldn't bet on any of those though!

Hog Talk Episode 5

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If this one don't work we are going to beat somebody up at podbean hahah

The Greatest Hog Basketball Team of All-Time #1

10.  1989

9.  1993

8.  1983

7.  1977

6.  1979

5.  1990

4.  1995

3.  1978

2.  1994

1.  1991:  This is the greatest Hog basketball team of all-time and there are reasons for it.  No they didn't win the championship and no they didn't even go to the Final Four.  What they did do is blow a 17 point halftime lead to Kansas, who ended up losing in the championship game that season, in the elite eight.  What they did do is average 99.7 points per game.  Another thing they did was become the first of two number one seeds in Arkansas history.  

This team was loaded.  They had Todd Day a lottery pick. Lee Mayberry and Oliver Miller who were all drafted in the first round.  Then Isiah "Butch" Morris was drafted in the second round of the NBA draft.  So they had four guys that were drafted in the starting lineup.  They won the most games in Razorback basketball history and the even beat Duke who ended up winning the national championship in the preseason NIT.  When it comes down to pound for pound who is the greatest team in Arkansas Razorback basketball history it would be hard to argue against this team.  1991 might have been the greatest year ever in college basketball.  

For the sake of comparison lets take a look at the 1991 team vs. the 1994 team:

1991

1.  Arlyn Bowers

2.  Lee Mayberry (even though he was a point guard too)

3.  Todd Day

4.  Isiah "Butch" Morris

5.  Oliver Miller

1994

1.  Corey Beck

2.  Clint McDaniel

3.  Scotty Thurman

4.  Corliss Williamson

5.  Dwight Stewart

Arlyn Bowers vs. Corey Beck Adv. 1994:  I would give the advantage to the 1994 team in this matchup because Beck was 6'3"  to Bowers being 5'10."  Bowers was tough but Beck was tougher.  Beck was the glue that held the 1994 team together.  It seemed like these two were clones of each other. Beck was actually a bigger Arlyn Bowers.  With the other guys on this team Bowers didn't have to be special all he had to do is play tough hard nosed defense and that's what he did.

Lee Mayberry vs. Clint McDaniel Adv 1991:  Clint McDaniel was supposed to be the new Lee Mayberry as both of these guys came to Arkansas from Tulsa.  As good as Clint was he was no Mayberry.  In fact, if you ranked top 10 players in Arkansas basketball history Lee Mayberry is probably in the top five.  If not he's top 10 without a doubt.  McDaniel was much like what Robert Shepherd was for the Hogs tough hard nosed defender.  Mayberry was an all around superstar.  He ranks in the top five in Arkansas history in points, steals, assists, and three pointers made.  This guy was sick.  

Todd Day vs. Scotty Thurman Adv. 1991:  Yes Scotty Thurman hit the biggest shot in Arkansas history. If there are 10 seconds left in the game you probably give Thurman the advantage, but Day could get it done too.  If we are talking the other 39:50 of the game Day has to have the advantage. He was just better than Thurman there really is not a whole lot more to be said about it.  Day, 1992 first round pick to the Bucks.  Thurman undrafted.  Todd Day is the all-time leading scorer in Arkansas history.  There is one argument against Todd Day being the greatest Arkansas player of all-time and that's Sidney Moncrief.  

Corliss Williamson vs. Isiah "Butch" Morris Adv. 1994:  Morris was one of the greatest juco guys Arkansas has ever signed, but Corliss Williamson is the top three in all-time Arkansas Razorbacks, and the only Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four award winner in Arkansas history.  Morris was good and did a great job of filling the role that he was supposed to but Corliss is the "Big Nasty."  The advantage is not as lopsided as one would think because of sheer talent, but in all fairness Corliss takes this one.  

Dwight Stewart vs. Oliver Miller Adv. 1991:  This advantage is a decided one.  Dwight Stewart was a good player on a great team.  Oliver Miller was a great player on a great team.  Miller dominated the inside in his three years in the SWC and did the same to the SEC as the Hogs transitioned conferences.  Miller did more than hold his own against a guy named Shaquille O'Neal.  You might have heard of him.  In fact, in the last game these guys played in Barnhill Arena LSU looked like they might get a victory against the Hogs, but it was a blocked shot on Shaq by Oliver Miller that sent the game to overtime. The Hogs ended up pulling out the victory.  Oliver Miller could score, block shots, and pass.  He was a key for an Arkansas fast break with his pin point baseball passes.  This guy is probably the most underrated player in Arkansas history.  Stewart could hit the outside shot but other than that he is not even in the league of Oliver Miller.  That's three pretty decided advantages for the 1991 team versus the 1994 team.  That tells you how good this team was.  

Two of the Hogs four losses that season were to Kansas who made the championship game and UNLV, who had they completed that season undefeated would have been considered the greatest college basketball team of all-time.  

Just to give you more evidence of the greatness of the 1991 team look at these scores in the SWC tournament:

Arkansas 108 Texas A&M 61 Arkansas 109 Rice 80 Arkansas 120 Texas 89

That's a wow!  They did have one conference loss and that was at Texas to keep them from going undefeated in conference.  Their only other loss was to Arizona who ended up being a number two seed in the NCAA tournament.  

Arkansas entered the tournament as the number one seed in the Southeast Region and were expected to make a push for the title.  They started the tournament with an easy 117-76 victory over Georgia State. They then took care of Arizona State 97-90.  It was future foe Alabama in the sweet 16 and the Crimson Tide could not matchup to these Hogs Arkansas cruised to a 93-70 victory.  The third seeded Kansas Jayhawks were next.  Arkansas looked to have every advantage and stormed out to a 17 point halftime lead.  The Hogs were rolling the only problem was they forgot there was a second half.  The Jayhawks outscored the Hogs by 29 in the second half and won the game 93-81.  This was a very disappointing outcome to a season that at the very least looked as if it would end in the NCAA championship game.  It should have.  In fairness UNLV had already beaten the Hogs at Barnhill.  Arkansas would have been hard pressed to beat the Runnin Rebels, but the Rebs got knocked off by Duke who Arkansas had already beaten.  It could have been!  

Kind of crazy how one of Arkansas six final four teams was not their best team but you can see why this team was Arkansas greatest.  Arkansas finished (34-4, 15-1)

Oh yeah, by the way the 1991 team actually got to play the 1994 team in an exhibition a couple years after the championship. seriously I am not making this up.  This was a fund raiser.  The 1991 team absolutely ran the 1994 team off the court and you can see why.

This was Day, Mayberry, and Miller's junior years and the 1992 team brought everybody back, but sadly they never put it together. The Hogs came into that season as one of those favorites. But Todd Day that got in trouble and suspended for the first half of the season.  Arkansas never recovered as they could have.  The Day-Mayberry-Miller team is one of the greatest team to never win a national championship in NCAA history.

Greatest Hog Basketball teams of all time #2

10.  1989

9.  1993

8.  1983

7.  1977

6.  1979

5.  1990

4.  1995

3.  1978

I have had fun doing this and I hope you have had fun reading it.  I think the two greatest Hog teams of all time might shock you.  

2.  1994 So when you started reading this blog I bet you thought you knew exactly who number one was.  The only national champion would naturally be the best team in Hog history, as Lee Corso would say, "not so fast my friend."  Even though, this was Arkansas most special season this was not Arkansas best team.  The one thing where this team had a leg up was the ability to slow the game down or speed it up.  The Hogs scored 131 points in a game this season, but in the NCAA championship game scored 76.  This was a team that had it all, but not a lot of  NBA talent.  Corliss Williamson obviously was the best of the bunch.  He won an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons as well as a Sixth Man of the Year award, but he never reached the super stardom that he did at Arkansas.  I bet if you asked him that would be alright with him.  Most everybody thought that Scotty Thurman had NBA written all over him. Especially after his game winning shot against Duke in the national championship game.  He declared for the draft after his junior year at Arkansas but did not get drafted.  He had made a couple NBA summer league teams, but never made a roster.  Corey Beck played with the Charlotte Hornets more than once but never was on the roster for a full year.  

That being said this Arkansas team was exactly that a team.  Beck was a gritty floor general.  Thurman was smooth and could score from anywhere and any way you wanted him to.  Williamson was unstoppable down low.  Arkansas had great role players too.  Dwight Stewart did a little bit of everything but would shock you with his outside shooting abilities.  Then Clint McDaniel was a defensive stopper who could hit the three.  Arkansas had players like Darnell Robinson, Lee Wilson, Davor Rimac, Roger Crawford,  Alex Dillard, Ken Biley, and Elmer Martin coming off the bench.  Most of whom could have started for many teams in the country.  Arkansas three losses came to SEC teams.  Mississippi State beat Arkansas by one at the Hump and Alabama beat Arkansas by two at Coleman Coliseum.  Kentucky got Arkansas by 12 in the SEC tournament.  Other than that the Hogs ran over the competition.  One of the more memorable games of that season was Arkansas drubbing of Missouri on ESPN.  The Hogs beat Missouri 120-68 and Missouri ended up being a number one seed in the NCAA tournament.  They weren't the only team to get pounded by the Hogs that year.  

One of the many things that made 1993-1994 a special season is that Arkansas opened their new basketball palace.  Barnhill Arena was a tough place to play, but Bud Walton Arena was and still is one of the best on campus facilities in the nation.  The Hogs protected their house with an undefeated record.  People knew coming into this season that Arkansas had the opportunity to do special things.  Arkansas spent nine weeks that season at the top of the AP and coaches polls.  They were just good.

Arkansas didn't have a whole lot to play for in the SEC tournament they knew they were a one seed and their focus was not the SEC tournament.  They were focused on the national championship.  Arkansas started their special run with North Carolina A & T.  The Hogs slept walked through that game winning 94-79.  The Hogs then drew Georgetown with a Freshman named Allen Iverson and a guy who had all but signed with the Hogs named Othella Harrington.  The Arkansas Georgetown game was very chippy.  Arkansas and Georgetown got into a fight and the Hogs lost a key component of their championship team that game, Roger Crawford.  Arkansas won a pretty hotly contested game 85-73.  The Hogs moved on and beat a Tulsa team coached by Tubby Smith 103-84.  Arkansas then moved on to the Fab 5 minus one  (Chris Webber) and Michigan the Hogs showed the Wolverines that they meant business with a 76-68 victory.  The Hogs moved on to the Final Four in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The Hogs were joined by SEC foe Florida, Duke, and Arizona.  The Razorbacks met the Arizona Wildcats and Damon Stoudamire.  This contest was hotly contested but Corliss Williamson dominated the Wildcats and the Hogs were able to pull out a 91-82 victory. 

 It was the on to Duke.  Arkansas had lost to Duke in the 1990 final four 97-83, but had beaten the Blue Devils in the preseason NIT final in 1991 98-88.  This was a whole new group of players on both teams except Duke still had Grant Hill.  The previous two times the Hogs met Duke they were the underdog but this time the Hogs were the favorite.  Duke led by Hill gave Arkansas all they wanted.  The Blue Devils even took a 10 point second half lead 48-38, but Arkansas battled back.  Arkansas and Duke rocked back and forth and with the game tied at 70 Scotty Thurman hit the biggest shot in the history of the program.  With 51 seconds left in the game and as the shot clock hit zero Scotty Thurman's sky scraping three pointer went through the net.  The shot, as Arkansas fans like to call it, clinched Arkansas first ever national championship in men's basketball.  

Arkansas finished (31-3, 14-2) they were only three points away from an unbeaten regular season.  They finshed as SEC regular season champs.  These Hogs were special!

Greatest Hog Teams of All Time 6-10

In honor of what Razorback basketball used to be we here at The Sports Blitz will be giving you lots of lists when it comes to the Razorbacks and we will even mix in some college basketball this month. Well, this is the month of madness. We are going to start with the 10 greatest basketball teams in Arkansas basketball history.

10. 1989 This team lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to a number four seeded Louisville team. They beat Loyola Marymount 120-101 in the first round of the tournament. The results are not what made this team great, but it was the start of the greatness of Nolan Richardson's Razorbacks. Senior Keith Wilson led this team, but it was three heralded Freshman named Todd Day, Lee Mayberry, and Oliver Miller who were the catalyst of the three consecutive SWC championships and an SEC championship (25-7, 13-3)

9. 1993 This team was led by a Senior named Darrell Hawkins. This guy stepped his game up to lead these baby hogs to the Sweet 16 and a loss to the eventual National Champion North Carolina 80-74. They gave them all they wanted in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Much like the 1989 team this team was the year before greatness. A couple of Freshman had huge impacts on this team. Corliss Williamson and Scotty Thurman. Most people forget that it was Thurman that had the biggest impact his Freshman year because Williamson was hurt for half the year. These Hogs finished (22-9, 10-6) not great, but they did post a victory at Arizona. Had they beaten North Carolina the 1993 team might have made a run at the national championship.

8. 1983 Eddie Sutton started this tradition in the modern era in baskeball. This is one of Arkansas 10 sweet 16 appearances. This team is not one of Arkansas many conference champions though. There was a team called the Houston Cougars had future NBA Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon, but Arkansas gave them some battles. Many of these battles were led by a Notre Dame transfer Joe Klein. Arkansas lost a heart breaker to tournament foe Louisville 65-63 in the sweet 16 as a four seed. This team finished (26-4, 14-2).

7. 1977 This was another team that was before greatness (1978 final four). Have you ever heard of Sidney Moncrief, Marvin Delph, and Ron Brewer? These are the guys that started it all under Eddie Sutton. The only thing about this team is they lost in the first round of the tournament to Wake Forest, but they finished (26-2). The reason they get to be up in the greatest they were the only undefeated (16-0) in conference.

6. 1979 The 1979 team went (25-5, 13-3) and after their final four appearance in 1978 they felt like they could win the whole thing. This was a very good team and went to the tournament as a two seed. Only problem was they had to play a one seeded Indiana State and in that year they had a guy named Larry Bird. In one of the greatest games of all-time in Hog basketball history Larry Bird hit a two pointer (no threes back then) to put the dagger in the hearts of the Hogs. ISU wins 73-71.  That shot sent Bird and ISU to the Final Four where they ran into Michigan State and Magic Johnson.  Many think that had Bird not hit that shot the Hogs might have been the champs this year.

E S C A P E D: Arkansas picks up its 4th conference victory in a row

It was not pretty and it seemed like Auburn could not miss, but Arkansas found a way. Behind Courtney Fortson's 24 points (11 in overtime) the Hogs did what they had to do to win another conference ball game. The Razorbacks are a team that many left for dead, but they now lead the SEC West at the half-way point of the season.

Marshawn Powell and Courtney Fortson took the game over down the stretch. With Arkansas trailing 62-58 the Hogs kicked it in to high gear and eventually took a 67-65 lead with 4.1 seconds left in the game. Then Auburn's Tay Waller took a fade away from about 27 feet that clipped the side of the rim. Auburn grabbed the rebound falling out of bounds letting a three pointer fly, and while the shot was an air ball, Lucas Hargrove was there to grab the ball out of the air for a put back to tie the game with 1.6 seconds to go in the game to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, it was Courtney Fortson time. Fortson took the game over by taking the ball to the rack to the ice the game, or so they thought. A Stefan Welsh mental error gave the Tigers hope, but Arkansas was too tough down the stretch. Arkansas was able to escape with an 82-79 victory.

This team has such a small margin for error, but they seem to be able to get past mental errors with tough play to be able to pick up victories. Since the Kentucky blowout many have expected this team to lay down and quit, but to the team and coaches credit they have not. Now at least they are in the conversation for an NCAA tournament birth. A team that has won the SEC West has never missed the NCAA tournament. Should they be expected to be able to make the NCAA tournament? No, but to their credit they have made it in the realm of possibility. For this team to make any post-season outside of the SEC tournament should be considered a success. Any post-season! Even the NIT.