Greatest Hog Basketball teams of all time 3-5

In case you don't want to look below to see 6 - 10 here it is:

10.  1989

9.  1993

8.  1983

7.  1977

6.  1979

5.  1990 Coming in at number five is one of Arkansas six final four participants (1941, 1945, 1978, 1994, and 1995).  1990 was a special year because you could see Nolan Richardson building this team toward greatness and this was the first glimpse.  This team went (30-5, 14-2) but was only a number four seed going in the tournament due to the disrespect of the SWC at the time. This Arkansas team was as high as number three in the associated press and coaches polls.

 Arkansas took out Princeton in a battle of contrasting styles 68-64.  The Hogs then took on a game 12 seeded Dayton team.  The Flyers gave the Hogs all they wanted, the Razorbacks squeaked by with an (86-84) win.  This was definitely an upset bracket as number eight seeded North Carolina beat number one seeded Oklahoma and number two seeded Purdue lost to ten seeded Texas then three seeded Georgetown got beat by number six Xavier all in the second round.  Arkansas went on to blowout North Carolina 96-73, and then got to take on old SWC foe Texas in the regional final.  (You can see that game on my facebook page)  Arkansas squeaked out a 88-85 victory to head to it's first final four since 1978.  There they met Duke.  The Blue Devils got the best of the Hogs that year with a 97-83 victory.  This set up the Hogs to be one of the favorites in 1991 to win the national championship.  

4.  1995 The Hogs came into the season as the favorite to win the national championship again.  UMass, led by John Calipari and Marcus Camby, thumped the Hogs in the opener of the college basketball season.  That game set a tone for the early season struggles of the Hogs.  Arkansas lost five of it's first 22 games.  Yes, 17-5 we would take now, but this team was expected to be one of the greatest of all-time, this was not expected.  The Hogs recovered after a bad first half at Vanderbilt they stormed back to win that game which set them on an 11 game winning streak.  Arkansas played themselves into the conversation of a number one seed.  They played Kentucky in an all-time great SEC final and basically a play in game for a number one seed.  Arkansas jumped all over Kentucky, but the Wildcats were able to come back to force overtime.   The Hogs jumped out to a nine point lead in overtime, but again the Cats came back and this time took the victory 95-93.  

Arkansas entered the NCAA tournament as a number two seed.  The Hogs let 15 seeded Texas Southern take them to the wire and have a last second shot to win but it fell short.  Then seven seeded Syracuse had a phantom timeout or Arkansas gets beat in the second round.  Rivals Memphis and Arkansas met in the sweet 16.  Like the previous two games the Hogs had an early lead.  It looked as if the Hogs were going to go down but Scotty Thurman saved the game in overtime and the Hogs were victorious.  Arkansas won in the elite eight and it was a relatively easy game.  

The Hogs then took on the University of North Carolina with Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse, but the Hogs were the defending National Champion.  The Hogs played like it for a half and Corliss Williamson schooled Wallace.  The momentum was seized when Dwight Stewart hit a 65 footer right before halftime the Hogs never looked back (75-68).  This set a meeting with UCLA.  UCLA needed a Tyus Edney miracle against Missouri to get there, but pretty much dominated the competition for the whole year.  Arkansas was no different that night.  George Zidek stymied Corliss Williamson and the Hogs could not figure out UCLA all year long.  UCLA won (89-78).  Arkansas finished the season (32-7, 12-4).  Had they repeated this would probably be considered the greatest team in Arkansas basketball history.

3. 1978 When you look at this list Arkansas' basketball history the good always comes in threes.  (1977, 1978, 1979) (1989, 1990, 1991)(1993, 1994, 1995) (Mayberry, Day, Miller) (Corliss, Scotty, Beck).  This was the start of the threes or the triplets.  Sidney Moncrief, Marvin Delph, and Ron Brewer revolutionized Arkansas basketball along with coach Eddie Sutton.  The Hogs dominated their competition going (32-4, 14-2).  The Hogs started their tournament run with a  73-52 win over Weber State.  Then Arkansas pulled the upset against all-time NCAA power, UCLA (74-70).  Then Arkansas took care of Cal State Fullerton 61-58 in the regional final to advance to the final four.  Many will say that if this team had the three point shot they would have won the national championship.  They didn't and another power Kentucky took the victory 64-59.  This was during the era of the third place game and Arkansas took third place against Notre Dame with a last second shot (71-69).  Many great teams have came and gone at Arkansas this might be the most beloved outside the national championship team.

Pelphrey should not be fired....Here's why

I am sure that somewhere in the back of Arkansas Razorback head basketball coach John Pelphrey's mind he is probably saying, "Can't we all just get along?" The answer to that question is a resounding NO! I would be stating the obvious if I said the Arkansas Razorback basketball program is not where it used to be, that being said John Pelphrey is not at fault for that. Ladies and gentlemen Dana Altman did not leave after one day of being the head coach for no reason. And he didn't leave because Creighton is a better job than Arkansas. This program has been down for a long time, well before Pelphrey and even to a certain extent Stan Heath.

When Altman walked on to the U of A campus to a program that was in shambles. Yeah they were coming off of an NCAA tournament appearence but that was about all that was going good for the Razorback program. Altman leaves and enter John Pelphrey. Pelphrey has the pedigree (Player at Kentucky under Eddie Sutton and Rick Pitino, as well as assisted Billy Donovan). He had the intensity that Heath lacked. He also realized from day one what it meant to be an Arkansas Razorback. John Pelphrey took a program which had not won an NCAA tournament game in 10 years and won. He beat Indiana, who had been ranked in the top 10 at one point in the year, and then eventually lost to a loaded North Carolina team. Not bad for a first year coach. What happened to Pelphrey after that is probably why Dana Altman took the first horse back to Omaha, NE.

Pelphrey lost six seniors off his first team and most of them being contributors. What many forget is the best player off of the previous two teams, Patrick Beverly, was kicked off the team. So Pelphrey loses almost every bit of his scoring and rebounding and whatever else you can possibly lose from one team. He brings in a highly touted recruiting class and all seemed to be well. Not so fast...

One of the best players from that class failed to make it, Daniel Payne who happened to be a very highly sought after junior college small forward. He was replaced by a troubled Montrell McDonald, who had already been kicked off the George Washington Colonials. After losing to Missouri State in their brand new home opener the baby Hogs started to show improvement. They began to improve some more and before you know it number four Oklahoma with beast big man Blake Griffin. Nobody expects Arkansas to win. Mike Washington plays his best game as a Razorback and some how the Hogs pull off the improbable with a victory over the Sooners. By this time McDonald is already off the team.

This was thought to be an abberation but the Texas Longhorns came a calling and there was no way the Hogs could repeat. Even former Razorback and current ESPN announcer Jimmy Dykes said there was a slim chance Arkansas could pull it out. The matchup was just too much. The game went back and forth and somehow the Razorbacks pulled it off. Arkansas was 12-1 and expectations began to increase. Then SEC play began and suspensions happened and Marcus Monk, who added much needed leadership was gone and the Hogs began to tumble. The bottomless pit might be something that comes to mind even. Obviously, this was not a fun time for the Hogs or their fans. The heat began to increase on Pelphrey. After wins over Oklahoma and Texas many forgot that Arkansas was picked to finish as cellar dwellers in the West before the season started.

This season started no better. After losses to Morgan State, East Tennessee St., and South Alabama many thought the roof would cave in on Arkansas and John Pelphrey. Even the most loyal of Pelphrey fans were asking themselves if the tall redhead was the right man for the job.

After the three game disaster you began to see a team that had some fight in them and they won some games that you wouldn't think a whole lot about. But when you had been through what the Hogs had been through and with the best playmaker they had on the bench for an unspecified suspension, these wins were good wins. Courtney Fortson came back for the Texas game and this team looked like a different team in losses to a great Texas team and a good Mississippi State team on the road.

That brings us to last Saturday where the Hogs beat an Alabama team who had beaten Baylor and almost should have beaten Purdue. Does this mean that the Razorbacks are fixed? No. Can you see improvement in this team? Yes. There are a few reasons John Pelphrey should get atleast one more year with one caveat: The bottom does not fall out of the season like it did last year.

1. He has not been dealt a fair hand since he has been at Arkansas (six seniors, suspensions, Patrick Beverly, Dana Altman, and many things that most people have no clue about including myself).

2. His players still play hard for him. (See Alabama game)

3. He has a pretty good recruiting class coming in (Although, there needs to be a big man)

4. For this program to succeed it can't be changing coaches every three to five years

5. He has proven he can win with some talent on the floor.

6. Many proven coaches have said Arkansas has a winner. (Including Nolan Richardson)

7. To build a program right (Not the Calipari way) it takes more that three years to do it.

8. He has stood tall in the face of adversity unlike Altman

I could go on and on but the bottom line is that Pelphrey deserves another year. What is an acceptable record for this season for Arkansas? I could not tell you. As much as most people don't want to hear it after a 2-14 conference record winning four is doubling the win total from last season. Unless your name is John Calipari and you are Kentucky it takes a little while to resurrect a program and that is exactly what has had to happen at Arkansas, but given the time I feel that John Pelphrey will get the job done.

Fire Pelphrey?

Anywhere you look in the state of Arkansas, whether it be message boards (like my favorite, Hogville.net), on TV, or on sports radio, you hear people's opinions regarding the Razorback basketball team. Many people say the U of A should fire John Pelphrey because his record is not what they would like it to be, or because he suspended players and would not talk in depth about why. My co-hosts Brad and Shawn don't entirely agree with me. They are entitled to their opinions.

But here's mine:

I don't think Pel should be fired after this year, barring some unforseen circumstance. Another 2-14 conference record would warrant dismissal in my opinion, but after a 1-1 start, that isn't looking likely. I say we win 4-6 games at least, which I understand is not a Hog fan's idea of success.

Improvements have been made, the biggest of which being the re-additon of point guard Courtney Fortson. His 17 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds per game have made a huge difference for the team since his return. The Hogs played then #2 Texas close and nearly won their SEC opener on the road at Mississippi State despite an early 19-point defecit and a triple-double by Bulldog center Jarvis Varnado.

Freshman Marshawn Powell is more proof of Pelphrey's recruiting acumen, as he has stepped in and averaged nearly 16 points and 7 rebounds himself.

Add to all this arguably the best shooter in the country, Rotnei Clarke (18 ppg, 48% 3-pt FG), and it is clear that soon the players needed to compete in Pel's system will be in place.

All that is needed is a little consistency.

People want to blame Clarke's lack of shots on Pel, or the UAB loss on a last second dunk, but college coaches should not have to teach division-1 athletes how to set proper screens or how to protect the basket on an inbounds play. These things should be second nature by now.

I understand substitution patterns and play calling are under the coach's control, and unless Pel wants to see Fortson or Clarke drop dead he may need to get them some breaks, but Pel is still trying to feel out this team, and he should be granted a little leeway.

Let's let him coach out this season and try to get the great crop of 2011 talent to the Hill and then judge Pel on his success or failure.

The Sports Blitz

This Spring, The Sports Blitz will be back and better than ever. More guests, more information, more entertainment; it's all gonna come together with the highest quality work and production value we can muster!

Listen live on 91.9 FM, KXRJ, the voice of Arkansas Tech University or online @ atu.edu/broadcast under the Windows Media Player link.

Brad and Shawn Caldwell and myself (Mark Freeman) will be bringing you the sports news you need and the humor and personality to keep you entertained along the way.

Hog Talk will be podcasted with The Sports Blitz online, but it will not take place on Tech radio for obvious reasons. Any and all news concerning the Razorbacks will be discussed on this 30-minute weekly show.

This blog will be the hosts' means of communication with our listeners throughout the week, as we will discuss big stories or give you the heads up before a special guest joins us on air.

Don't be surprised if you get to hear from some important people from around the state!

Please, help us spread the word about what we hope to be the River Valley's best sports radio show, podcast, and blog. Feel free to drop us a line and share your thoughts with The Sports Blitz!