FAYETTEVILLE - In a topsy-turvy game, Arkansas had just enough ups Tuesday night.
Leading 55-31 more than midway through the second half, Arkansas had a chance to prove its growth by putting away easily the worst team in the Southeastern Conference this season.
Labeled as a group that hasn’t been able to finish ball games in the past, the Razorbacks stared down the perfect combination to finally do so: Auburn, home and momentum. The Tigers had missed 23 consecutive shots and Arkansas was in the midst of a 21-1 run out of the intermission.
Instead, Arkansas (13-6, 3-3 SEC) experienced a few more of those growing pains that have been all too common down the stretch, letting Auburn within six points in the final minute before holding on for a 73-64 win.
Make no mistake, a win is nice given the Razorbacks’ recent results, including a pair of blowout losses to Texas and Florida in the span of 18 days. But the first 32 minutes of the game weren’t at the forefront of many minds immediately following the outcome, including Arkansas coach John Pelphrey’s.
“We relaxed and didn’t play as well as we needed to the last seven or eight minutes,” Pelphrey said. “I’m happy we won, but I wasn’t happy with how we finished the game.”
After back-to-back 3-pointers by Rotnei Clarke and Marcus Britt gave the Razorbacks their largest lead with 9:08 remaining, Auburn called a timeout. Out of that the Tigers scored 13 consecutive points and were within 55-44 in the blink of an eye.
The rest of the way it was a hold-your-breath experience as the Razorbacks had to fight off a furious rally. Auburn outscored Arkansas 33-18 in the game’s final 8 minutes, 36 seconds and, right or wrong, seemed to erase all the good things the Razorbacks had done to build a large lead in the first place.
After struggling with its defensive effort in road losses to South Carolina and Florida, Arkansas showed a better effort on that side of the ball for a long time Tuesday. A primary reason for that was an improved rebounding effort, leading the Tigers on the boards 32-21 at one point.
But the rebounding edge only lasted so long, After giving up just three offensive rebounds in the first half, the Razorbacks resorted to their old ways after halftime. Auburn finished the game with 18 offensive boards.
“Our first shot defense is pretty good, but it’s tough to sustain that when you keep giving up rebounds,” Pelphrey said. “Our defense kind of collapsed and we started giving up lay-ups we hadn’t before.”
Thanks to those defensive lapses, Auburn (7-13, 0-6 SEC) continued to claw away at the lead, but Arkansas kept the Tigers at a distance with Julysses Nobles hitting all 10 of his free throw attempts in the waning minutes.
As a team the Razorbacks finished 26 of 34 at the line, continuing a season-long pattern there during home games.
“I had to make them,” Nobles said. “That comes from working out in the gym every day and Coach making me hit 10 in a row before I leave.”
Arkansas improved to 12-0 inside Bud Walton Arena with the win – one the Razorbacks no doubt will mature from after having to earn it late.
Now that 0-4 record on the road looms large as the Hogs prepare to travel to Vanderbilt this weekend. Arkansas will have to take what it learned Tuesday and play a more complete game to have any chance in Nashville, forward Marshawn Powell said.
“A win is nice,” said Powell, who finished with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, “but we’ve got to win on the road in order to be considered one of the best teams in this league, or even a good team.”
Arkansas wasn’t exactly a good team Tuesday night, but was just good enough to get the win.
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The reality is that these Hogs with this coach will never be in contention for anything except being in the cellar. They need a coach that is passionate about winning and passionate about his players and passionate about the fans and the great state of Arkansas. The powers that be need to realize that this program as it is currently will never be a consistant winner.
The agony of defeat will continue until they realize this and do something about it.
A disappointed hog fan in San Antonio, Texas
Tough game at home against a cellar dweller in a pretty weak confrence this year, the future is defently bright…..for football.
While I admit I am Sooooooo desperate, I applaud any kind of win. The only unavering support I have, is for the players and the program. The landscape of sports is that Coaches are held accountable for winning. I am just a fabric of the landscape. I think if we had hired the Coach K (himself) 4 years ago, and the program was in this current position, the massess would want to run Coach K out of town as well. It is all abut results. I am waiting to see the post where someone states the masses wanted to run a BB coach out of town after losing for 4 years, and the coach stayed; and then turned the program around to winning at the high level we think we should be winning at? Next coach may not work either, but you keep trying so you can hold the fan base together.
rmmr,
If they take the next two, I still have a shot of being right with my 3-2 prediction over 5 these games. A win at Vandy would replace my prediction of a win at Florida
Naysayers, imagine for a moment. Had Nobles not made his free throws late, the momentum shift may have been enough to lose this game. We (myself included) would be screaming today about… “why can’t Pelphrey teach free throw shooting” or ” they don’t play hard for this coach” etc. Read the article posted before this one, and give credit where it is due. The glass is either half full or ….
I will say that a win is a win, but we desperately need a change. In the early to mid 90′s our program was one of the elite. Now when people hear of Arkansas, in regards to basketball, they are thinking trash. We finally made that giant step in football to point our program in the right direction and it has proved itself with the first ever BCS Bowl. I just wish with the top recruiting class coming in that we would get a high caliber coach to come in and take us back to the glory days!
A win is a win… Great job HOGS!!! It is not too late to win our division…
However….I can’t help but think that the main reason auburn got back into this game was poor coaching, even more so… Poor substitution. So many times after one of our guys hits a big shot, he goes to the bench…? When a player is hot, stick with him.
Really? Auburn cuts the deficit to 8 (after just being down 24)with 4 minutes left and we’re going to start the offense\defense thing?? Seriously?? Man, Pel really needs to find some kind of plan and stick to it… These players can’t ever get into any kind of rythm… As bad as the SEC is this year (especially the west) we have enough talent to win games now… Our players just need to be put in the right position at the right time…
Nobles is a stud. He is playing really well and too charge of this game in the second half.
Nobles is a good dribbler, but is indecisive in the lane which results in turnovers or walks. So many times, I’ve seen him juke the defensive player out of their shoes, drive the lane and doesn’t finish because A. he trys to shoot over the big guys and can’t or B. doesn’t know how to pass back out once he begins his drive in the lane. Once he learns that…lookout! Nothing a little coaching can’t change…wait, I forgot, he’s not getting that.
The passing game was atrocious and the big men, need to be ready for passes under the goal anytime they are planted there. No reason for a post player to not be ready to receive a pass and then act like they are totally surprised at the ball coming their way.
there was recently the argument put forward that nobles’ and johnson’s improvement from last year is credit to pelphrey’s coaching. this is the closest thing to a reasonable argument supporting pelphrey i’ve heard so far this season. however it too is misguided and naive.
johnson has improved, but judging by pelphrey’s post moves and body building exploits, i just don’t think pel is the man responsible. nobles has always been pretty good. he was better than fortson last year. this year he is growing and gaining confidence, but i can see him starting to make the same mistakes fortson made late in games. i just don’t know how well pel has taught them basketball skills. pelphrey was a shooter and rottnie can’t even learn how to get his shot off. anyways the bottom line is he hasn’t taught them how to win competitive games. and that’s what we need. BIG TIME
I’ve noticed the post passing thing quite a bit. We were taught in peewee and Jr. high about always being ready for a pass in the lane or on the blocks. You ALWAYS keep your eyes on the ball and be ready. You’d also learn to keep your hands up and out front because we’d have drills where you’d take one in the face if you didn’t.
A win is not just a win, when you look at the entire picture. Pel’s team have always lacked killer instinct and this year maybe the worst yet. The individual talent on this team is pretty high compared to previous years they should be achieving more. That game should’ve been a bench clearing 30 point win. I have as big of an issue only being up by 4 at half as I do our stretch run. Cmon Pel, figure this stuff out ASAP.
38th minute of pel
i finally figured it out. long is just waiting for pel to eclipse stan heath’s humiliating road record in number of sec losses, which should happen sometime next season. then an interim can be installed mid-season and our sacrosanct recruits will not have the opportunity to jump ship. also after experiencing the misery of playing on a pelphrey team they will be thrilled and re-energized by whatever replacement we can get. yes after searching high and low i finally found a glimmer of hope: the further we fall will merely make the rebound that much higher.
i don’t care what they say about people from pittsburgh or the eventual disaster that was hiring dave wannstedt; jeff long, you are a goddamned genius!
Texas Hog im affraid I have a better chance of having a period, than your 3-2 prediction happening. Sorry