Evin Demirel: Arkansas Basketball Is Back

 

By Evin Demirel

On Thursday night, Arkansas’ basketball program has a chance to announce to the world it’s officially back. To show a primetime national audience that “40 Minutes of Hell” is alive, well and snarling, and to throw just a little shade on No. 1 Kentucky’s presumably wide open path to a conference title.

More than conference bragging rights are on the line when the 6-0 Hogs clash with 4-1 Iowa State in Ames, IA, at 8 p.m. on ESPN 2. No. 20 Iowa State looks to build off its Sweet 16 appearance last season and right the ship after a surprise loss to Maryland on November 25. No. 18 Arkansas, meanwhile, can rise to levels not seen since its early to mid 1990s heyday.

The Razorbacks, in the top five nationally in scoring, three-point accuracy, assists and turnovers forced, will try to disrupt the nation’s leader in assist-to-turnover ratio—Cyclone point guard Monte Morris. “Hopefully we can get the game to where it’s an up and down game, where depth is going to determine the outcome,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. “We have to go up there, play with confidence, play with poise. There’s going to be some adversity, trust me.”

Iowa State generated dark horse Final Four talk entering the season and has been given nearly twice as good of odds to win the 2015 NCAA Championship as Arkansas. But a Razorback win shifts the dark horse label a couple states southward. Earlier this week, Arkansas clocked in at No. 9 in the RPI rankings which help determine seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas last had a top-10 RPI ranking two decades ago.

In the days when Big Nasty and Crew were steamrolling to a National Title and consecutive Final Four appearances, Arkansas exacted its will on practically anybody, anywhere, any time…

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Evin Demirel writes more about Razorback basketball at his Sports Seer site. He Tweets a time or 2,000 about it, too, like the one below…

Evin Demirel (@evindemirel)

12/4/14, 1:43 PM

Mike Anderson vs. Nolan Richardson: Comparing First 4 Yrs as Hog coachest hesportsseer.com/2014/12/04/mik… cc @jimharris360 pic.twitter.com/aP73366VDN

 

 

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