Pressbox Roundtable – Jim, Pat & Crew Talk HawgBall

Basketball, Featured, Razorbacks, Red Wolves, Trojans, UCA Bears | January 10, 2013 by | 1 Comment

Outside of getting the automatic bid by winning the tournament, will Arkansas be one of those teams to get an at-large NCAA bid?

Jessica: It’s going to take some impressive wins against SEC opponents to convince me to make it in this year. I think they have the depth to do so. But again, this is where consistency comes into play. Show a full 40 minutes against a good SEC team and then we’ll talk.

Pat: We’ll find out a lot at College Station. I think they are based on what I’ve seen and what I know. I saw Ole Miss play, Mississippi State is down. If there was a year for them to finish in the top 4 or top 5 in the SEC, this is the year. They’ve got to find somebody to step up and make some shots to do that.

Doc: I’ve been saying they will so I’ll stick with it. They’ve got 5 games against Missouri, Florida, and Kentucky, so they’ll have opportunities to impress people. They have to win some of those five games. They also have to win some road games, hopefully starting with A&M on Wednesday night. In the end, I just believe that any college team with two players who could potentially leave early for the NBA after the season should be able to make the tournament, and that’s what I’m clinging to.

Jim: I’m with Doc. If they beat Missouri, Florida and Kentucky at home, they’ll get in. Lose those three and hope for the NIT. I just can’t imagine yet another year at Arkansas without some post-season play, especially with players like Powell and Young.

Justin: I think this would be a year ahead of schedule, but with the way the league is they should. If they don’t I doubt the SEC gets more than four.

What would be a reasonable finish in the league for this team?

Pat: Arkansas has Missouri and Florida twice, probably the top two teams, and I’m not sure how many others in the league face both those teams twice. We’re going into the SEC 9-4. It’s going to be tough, man. They’ve got to get 11 wins in the league. I’m going to give them 11-7 in conference. Looking at that, that’s pretty good against this schedule. This isn’t like going to some places in the Atlantic 10.

Jessica: Reasonable finish … I’d say 8th.

Justin: 10-8 would be OK by me.

Doc: I expect them to have a winning record, probably finish 5th or 6th in the league. If that’s where they finish, they’ll open the SEC tournament playing against one of the bottom four teams in the league with a great shot to advance to the next round, which they may need to do to get in the tournament. I wouldn’t rule out a 4th place finish though.

Jim: A win at A&M would be a good start to finishing better than .500. I would like to believe that at some point Anderson’s game will travel on the road and be successful here. Also, against actual equal or better competition the Hogs are only 1-4 in my opinion, and you only hope the last five games against mostly stiffs helped them improve and not get a false sense of where they stand.

Does anyone outside the SEC wow you this year as the clear-cut favorite to win it all?

Doc: It doesn’t feel like there’s a super-team out there. I think it’s going to be an exciting tournament.

Jessica: Duke is dominating teams right now. Holding strong to that No. 1 spot. But let’s see how it goes once their conference play begins. The ACC is tough.

Justin: I would have to say Duke at this point.

Pat: I like Duke right now, no question. Michigan, all. Duke is pretty strong with the big boy, Plumlee, the way he works. When you have guys who are point guards with size, Duke and Michigan are the two more impressive teams. You can see how they could lose two games or so, but Duke is the strongest top to bottom. Michigan, with the point gu ard Burke and the weqapons they have. There is nobody like Kentucky was last year.

Jim: Butler takes it all this year. Rotnei Clarke hits the game winner against Duke from half-court … Seriously, I would figure Duke and Indiana for the Final Four and one of those two winning it all.

ASU and UALR, how do you see them finishing in the Sun Belt? Corliss Williamson appears to have things turning around at UCA, how do the Bears shake out in the Southland?

Pat: I haven’t seen ASU or UCA, but the Trojans have a chance to win the West. The chemistry and how fast they can bring along the young point guards, if Steve Shields can find a way to get those guys consistent — they have Will Neighbour and a lot of athletic guys coming off the bench. If the guards can be consistent, then they have a chance to win the West. When they look good, they look REALLY good. They can beat anybody. I do know at UCA, from what I’ve read, they seem to be doing a lot better. It’s going to take a couple of years for Corliss to teach those kids his system and get them in the kind of shape he needs them in.

Jessica: ASU is playing strong. They’re a good team making some big splashes. UALR, however, is an incredibly young team. One senior – who is a former team manager – on the team right now. This isn’t going to be the Trojans’ year. But those young players are learning some valuable skills now that will pay off in a year or so. As for UCA, who doesn’t love seeing Big Nasty on the sidelines pushing these Bears in the Southland? I haven’t been following them much this season to really say how I think they’ll shake out in the Southland Conference.

Justin: I haven’t seen ASU play, but just score watching the Red Wolves seem to be getting better after a slow start. UALR is a lot more fun to watch than in a lot of seasons and has some nice talent, but a lot of that talent is in the freshman class and we know that you get inconsistent play. No question the Bears are exponentially better than in Coach Williamson’s first year, but they have to figure out a way to win the close games. The Southland is probably underrated as a basketball league around here.

Doc: I don’t follow them enough to have any idea how they’ll do.

Jim: Ed Townsell has been a terrific and pleasant surprise for ASU this year after a really shaky first year at Jonesboro. I can see ASU contending for the Sun Belt tourney crown and getting into the tournament with the guard play. The league isn’t as good this year top to bottom. UALR is too young but plays the best defense and could figure. Middle Tennessee should be the best team in the league. I’m glad to see Corliss find some players and get some nonconference wins. We’ll see how that translates in league play. Also, nobody has probably noticed, but the UAPB men under George Ivory are 3-0 in the SWAC. They handled Alabama A&M at home about as easily as Arkansas beat them in Verizon.