Razorbacks Send Off Seniors in Style

The Razorbacks held of LSU 99-90 in their last home game of
the season. This game seemed to be in the bag from the start as the Hogs took a
55-34 lead into the half time break, but the Tigers made a push late. Arkansas
struggled from the free throw line down the stretch, nearly giving LSU the
chance they needed, but they ultimately held strong enough to escape Senior
Night with a nine point victory.

Razorbacks Rivalry

However, creeping towards the NCAA tournament was not the
only factor that made this game special. There were several other looming
aspects that made this game oh-so-much sweeter. If you ask Hog fans who the
Razorbacks’ rival is, some of the older generation might say Texas or Oklahoma.
The younger generation that doesn’t remember a time when those teams were
relevant to an average Razorback season might say the Aggies of Texas A&M,
considering the long losing streak the football team has endured to the team
from College Station.

However, age difference or not, Hogs everywhere can agree
that it’s easy to hate LSU. No matter the sport, a win over LSU is a bright
spot in every Arkansas season. This one was no different. Especially after the
first time these teams matched up earlier in the season. That game included
roughly the same number of offensive rebounds for LSU as the Hogs had total
rebounds, and the Razorbacks still lost by a single point. Revenge is sweet.

SEC Player of the Year

A topic less important than rivalries or tournament hopes
that still means a lot to Razorbacks is the SEC Player of the Year (SECPOY)
race. There have been several names floating between experts such as, Immanuel
Quickley, Reggie Perry, Anthony Edwards, and LSU Tiger, Skylar Mays. It is
believed that Quickley will take home the hardware based off of his good play
combined with his team’s success. While I have no argument for why Quickley, or
any of these players, don’t deserve the award, I believe one resume stands head
and shoulders above the rest.

There’s only one player that leads his team in four of the
five major stat categories. The same player that leads the SEC in scoring and
the nation in FTs. He’s the third player in SEC history to win four different
Player of the Week awards. Most impressively of all, he has eight 30+ point games, including two of
40+. I can debate his case all day, but I believe his resume speaks for itself.
Game talks louder than words, and Mason Jones has earned the award. Now we just
wait to see who actually takes it home.

Razorbacks Seniors

The final, and perhaps most enjoyable, part of last night’s victory was the Seniors’ send off. The Seniors on this team include the walk-on defensive end, Jamario Bell; grad transfer, Jeantal Cylla; two time Hog, Jimmy Whitt; and long-time fan favorite, Adrio Bailey. Whitt and Bailey obviously had the largest roles of the graduating class, but all of them chose to be Hogs in their final year of eligibility, and for that the fanbase is forever grateful.

Jimmy Whitt

Whitt had himself a career night in his final game in front
of the Bud Walton Arena crowd. His 15 rebounds were a career high, and his 26
points are tied for his second highest total of the season. He also contributed
across the stat sheet, adding five assists, two steals, and a block while
shooting 53% from the floor. With one game left in the season, this victory put
Whitt’s season averages at 14.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.4 steals,
and 0.5 blocks per game. He’s been all over the court all season long, and it
has been a joy to watch.

Adrio Bailey

Bailey did not have a stellar Senior Night. He spent a large
portion of it on the bench in foul trouble. It also didn’t help his case that
Ethan Henderson had recently become an interior presence on both ends of the
court. Henderson actually had a career high 10 points against LSU in 27 minutes
of play while Bailey only saw the court for 14 minutes. He scored one point,
grabbed two rebounds, and had a block and an assists. While it’s not realistic
to say this game was a staple of his Arkansas career, his attitude about the
victory is indicative of the type of teammate he is. Despite smaller
contributions stat-wise in some games, Bailey has never lost his energy and his
heart. He’s truly been the backbone of this team, and that’s not something that
can be shown on the box score.

Razorbacks Road Ahead

With one game left in their season, the Razorbacks are
fighting for their tournament lives. On the final Saturday of the SEC play, the
Hogs will travel to face the Aggies in College Station. Hot off an upset win on
Auburn’s home court, defeating Texas A&M is no small task. The biggest
hurdle the Hogs have left is not looking forward to what could be. Taking care
of business against A&M is the number one priority for this team, because
any loss between now and Saturday, March 14^th, would mean the end of
the Hogs NCAA Tournament dreams.

Razorbacks SEC Tourney Projections

However as a fan, I am going to take a look at what could
lie ahead for the team come SEC Tournament time. If the Hogs beat the Aggies,
they still have to survive a few rounds of the SECT to give themselves a shot
at the big dance. When they start and who they play could make all the
difference. We’ll start with where the Hogs could finish. The field is so jam
packed that anywhere between the 2 seed and the 13 seed could be decided by tie
breakers. The Hogs are the only team with a 7-10 record (all records are
conference only), but Alabama has an 8-9 record and both Ole Miss and Missouri
share a 6-11 record. This means that through a variety of different out comes
and tie breakers that can get confusing, the Hogs could end up anywhere from 9^th
to 11^th.

Scenario One: Arkansas and Alabama Win, Tennessee Loss

If both the Hogs and the Tide win their last games, Arkansas
stays put in the standings with the only 8-10 record. This leaves them in the
10^th seed pitted against the 7^th seed. As for who will be
the 7^th seed, the tiebreakers get a little tricky. A Tennessee and
A&M loss with an Alabama win leaves the three teams in a log jam, all at
9-9. Since Texas A&M beat both the Vols and the Tide H2H, it appears they
would be the 7^th seed in this scenario. This leaves Tennessee and
Alabama matching up in the first round at 8^th and 9^th
respectively.

Scenario Two: Arkansas, Alabama, and Tennessee Win

Still assuming the Hogs and Tide win, if the Vols also win, Tennessee will be the 7^th seed regardless due to their H2H loss to Mississippi State. Depending on how the Razorbacks’ last game against Texas A&M goes, this matchup with the Vols could end up being more or less favorable than the Aggies. Preferred matchups are a toss up at this point.

Scenario Three: Arkansas Win, Alabama and Tennessee Loss

If Arkansas wins and Alabama loses, they will be the only two teams with an 8-10 record. The Hogs win this H2H tiebreaker against Bama, meaning Arkansas would rise to the 9 seed. From what I have gathered, this is the best case scenario seeding-wise for the Hogs. This would allow them to play against the 8^th seed which, as explained in Scenario One, will be Tennessee if they lose to Auburn.

Scenario Four: Arkansas and Tennessee Win, Alabama Loss

This scenario is very similar to Scenario Three. The only
difference is who the Hogs will matchup against in the first round, and who
they would play in the second round which we will not get into in this article.
If the Hogs and Vols win but the Tide lose, Arkansas will matchup against Texas
A&M in the 8-9 matchup. While this higher seeded seems beneficial, it might
be better to stay in the 10 seed to take our chances against the 7 seed, mainly
for the fact of getting to face the 3 seed in their next game instead of the 1
seed.

Remaining Razorbacks Scenarios

The remaining scenarios for the Hogs involve losing their
final game against Texas A&M. This would put the Hogs as a 10^th
or 11^th seed depending on whether or not Ole Miss and Missouri win
their final games. We will not go into much depth about these exact scenarios
or tie breakers because if the Hogs lose against A&M, their NCAA tournament
hopes go from 0.1% to a resounding none.

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