Tiger beat

CBS Sportsline’s Gary Parrish has always seemed to favor Memphis. Last year, he suggested Razorbacks swingman Sonny Weems could land in The Bluff City if he failed an Algebra exam that he needed to pass in order to gain admission to Arkansas. Weems and his father later debunked the story that seemed to come straight from the mouth of Tigers coach John Calipari.

So, it came as no surprise to see Parrish, who covered Memphis for the Commercial-Appeal, rank the Conference USA team No. 1. The Tigers are, in fact, loaded. And Parrish still calls the Memphis area home. The reasons for giving the Tigers the top spot seem bona fide in this case.

But what was interesting about his poll is that Arkansas is listed at No. 16. Parrish didn’t mince words when he trashed the Razorbacks’ decision to fire Stan Heath in March, even going so far as to bring race into the discussion.

Almost six months after that column, here is what Parrish has to say about the Hogs:

The Hogs appear to be the second-most talented team in the SEC, and it’s John Pelphrey’s responsibility to make sure it shows.

Or else.

Filed under: Arkansas Basketball, Other Conferences by Rainer Sabin. Posted on: October 16, 2007 at 1:20 am