Road remains impassable for Hogs
NORMAN, Okla. — The last shot Arkansas attempted didn’t hit the backboard. It didn’t touch the rim. It didn’t even brush the net. The ball, instead, landed on the baseline and went out of bounds, bouncing into a pool of photographers.
Patrick Beverley glanced at it and then turned to walk back down the court with an empty expression on his face. So did four other Razorbacks, who were coming to grips with the fact that they lost again on the road.
New coach. New season. Different venue. Same result.
In their first game in a hostile environment, Arkansas stumbled to its second defeat of the season, losing 83-72 to Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday.
“We’ve got veteran guys,” Razorbacks sophomore point guard Stefan Welsh said outside the locker room. “There is no excuse for us not to win on the road.”
But they haven’t. For the last five seasons, Arkansas has earned a reputation for performing poorly away from Bud Walton Arena. Under previous coach Stan Heath, the Razorbacks’ road record was 9-37.
The failures have been so well-documented that one wonders if the players’ have been mentally affected by each and every one of them. Has losing on the road become a psychosomatic disorder for the Razorbacks?
Arkansas coach John Pelphrey hopes not.
“We are all aware of the past,” Pelphrey said. “But this is anew day for us. This was an opportunity for us to play a very good basketball team on the road. This was the time for us to go do this and we’ll get another chance.”
That’s true. But for another 25 days Arkansas won’t face another team at a site that isn’t home or neutral. And until then the doubt will linger for a team that is still trying to prove that it belongs at the same dinner table with the rest of the big-time basketball programs.
After all, Oklahoma wasn’t exactly a world-beater. The Sooners lost to Stephen F. Austin last Saturday and Arkansas became their first victim from a BCS conference this season.
Before Saturday, Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel put his team through the grinder. During finals week, practices began at midnight. With games against Arkansas, Gonzaga and West Virginia looming on the schedule, Capel wanted to circle the wagons after the embarrassing loss to the Jacks.
“I wasn’t pleased,” Capel said. “But to our guys’ credit they never wavered.”
That was especially true in the waning moments of the second half, when the Sooners pressed down on the accelerator and breezed to victory. Oklahoma outscored the Razorbacks 15-7 in the last four minutes, energizing a crowd that yelled incessantly and waved white towels to show their appreciation.
“They worked through it all and hopefully we learned a lot about ourselves and who we can become,” Capel said.
In many ways, the game was a revelatory experience for both teams. Oklahoma discovered it can bounce back from an upset loss. The Razorbacks perhaps realized that the road woes continue to haunt them.
“We’re a different team,” Razorbacks guard Gary Ervin insisted. “We’re experienced. We’re supposed to win games on the road.”
Once again, however, it didn’t happen.
New coach. New season. Different venue. But alas the same result.
7 Responses to “Road remains impassable for Hogs”
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Although they really aren’t his players, Coach Pel will figure things out. Next year’s ‘08 class is truly outstanding. GO HOGS!
[...] Rainer Sabin of The Slophouse has a nice post on this subject, in which he asks, “Has losing on the road become a psychosomatic disorder for the Razorbacks?” [...]
Our basketball team is HORRIBLE. Pelphrey will eventually get players in there, but the ones we have already are just over-rated. They SUCK and will do nothing but continue to disappoint us all season as they did when Heath was here.
Wow, malsucks. You’re full of positive energy today aren’t you? Yeah, the passing does suck most of the time and they sometimes shoot like Upward players but to say they suck and will do nothing but dissappoint is a little harsh. They’ll come around. I think we have talent. Something is just fundamentally wrong this season. I don’t remember them being quite as unable to make a decent pass last year. It’s hard to score when you’re always giving the ball away.
The thing that the fans and administration need to remember is that, as dwp007, said they aren’t Pelphreys recruits. These guys are trying to learn a completely new and different system than many of them have never played. We need to sit back and give encouragement and hopefully before much longer they start playing the quality minutes that they are capable of playing.
Look for a totally different team by mid to late January.
Go Hogs.
Please don’t blame this gifted group kids for the lack of a quarterback! This roster is loaded except we do not have Arlyn Bowers, Cory Beck or Lee Mayberry yet…. get my drift??
We do not have a point guard! If we had atleast one true point guard, things would be different.
I believe we are going to get better over time.
Just think of it folks we have a point guard that couldnt start for MIss.Geeeeeeeeeeeeze.Talk about a bunch of talent.They cant shoot 3s they cant dribble they cant penetrate..For 2 yrs all I heard was how great Irvin was but I still see nothing but stupidity.If Pelphery keeps Irving at point guard we will lose 20 games.