Weems gets honor; Hogs’ RPI, NCAA chances rise
Sonny Weems was named the Southeastern Conference’s Player of the Week by the conference office today.
No surprise there.
Weems averaged 19.5 points last week on 51.7 percent shooting from the floor, including 57.1 percent from magical three-point land. Weems was the main catalyst in revving up the Hogs’ offense against Mississippi State and Florida in Bud Walton Arena.
And the extra bump provided by Weems is also helping the Razorbacks’ NCAA Tournament hopes.
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi now has the Hogs as a No. 6 seed in the Big Dance in Anaheim playing No. 11 seed UNLV. Lunardi had Arkansas as one of his “last four in” on Friday. It seems the 19-point win over Florida was quite the impression-maker on ESPN’s bracket-maniac.
Last week’s wins also bumped Arkansas’ RPI, as we were chatting about here Saturday morning. The Razorbacks are now 36th in the rankings heavily looked at by the NCAA Selection Committee. Arkansas’ RPI ranking is fourth best in the SEC.
It’s worth noting that Razorbacks coach John Pelphrey’s previous coaching gig, South Alabama, is one slot ahead of the Razorbacks.
Arkansas may be able to jump to near 30 with a win over Ole Miss (16-4, 3-4), No. 22 in the RPI, on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena.
Afterward, it’s on the road for the Hogs, who are 2-1 away from the Bud in the SEC. The RPI’s No. 1, Tennessee (18-2, 6-1), will be up first on Feb. 13. Then it’s a rematch with Mississippi State (14-7, 5-2) on Feb. 16.
Split those two, and the Hogs will remain in good shape for the NCAA Tournament.
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