Basketball Notes: Beatdown in the Bud

Arkansas' 87-61 win over LSU is done and Razorbacks coach John Pelphrey feels fortunate.

The Hogs (18-7, 7-4 SEC) are now just one game back of Mississippi State in the SEC Western Division after the Bulldogs fell at Ole Miss tonight, 74-63. Pelphrey also felt fortunate that LSU's Marcus Thornton was on the bench most of the night from a knee injury.

One player, however, probably would not have made a difference against the Hogs. The Razorbacks' 21-0 run and 3-point barrage in the first half was, as the kids would say, pretty sick.

"Actually, I didn’t even know it was that big of a run," Arkansas sophomore guard Patrick Beverley said. "You kind of look up and it’s kind of close. You look up again, you’re up 21 points. If we just keep our defensive intensity up consistently, the sky is the limit for our basketball team."

• It's noteworthy to mention that Beverley was hobbled in his 33 minutes of playing time Wednesday. The sophomore has what he calls an MCL sprain in his right knee. He said he was in pain on the court. Beverley suffered the injury Monday when teammate Charles Thomas collided into his knee/thigh area during practice.

• Forward Sonny Weems was also hobbled in the second half with a slight ankle tweak, but Pelphrey said he should be OK.

• Senior Gary Ervin started his first game at point guard since Nov. 16. He made the most of it, hitting 7 of 13 shots onward to a team-high 17 points. He didn't do so well in the assist-to-turnover ratio, though, with two assists and three turnovers.

• Arkansas' 11 three-pointers was a season high.

Next up for Arkansas is a trip to Kentucky on Saturday. After struggling out of the gates, the Wildcats have really bounced back in the SEC and now has a 14-10 overall mark highlighted with an 8-3 tally in conference play.

Oh, and Kentucky has yet to lose at home in the SEC this season. They even beat now-No. 2 Tennessee, 72-66, on Jan. 22. You'll be hearing a lot more about that in the coming days, especially with the Pelphrey connection to the Bluegrass State.

"I didn't even notice they were up next," the former Kentucky player said. "We try to focus on what is right in front of us and go one game at a time. Going into my alma mater, it means so much for me to go in there and win. It will be a big road challenge, but we are excited and ready to go."

Filed under: Arkansas Basketball by Brandon Marcello. Posted on: February 20, 2008 at 11:03 pm