Hogs practice as New Year’s clock strikes midnight

The Razorbacks rang in the New Year on the basketball court, and not in dorm rooms, apartments or at parties last night.

No midnight kisses for these Hogs (10-1), who upset No. 4 Oklahoma, 96-88, on Tuesday in Bud Walton Arena.

And, no, there was not a toast of Gatorade or a pause in practice to celebrate as the clock struck midnight, either. The only ball dropping was on the basketball court for the Hogs.

"We got back in the locker room and I looked at my phone and it was 12:30," freshman guard Rotnei Clarke said. "We already missed it. We had no idea."

The team met at 11 p.m. to watch film and shoot with little contact. Clarke and the team wasn't too disappointed, though.

"We didn't really have too much for New Year's, but that's all right," Clarke said. "We were in here together as a team. ... That was fine. We got a little re-focused from the win from OU and we got passed it. Now we're looking forward to the next game."

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey's mother always told him that nothing good happens after midnight. And Pelphrey firmly believes that.

"It's just dangerous out there," Pelphrey said of the hazards that New Year's celebrations are capable of presenting. "I'm not so much concerned about what (the players) might do, but just everybody else."

Pelphrey said he drew some guidance from his playing days at Kentucky, where he can remember practicing as the ball dropped in Times Square on a couple of occasions.

For the Hogs today, practice ended sometime before 1:15 a.m. After some sleep and weight lifting, the team met again for practice at 4 p.m.

Arkansas travels to North Little Rock to face North Texas at 2:05 p.m. in Alltel Arena Saturday.

– Brandon Marcello
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