Arkansas Expats

Poll: The Hogs and the SEC Tournament

2010-03-10T21:21:06Z

The SEC Tournament starts tomorrow, and you can just feel the excitement in the air. How do you think the Hogs will fare in Nashville?

Poll

What's your prediction on how the Hogs will fare in the SEC Tournament?

Powell: Hogs Are "My Team"

2010-03-10T16:22:49Z

Powell: Hogs Are "My Team"

I'm not quite sure that the 2010 bball Hogs are much of a prize to claim, but props to the big freshman for his take-charge attitude.

Diamond Hog Update: March 8

2010-03-08T23:17:35Z

This weekend saw the Hogs far from home, in the decidely anti-Ozarks of Berkeley California. This series was the Diamond Hogs' first "real" test of the season, and they didn't disappoint, taking 2 of 3 from those pot-smoking hippies (present company excluded, John).

Hogs fell behind 2-3 late in Game 1, until blowing the game open with a 5-run 8th inning, headlined Zack Cox's 2-RBI single and James McCann's 3-run homer. Starting pitcher Mike Bolsinger had a workman-like performance, pitching a career-high 7 innings, with 6 Ks and only 1 ER. However, his performance was marred by 2 ERRs. Unfortunately, errors would become all-too-common throughout the series. Hogs win 7-3, with DJ Baxendale notching his third save of the season.

Game 2 saw the return of 2009's "cardiac Hogs", with multiple clutch situations. Zack Cox got the Hogs on the board with a 2-RBI single in the 3rd, with 2 outs. Tim Carver kept the theme going by hitting 2 HRs, headlined by his 3 run shot in the 5th, again with 2 outs. Starting pitcher Drew Smyly got into a jam early in the third inning, but managed to pitch his way out, escaping with only 1 unearned run. Smyly ended the day with 7 Ks and no earned runs through 5 innings. The Razorback bullpen let the Bears get back into the game, with reliever TJ Forrest immediately giving up a 3-run homer in the 6th. Cal attempted a rally in the bottom of the 9th, but came up far short, scoring only 1 run. Hogs take the series with the 9-5 win, with Smyly moving to 1-0 on the season. For an excellent eye-witness account by John Expat, see here.

Starting centerfielder Brett Eibner took the mound for Game 3, requiring significant shuffling of both the outfield and infield to accomodate him. Eibner will remain in the rotation throughout the season, which is a testament to the teamwork and flexibility this club is capable of. Eibner had a good showing, with 5 Ks, 1 ER, and only 3 hits through 5 innings. Unfortuately, the bullpen slipped up again, with Geoffry Davenport immediately giving up a 3-run shot with no out in the 6th. Cal would add 2 more in the 7th to pad their lead. The Hogs fall 0-6, snapping their 7 game win streak, with Eibner picking up the L. It was the first time the Hogs have been shutout since April 10, 2009, against Vandy. 8 runners get stranded on base, many in scoring position.

Arkansas delivers on its first real test of the season: on the road, 2000 miles from home, against a relative powerhouse in the baseball-heavy state of California. The Razorback offense has proven to be potent, but their defense needs a little work. They just seemed unable to not give up runs. Of course, the best defense if a good offense, but without some defensive improvement, they'll be unable to win those games where the offense just isn't "clicking". Also, errors are a concern, with the Hogs committing 9 over the weekend.

This week, the Hogs return to Baum for a mid-week series against South Dakota State on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a weekend series against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Neither squad seems to be much to worry about, but should serve as a nice warm up for a HUGE series with #2 LSU down in Baton Rogue the following weekend. Hogs move up the rankings to #14, per Rivals, with a record of 8-2.

Baseball in Berkeley: An Eyewitness Account

2010-03-08T17:38:30Z

Extensive archival research shows that, until last weekend, the fine city of Berkeley, California had never been treated to the majesty of a Hog call. But, I'm pleased to say that this is no longer the case.

I've been a Bay Area-based Arkansas Expat since the mid-90s (first in San Francisco, then Oakland, now Berkeley), and one of the only significant drawbacks about living here is that it's not the world's easiest place to follow the Hogs. So, even though I've never been much of a college baseball fan, when I realized the Razorbacks would be playing locally I had to check them out.

I went to the game fully expecting to be one of the only people wearing red in the whole place, but was pleasantly surprised to find a very solid contingent of Hog fans waiting there. In fact, I'd guess that a good 25-30% of the people there were on the Arkansas side. It was pretty awesome to see, and even more awesome to hear: as noted above, the sonorous sounds of Woo Pig Sooie rang out loud and clear several times.

As for the game itself, you can probably find better accounts elsewhere. I was chasing around my two small boys for most of the time, and although it was excellent father-son bonding it didn't make for the most blogging-friendly situation. But, I can report that the Hogs are as good as advertised. They jumped on the Bears early and never really looked back, particularly during a big five run 5th inning (the highlight of which was Tim Carver's three run HR - very nice). Fun times.

Besides the home run and Hog calls, the other highlight was that we were able to sit ridiculously close to the Razorback dugout (which was really more of a bench). The Cal stadium is what I'd call pleasantly intimate - definitely not the SEC here, folks - and we were right in the thick of things. After the jump, check out some firsthand photos and videos (including the Hog call!):

Photo slideshow (view the full-size pictures here):

Calling the Hogs in Berkeley:

Celebrating Carver's 2nd Home Run:

Requiem for a Dream: Ole Miss 68, Arkansas 66

2010-03-06T23:49:15Z

Way back in January (given all the ups and downs of this season, it seems like several years ago by now) I unveiled an oh-so-stirring dream of mine: to see the Hogs finish with an 8-8 record in SEC play. I first articulated this on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, and like Dr. King's soaring vision of an America rooted in racial equality, my wish of a .500 conference record no doubt inspired millions and brought tears to many an eye.

With about five minutes to go in the second half, I felt certain my dream would shortly become a reality. In fact, I was preparing for a lucrative career as a corporate motivational speaker. My eyes kept glancing at the phone, certain that Jeff Long would be calling to thank me for my inspirational words.

And then, well ... the Hogs proceeded to score one point over the final 5 minutes and 22 seconds of play, and allowed the Rebels to rally from a 64-53 deficit during that time. Ole Miss took its first lead of the game with 53 seconds left to play. To quote The Walrus:

"And so dear friends,
you'll just have to carry on,
the dream is over."

It's hard to feel this way now, but the Hogs made some progress this year. Going from 2 wins in the SEC to 7 may not be cause for a ticker-tape parade, but it shouldn't be entirely dismissed, either. Having said all that, the regular-season-ending, five-game losing streak has done a good job of reviving the bad vibes that have surrounded this program for too much of the recent past.

Inaugural Diamond Hog Update

2010-03-05T01:48:04Z

On the basis of a somewhat pointed suggestion from John Expat, I'm going to start leaving regular updates on the status of the Diamond Hogs. Yes, I know, college baseball isn't a "major" sport that garners regular attention from ESPN and can sometimes be as boring as week-old, store-bought apple pie, but the Arkansas baseball program has a strong pedigree and is regularly competitive for a national title. The least all good Hog fans can do is be aware of how the Hogs are doing on the diamond, and that's where I step in. If you're close enough to Fayetteville to make a day trip, I encourage you to go check out the Hogs at Baum Stadium one weekend. Tickets are cheap, so it's great for a family trip or just a day out with the kids. And, if you're so inclined, you can bring adult beverages (beer only) into the Hog Pen behind left field.

For those of you who need a primer, the Diamond Hogs have 22 NCAA Tourney appearance to their name, along with 6 appearances in the College World Series (5 in the last 15 years). The '79 Diamond Hogs came within 2 runs of being National Champions, and the 2009 squad had a fantastic season, finishing third at the CWS, posting numerous come-from-behind, ninth- and extra-inning victories, and sweeping #1 Arizona St. during the regular season, as well as upsetting #2 national seed Cal State-Fullerton in the first game of the CWS. Despite their post-season success, the Hogs have only won 4 conference titles (2 SEC, 2 SWC), which is a testament to the competitive nature of SEC Baseball.

The club is currently coached by Dave van Horn, an Arkansas alum. Van Horn was previously the head coach at Nebraska, where he brought the Cornhuskers to national prominence and won Big XII and National Coach of the Year honors in 2001. When legendary coach Norm Debriyn (think John McDonnell, with fewer NCs) retired at the end of 2002, after spending his entire 33 year career with Hogs, van Horn jumped at the chance to coach the Razorbacks. I think we can all agree, in light of some of our recent coaching situations (See: Dana Altman), that the opportunity to get someone who loves the University like Coach van Horn is a rarity.

One of the best things about Arkansas Baseball is the atmosphere. The baseball facilities, like all of Arkansas' sports facilities, are top notch. Baum Stadium (at George Cole Field, for the purists), which has been called the "palace of college baseball stadiums", was rated the best stadium in the country by Rivals in 2008. Fan support is also quite strong, with Arkansas Baseball attendance ranking in the top 2 in the nation for the past 5 seasons, including first in 2007. Arkansas was the first school to average 8,000 fans/game and several games have brought more than 10,000+ fans. That's more than some SEC basketball programs can say. Also, Arkansas Baseball is one of only 3 SEC teams to actually turn a profit. That is, the baseball team is a "money generating sport" and doesn't sponge off the financial successes of football and basketball.

The team is currently 6-1, leading into a 3 game series with the Cal Golden Bears this weekend. They took the opening series from Ball State 2-1, swept Troy last weekend, and toppled Kansas on Tuesday, out-scoring their opponents 63-28 in the process. Notable players include (and this is definitely not all-inclusive): Andy Wilkins (1B, leads team in RBIs, rated as the 3rd best 1B in the country), Zach Cox (3B, Freshman All-American in 2009, 3rd best 3B in the country), and Brett Eibner (OF/RHP, Freshman All-American in 2008, 2-0 on the mound). Also, Coach van Horn is rated at the 9th best coach in the country, per Rivals' Power Rankings.

The Hogs are currently ranked 15th by Rivals. There's some ambiguity in the college baseball polls; there are several polls that are all about equally well-regarded. Kendall Rogers at Rivals (who does a fantastic job with Rivals' college baseball coverage) has one, and Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball also have polls. USA Today/ESPN publish a Coaches' Poll. This has led to some "interesting" matchups, such as the first ever #1 vs. #1 last year, the aforementioned sweep of Arizona St.

So, that should get everybody (everybody who cares, at least) up to speed. I'm going to try to update early in the week after each weekend series. The mid-week matchups have some notable games, such as last Tuesday's whallopping of #25 Kansas, Oklahoma, and Oral Roberts, but nothing nearly as exciting as Arizona St.'s visit to Fayetteville last season, so I'll probably just lump the mid-week results in with weekend series update. That being said, I hope these posts are informative and drum up some interest and support for the Diamond Hogs. Woo Pig Sooie!

Just the (Depressing) Facts

2010-03-04T17:16:51Z

Check out this deflating tweet about the basketball Hogs from Dem.-Gaz. online editor Brandon Marcello:

"This is 5th season in last 9 UA will finish regular season below .500. Hogs had 5 losing seasons in 32-year stretch prior to 2001-02. Yikes."

And just to keep the good times a-rollin', chew on this fact, dug up by one of our interns: Since the end of the 1998-99 season, the Razorbacks have finished with a winning record in SEC play in just three - THREE - seasons. In the other seasons since then, the Hogs have posted losing conference records; there are no 8-8 marks to be found.

However, the Hogs can finish this SEC season with an 8-8 record by defeating Ole Miss on Saturday. In the meantime, you may want to check out this page.

Final Nail, Meet Coffin

2010-03-04T02:23:23Z

More photos » Wade Payne - AP

Browse more photos »

Well, the Razorbacks gave it the old college try on the road against a good Tennessee team, but it just wasn't meant to be.

Better than the LSU, Alabama or Auburn losses? Yes. A moral victory we can feel good about? Not really. Moral victories don't get you into postseason play, nor do they win you the SEC West. And, since both of those goals now seem solidly out of reach it doesn't seem like there's all that much to celebrate at the moment

Fellow Hog callers, as you look back on this season and ahead to the future what do you think?

Good Night, Game Over, Drive Home Safely

2010-03-03T00:15:14Z

That's the phrase that came to mind when reading this excellent Slophouse post, in which Dem.-Gaz. online editor Brandon Marcello shows what an uphill climb Arkansas faces just to snag a measly 'ole NIT bid. I think many Hog fans, myself included, have long felt that an overall .500 record would be enough to receive an invite to the junior varsity version of March Madness. Considering the schedule ahead, though, the Razorbacks are going to be extremely hard-pressed to do that.

And if they were to defy the odds and finish right at .500, that's probably not going to be enough to persuade the folks who run the NIT, Marcello notes. For one thing, all of last year's NIT teams had records over .500. For another, Arkansas' robust RPI ranking of 143 doesn't compare favorably - not at all - with those of the final teams selected for last year's tournament.

Way back when, when the Hogs were sitting alone atop the SEC West with a very surprising 7-4 conference record and had games against Auburn and LSU on the horizon, I believed an NIT bid was virtually in the bag. Not the most exciting thing in the world, perhaps, but I was fairly jazzed about it. I thought an appearance in the tournament would have represented signifcant progress from last year's 2-14 conference debacle. And given the way the Hogs were playing at that time, I thought Arkansas had a chance to do some damage in the NIT and generate some positive momentum for next year.

Oh well. There's always the prestigious CBI and CollegeInsider.com tournaments. Who's up for hosting the watching party if the Hogs appear in one of those? I'll bring the guacamole dip.

Time for a Poll: Just How Bad Is It?

2010-03-01T22:26:19Z

These are tough times for Razorback basketball fans. For those of us who came of age during the Eddie & Nolan eras it's quite disconcerting to see the Hogs struggling to remain in the NIT hunt. Younger fans are likely still looking for their first taste of basketball greatness, and older fans may be searching for the appropriate comparisons to the immortal Duddy Waller and Lanny Van Eman eras.

But how does the current situation compare to similarly unpleasant past seasons? To answer that question, we turn to the most accurate method we know: a highly scientific ArkansasExpats.com poll. Cast your vote on this all-too-sobering topic and then let us know why in the comments section.

Poll

What's the most depressing Razorback basketball season of the modern era?

A Brief Return to Happier Times

2010-03-01T02:59:59Z

We'll soon return to talking about the Hogs' steadily imploding basketball season, but we're just not up to it this evening. Instead, we'd rather think about happier times.

When we need a lift, we think of Dwight. And when we think of Dwight, we often think of the beyond-half-court-bomb shown below.

The setting: the 1995 national semifinal victory over North Carolina. The audio and video in this clip are showing a little wear and tear, but the memories will never fade.

The Vandy Post-Game Thread that I Wrote Before the Game

2010-02-27T20:45:10Z

Via the wonders of SB Nation's jaw-dropping technology, I composed this post in the wee hours of this morning and scheduled it to publish this afternoon. I realize the preceding sentence may have blown your mind a little bit, so I'll pause a few seconds for you to compose yourself ...

The reason I did so is because I'm in Fayetteville this weekend to attend the game and will be away from a computer until tomorrow afternoon (our generous slice of federal stimulus money ran out before I could buy a laptop). I tried to get staff soothsayer Rasputin to let me know the outcome of today's contest so that I would have something game-related to say here, but he has joined the interns for a spring break trip to Florida and could not be reached.

Anyhoo, consider this your place to either celebrate a rousing and surprising victory that put the Hogs squarely back on the NIT track or bemoan another loss in a late-season skid.

Regardless of the outcome, I hope you're having a great weekend. See you soon.

Say It Ain't So, Alvin

2010-02-26T22:26:12Z

Say It Ain't So, Alvin

During his playing days Alvin Robertson was one of our favorite Hogs, but his post-Razorback life has seen a number of unpleasant and unsavory incidents.

However, the latest one tops the rest and is truly disturbing. The AS360 headline says it all: "Former Razorback Alvin Robertson Charged In Sex Trafficking Ring."

Hard to know what to say about that. Very, very, very disappointing.

Q&A: Reggie Merrit, Part 2

2010-02-26T14:12:17Z

This is the second and final part of our Q&A with former Razorback walk-on guard Reggie Merritt (for the lowdown on what Reggie is up to these days and how his Hog career got started, read part 1). In today's installment, Reggie discusses his favorite memories, the heartbreaking loss to UCLA in the 1995 national championship game and who would win a fight between Corliss Williamson and Roosevelt Wallace. Many, many thanks to Reggie for his time and entertaining stories.

Expats: Outside of winning the national championship, what are some of your favorite on-court memories?

Merritt: I remember my first practice. I can still remember just walking into the locker room in Barnhill and seeing Lee [Mayberry] and Todd [Day] and those guys sitting around. I’m just like, “Wow, I can’t even believe I’m here.”

So, I’m throwing on my warm-up and practice gear. We were sponsored by Converse, but I didn’t know that. Nobody had given me any shoes yet. I go out, and I’ve got these black Nikes on. Not only are we sponsored by Converse, but Coach Richardson was never cool with black tennis shoes.

So, here I am, and I can just remember him saying, “Get his ass off the court! Get his ass some shoes!” That was the first thing he ever said to me.

Clint McDaniel loves to tell a story about me twisting both of my ankles at the same time in practice. He was always joking about that.

The first game I ever got in was in Pine Bluff. I played about two minutes. I remember them throwing me the ball. I took a couple of dribbles, pulled up and hit a three. That was the first shot I ever took as a Razorback. That was an unforgettable moment. So was making a three in front of Bill Clinton in Bud Walton and then getting to meet to the president after the game.

A lot of the memories are from the behind-the-scenes stuff: the practices, the road trips, wrestling in the rooms, just having fun.

Expats: What are some the losses that still sting after all these years?

Merritt: Well, losing to UCLA. After fighting so hard that year to get back to the Final Four and then to get to play UCLA without Tyus Edney, we thought for certain that we were going to repeat. Losing that game the way that we did — with the O’Bannon brothers and Toby Bailey just having great games — that was a heartbreaker.

It’s one thing being on the other end, winning and celebrating. But it’s a whole other thing to lose and then to have to go into the locker room and hear the other team’s celebration. It was one of the worst feelings. And knowing that all of the guys were going to leave after that, you knew it was the end of something special.

Expats: How tough was that ’95 season? There were a lot of expectations because you had everybody back, and you had all of your opponents giving you their best shot because you were the defending champions. Did that season feel like a struggle to you guys?

Merritt: It did because everybody played their best game against us. Each game was a national championship game for our opponents. There were tough times, but it brought us closer. Everybody stuck together. It made us stronger.

We really should have won against UCLA, but that day, the better team won. They came ready to play and were jacked up. It was just a heartbreaking feeling knowing that, after we lost, guys weren’t going to come back and guys were graduating and moving on. It was a terrible feeling.

Expats: If your team is down by one with just a few seconds to go, who would you rather see take the last shot: Scotty Thurman or Todd Day?

Merritt: Both of those guys made some big shots over the course of their careers, and you can’t really lose with either one. But I’m definitely going to have to go with Scotty. I joke with him about how that one shot changed all of our lives. It put Arkansas on the map, so I’ll definitely have to go with Scotty. He’s proven that he can do it on the biggest stage. You can’t go against that.

Expats: Who was the best trash talker that you played with in Fayetteville?

Merritt: Well again, it would probably come down to Scotty and Todd. Those were two very confident guys, confident players. And they could back it up.

Todd probably was the biggest trash talker. I’d definitely give him the upper hand on that one.

Expats: Who were some of the locker-room clowns?

Merritt: Elmer Martin. Clint McDaniel. Ray Biggers. They kept the locker room laughing. Kept guys smiling. It’s probably between those three.

But everybody on the squad had a sense of humor. You had to laugh. You had to smile. Or else you would go crazy from Coach Richardson working you.

Expats: Who would win a fight between Corliss and Roosevelt Wallace?

Merritt: Wow! That would probably end in a tie. Those are two big, strong guys! I don’t ever see Roosevelt, so I’m going to go with Corliss. I still see Corliss around town, so I’ll give the upper hand to him.

Expats: Sounds like a smart answer. Who would win a game of one-on-one between you and John Enskov?

Merritt: John would kill me. John would crush me. He’s probably still in good shape, so he’d probably crush me now.

Expats: Would he have beaten you back then as well?

Merritt: (laughs) Um, yeah. I’m going to be modest and give John the upper hand.

Being a walk-on was probably a challenging experience for both of us. It was probably a dream for him too, but we both had our ups and downs.

Being a walk-on can test your character, and it can test your will. The walk-ons, we tried to stick together, tried to encourage each other and push each other when things weren’t necessarily going the way we would have liked.

Expats: You’re practicing every day. You’re traveling with the team. Did you ever feel frustration at not getting to play more?

Merritt: Well, first off, I never thought that I would even make it to that level. But, I’m a competitor, and I’m not going to say that I was just content to sit on the bench. Every guy that has a passion to play basketball wants to get out there.

You want to contribute and feel like you played a part in a win. I never felt like I was going to do so much damage to the team that we had to get up by 30 or 40 points for me to get in the game.

But I had to keep in mind that 1) I was a walk-on and 2) we were just so guard-laden. We had so many guards that could play. It made it difficult. But yeah, it was frustrating on many days. I’m sure John would probably say the same thing.

But I had the encouragement of guys like John and later Guy Whitney. Our families stood by us, and our other teammates. They always encouraged us and made us feel like we were a part of the team.

There was never a situation where our teammates made us feel any different or that we weren’t a part of the team.

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Q&A: Reggie Merritt, Part 1

2010-02-25T14:47:43Z

We don't know about you, but after last night's debacle in Baton Rouge, we're ready to think about happier times in Hog basketball history. And today and tomorrow, we're going to do just that, courtesy of our two-part Q&A with former Razorback walk-on guard Reggie Merritt. A graduate of Little Rock Central, Merritt played for the Hogs from 1991 through 1996 (he redshirted as a true freshman) and was a member of some of the most memorable teams in the school's history, including the 1994 national champions and the 1995 national runner-up.

Reggie now works as a coordinator of the Little Rock School District's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools and the district's Dropout Prevention program. In today's installment, he discusses how he became a walk-on, his relationship with Coach Richardson and his high-school encounters with some of his future Razorback teammates. A dozen thanks to Reggie for his time.

Expats: Did you go to Fayetteville intending to walk on the basketball team?

Merritt: Actually, I didn’t. Coming out of high school, I wasn’t really recruited much. I heard from a couple of NAIA schools.

No, I initially went to the U of A to major in architecture. But I got on campus and started playing pick-up games in the HPER building, and I felt that when I got to college, I got a little better.

Guys just kind of encouraged me to walk on. My parents voiced their opinion about it and encouraged me to do it.

So I went to the tryouts with a friend from Jacksonville who was a pretty good ball player. I went out there with the attitude that I wasn’t going to get my hopes up about making it, that I was just going to have fun and play hard.

Coach Anderson and Notes [Nolan Richardson III] and Ernie Murry, who was a grad assistant at the time — they all supervised the tryouts. Fortunately for me, they saw something in me and gave me an opportunity.

Expats: Were you on the team after the tryouts, or did you have to prove yourself in practice before you were officially a member?

Merritt: The tryouts went on about a week. We were in Barnhill at that time. I can still remember Coach Anderson coming up to me and inviting me to come to a Saturday morning practice.

I showed up that Saturday morning and was just in awe. Just the year before, I’m watching these guys on TV, and many of them of course are much bigger than me. I was scrawny and still am. I was super skinny. Here I am, standing amongst giants: Todd Day, Lee Mayberry, guys that I had watched on TV.

I went to practice for about two weeks before I asked Coach Anderson if I was officially part of the team. I was just blessed that they kept me around.

Expats: You noted in your reunion dinner remarks that your time in Fayetteville encompassed three distinct eras in Razorback basketball. It’s been frequently noted how good the chemistry was on the national championship era team. How was it on the Day-Mayberry era team? And how about the year that you were a senior and Pat Bradley and Kareem Reid were freshmen?

Merritt: When I got there, Todd and Lee and Big O were all seniors. They embraced me. That’s something that I remember to this day. Here I am, a walk-on, and these guys really took me in.

I lived in the dorm with the regular students. During Christmas, the dorm was closed. But we had to stay on campus to practice. Todd Day and Clyde Fletcher were roommates, and they opened up their apartment to me. I stayed with them during the Christmas break.

The chemistry on that team was awesome. Those guys hung out. Those guys were very close. I think that translated to the success that we saw early in the 90s.

And of course, with Corey and Corliss and Scotty, the chemistry was the same way. It was like a family, a brotherhood. Guys hung out together. It wasn’t a situation where you go to practice and then go your separate ways.

With Pat and Kareem, that was a young group. John [Enskov] and I were the elder statesmen of that group. It was a different kind of chemistry. Having been a guy who had been through all of the battles, I felt like more of a mentor, almost like a grandfather in some respects.

But I felt like there was an obligation to pass on the attitude and the way of going about things. That group was cool.

Expats: What was Coach Richardson like to play for? Was he more of a players’ coach or was he someone that the players were scared to death of?

Merritt: You’re in awe of Coach Richardson because he’s Coach Richardson. He’s a big man, so I was literally looking up at him most times. His stature was intimidating.

He’s from the old school. I had had coaches that would get in your face and yell at you, so I was kind of used to that.

He had his system, and he believed in his system. All of us bought into it, and I think that’s why we were successful. I think guys really respected Coach Richardson, but there was a fear factor.

When we lost a game, the plane ride home would be quiet. That next day at practice, you could almost hear a pin drop because we knew what to expect after a loss.

Coach would come in, and we would get to business. We never wanted to lose a game because you never knew what coach might do or have us do – run, whatever.

But I think that everybody respected him and that everybody loved him. Just looking back, you appreciate more the things that you went through.

The lessons I took from that whole experience – I’m forever grateful to Coach Richardson for just giving me an opportunity. I wasn’t even supposed to be there.

There were guys way more talented than I was coming out of high school that could have easily walked on and been a part of that. It was definitely a blessing for me to be there at that particular time and to experience the whole atmosphere and winning a national championship. How many people can actually say that?

Expats: Do you stay in touch with Coach Richardson?

Merritt: I talk to Coach Richardson every blue moon. I last talked to him in May or so. It’s been a good while. I wanted to invite him down to my charity game, and I think at that time he was doing a golf tournament in El Paso.

I need to give him a call and congratulate him on his new position with the Tulsa WNBA team.

I saw Corliss a couple of weeks back. I’ve conversed with Scotty and Corey. I talked with Ray Biggers via Web chat. Many of us don’t talk on a regular basis, but it’s always good when we do, like at the reunion dinner. There is a great camaraderie among that group.

Expats: Speaking of some of your ex-teammates, at the reunion dinner in Fayetteville last spring, you told some pretty funny stories about how you had encountered several of your future teammates while playing high-school basketball. Could you tell our readers which ones you had come across before you arrived in Fayetteville?

Merritt: Well, of course I had heard about Corliss over the years, playing AAU ball and high school ball. His team, Russellville, put us out of the state tournament my senior year. We played them in the first round. If we had won our last regular-season game, we wouldn’t have had to play Corliss.

We played Pine Bluff each year, so I had played against Ken Biley. My [Central High] teammate Richard Scott and I hung out together, and I met Ken by going to Richard’s AAU practices. They were on the same AAU team.

With Corey and Dwight, their Memphis AAU team, which also had Penny Hardaway, came to Little Rock and played the Arkansas Wings AAU senior team, which had Ken Biley, Richard Scott and Alfred Warren. They were a year ahead of me. I wasn’t on that particular team.

The Memphis team put a stomping on those guys. Everybody was anticipating watching Hardaway, who at that time was the number one high-school player in the country, but I’ll never forget seeing Corey — at that time he had a little jheri curl.

And Dwight, I can remember Dwight coming out and people just kind of looking at him like, “Who is this kid?” And then we saw how he could play and handle the ball.

I played against Scotty in an AAU tournament. Even at that time, Scotty was talking trash. I remember him running up and down the court talking trash like he would normally do in a pick-up game.

There was a recruiting manual that listed the top 250 high school players in the country, and I remember reading it in high school. On that list was Clint McDaniel. He was in the top 15 or so. Corey was there. And most people forget this, but Elmer Martin was in, like, the top 10 in the country at that time. I remember reading about those guys and also Ray Biggers in that manual.

It’s just ironic how you can remember those guys like that and then just a couple of years later, you’re all on the same team playing together. You read about them. You saw them play. Never in a million years would you think that we would eventually all be together on a team that would be historic.

(Tomorrow: We ask Reggie his take on the issue that Razorback fans have debated for years: who would win a fight between Roosevelt Wallace and Corliss Williamson? And while you're waiting for Part 2, sign up to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.)

Bloodied on the Bayou: LSU 65, Arkansas 54

2010-02-25T03:12:32Z

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In our friends' The Razorbloggers' Twitter feed, Walking on Sunshine asks the following question, one destined for the Gallows Humor Hall of Fame: "Which is worse: Being behind to Kentucky by 46 in the second half....or being behind to LSU by 15 at halftime?"

Tough question. Not sure that I have an answer to that one. However, I do know what's worse than both: being behind LSU by a score of 50 to 28 with 10 minutes to play. Yes, it was that kind of an evening for the Hogs.

As was the case against Ketnucky, a mild garbage-time rally made the final score much, much closer than the game really was. Make no mistake, however: for the first 35 minutes of the game, Arkansas looked as bad as it has all season. That's no mean feat.

Not sure why the Hogs were so thoroughly unprepared to play. Perhaps Michael Washington's absence was a big factor, but based on the way he's played lately, I'd have a hard time arguing that it was.

The whipping at the hands of the previously winless-in-the-SEC Tigers brings an end to a six-game stretch that had many Hog fans salivating. The stretch consisted of two games against Auburn, two games against LSU, one against South Carolina and one against Alabama. Arkansas finished those six games with an underwhelming 3-3 record, deep-sixing its always-faint NCAA hopes and placing the Hogs' once-solid NIT chances in considerable jeopardy.

It would be just like these Razorbacks to surprise us over the course of their final three regular-season games, but as of 10:10 p.m. EST, it's hard not to say, "Wait 'till next year."

Bad Omen?

2010-02-24T23:46:57Z

Bad Omen?

Per Brandon Marcello's Twitter feed: Rick Schaeffer says Mike Washington will miss tonight's game with an ankle injury.

Your Official Trap Game Warning

2010-02-23T21:27:21Z

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Looking at the Ex-Pats poll on how the Hogs will finish the hoops campaign, it is apparent that a majority of voters think the Hogs will win at least two of the remaining four games. I expect that means most voters think the Hogs will roll right over Wednesday night's opponents, the hapless LSU Tigers, who are winless in SEC play, and who were beaten like baby seals at Walton in a 35-point romp by the Hogs. Yep, this looks like a sure-fire, write-it-down, don't even need to play it, W for the Pigs. Right? Let's move on to Vandy.

Not so fast, faithful. This game has me worried; really worried. And here are a few reasons why, if the Hogs don't stay laser focused, they could be in a for a rude, and season altering, surprise:

-- It is extremely hard to go winless in the SEC. In fact, it hasn't been done since before most of us were born. It was the 1953-54 season, and the team that went winless, Georgia Tech, is no longer in the conference. The odds are strongly in favor of LSU knocking off at least one, if not two, of its remaining opponents. LSU gets Arkansas at home, then goes on the road to play Auburn and Ole Miss, then gets Georgia at home. Arkansas seems like ripe fruit.

-- LSU is showing signs of life. The Tigers almost, maybe should have, knocked off Mississippi State on Saturday. In fact, Missi State hit a trey with seven second left to take a two point lead, and then LSU launched one from mid-court with like five seconds still on the clock (a "wtf" moment for Trent Johnson, surely). That is not indicative of a team rolling over and playing dead, and if they can play Mississippi State that tight, they can do the same to Arkansas. Especially an Arkansas team that at times simply cannot play perimeter defense.

-- No one wants to be the first. The first team to lose to LSU in conference play, that is. And if things start looking tight down the stretch, the Hogs are extremely capable of feeling like their collars are an inch too small. Generally when that happens, Courtney Fortson flings himself into the lane, tosses up a wild shot, and looks bewildered when no foul is called. And trust me, on the road, down the stretch, that foul won't be called.

-- Did I say Greece? I meant Kazahkistan. I implied in an earlier post that Michael Washington was looking ahead to a pro career in Greece. I apologize. The pro league in Greece is much better than that.

So, I say we have reason to be concerned. A loss here would surely eliminate the Hogs from any NCAA consideration. This game is no gimme.

Public Service Announcement: How to Get Rich with the Razorbacks

2010-02-23T20:00:36Z

As part of our ongoing service to our fellow Razorback fans, we here at Arkansas Expats, Inc are dedicated to sharing any and all opportunities to combine your love for the Hogs with risky moneymaking schemes. So, when I read that the odds on the 2011 BCS Championship had been posted, I had to pass that along.

The online betting site bodog.com has posted their 2011 odds, and Arkansas comes in at 30:1. That's pretty far behind frontrunners like Alabama (7:2) or Ohio State (13:2), but is certainly a lot higher than we've been over the past few years.

Being the consummate high-roller that I am, I've personally placed a $50,000 bet on the Razorbacks to win it all. Anyone who wants a ride on my yacht this time next year should speak up now.

A screenshot of Arkansas and a bunch of other teams on the Bodog board is after the jump:

(h/t: Dr. Saturday)

SEC Hoops Power Poll Results: Week Seven

2010-02-23T17:40:40Z

SEC Hoops Power Poll Results: Week Seven

Hogs come in at No. 6. The results are identical to our ballot from Nos. 1 through 8. And shockingly, as they are on our ballot, the Tigers of LSU are in last place in the poll results.