This will be the second
year under coach Mike Anderson and the prospects are certainly much better than
those in the first season. Their overall record didn't improve
(actually losing 2 more games than under previous coach John Pelphrey and
having a weaker conference record), but just take a look at the roster, which
now has 16 players. A year ago, Arkansas was forced to
use converted football players in order to fill its roster. For
a big school like Arkansas, that's something that's almost unthinkable.
Having these capable bodies will undoubtedly help the team as the season
goes on and particularly deep conference play.
This can be seen in the
way Arkansas weakened as the year went on. Of course, part of this was
due to the increased difficulty of opponents, but at one point in the season,
the team was 16-6 and 4-3 in SEC play. This could be discounted if the
Razorbacks hadn't faced some quality competition, but this included wins over
Michigan, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt, all teams that were pretty solid last
year. Then during, their remaining 10 games, Arkansas had a 2-8
record. Even with the increased difficulty, that is a really poor way to
finish the season.
However, Arkansas looks
to be a lot stronger this year. They did lose some players last year, but
they are bringing in four talented freshmen and two transfer players in Coty
Clarke and Fred Gulley. One of the key components of these additions is
size. Last year, Arkansas was a very weak defensive team and had
significant troubles rebounding the basketball. This year, those troubles
won't be completely gone, but this should certainly help matters. Also a
note, the NCAA hasn't solidified who will be eligible to play of the transfers
at this point.
Along with this,
Marshawn Powell has been cleared to play for the upcoming season. This
will be a big return that could really help boost the talent level of this
team. He only played in two games last season, but he averaged 19.5
points and 6.0 rebounds during that time. Returning any player with those
kind of stats even in a small sample size, is probably something that will help
your team going forward. Mike Anderson hasn't said he's completely back
yet, but he should improve as the year progresses.
However, the key player
will likely be B.J. Young, the talented Arkansas guard. He averaged 15.1
points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists last season and actually considered
jumping for the NBA Draft following last year. He is very likely the most
talented player on the roster and how he progresses over this season will be a
big sign of where this team can end up come March. People have criticized
his consistency, but with a tough offseason training regime, he should be ready
to go this year.
I think this Arkansas
team could surprise a lot of people. Yes, they are not the most talented
team in the country or even their conference. However, their roster is
significantly better than last year's roster and they seem to be heading in the
right direction. Their schedule is much tougher, but they have some big
opportunities to secure quality wins and are playing in a weaker SEC conference
than last season. It's going to be no cakewalk, but the pieces are in
place for an NCAA Tournament run.
Do I think Arkansas will
make the NCAA Tournament? If they do, they will definitely be on the
bubble, but a lot of it will be determined in the non-conference season against
teams like Michigan. If they can notch a big win over a team or two, they
have a great shot. If I had to bet right now, I would say they just miss
the NCAA Tournament, but they should at least get a big NIT bid. Either
way, this could definitely turn into one of the tougher non-conference games
for the Wolverines this year, even if the game is in Ann Arbor.
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