Hogs basketball fans orange with envy over emergence of Vols in SEC

Arkansas basketball fans want what Tennessee fans have … and maybe don’t even appreciate.

Last Sunday, the Volunteers beat then-No. 1 Gonzaga furthering the case Rick Barnes’ team is one to be reckoned with.

Barnes, the former Texas coach, inherited a mess after UT administrators fired former coach Donnie Tyndall after one season in 2014 after due to NCAA violations from his time at Southern Miss.

Tyndall’s hiring came after Cuonzo Martin bolted for Cal after just one successful season in Knoxville to take the California job.

The instability of three coaches in three years led to 15-19 and 16-16 records, respectively, but then Barnes’ recruiting took hold, and the Volunteers burst on the scene last year finishing first in the SEC regular-season standings with a 13-4 record and a 26-9 overall record after a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Final Four participant Loyola.

Barnes and Co. are picking up where they left off with a 7-1 mark this season and are considered favorites to fight for another SEC title.

The Gonzaga win cemented that fact.

The Vols’ only loss was a six-point defeat to No. 1-ranked Kansas, who is undefeated.

So what does this have to do with Arkansas? Plenty. Razorbacks fans desperately want their program to be relevant and to beating a No. 1-ranked team and to be ranked in the Top 5 with Final Four aspirations.

That’s far from reality in Fayetteville, but all of those elements are present in Knoxville — where Vols fans probably care way more about football and the Lady Vols, who are not what they used to be under Pat Summitt.

It’s also another example of an SEC program that was not at the level of Arkansas achieving more success, while the Hogs barely keep their heads above mediocrity.

I don’t need to remind you it’s been 25 years since Arkansas won the national title and more than 20 years since they played in a Sweet 16.

That’s the stat that gets me.

A Sweet 16 berth used to be habitual around Fayetteville, now the fan base would go bonkers if a Mike Anderson-led team could reach that round.

And speaking of programs that have eclipsed Arkansas, Bruce Pearl, the former Vols coach, has now revived the Auburn program.

They are ranked No. 8 and have one loss, a 78-72 loss to No. 2 Duke.

Pearl brought Tennessee to prominence before being fired amid NCAA violations. Auburn took a chance on him, and it has paid big dividends.

Meanwhile, Anderson has Arkansas in the middle of the pack. The most excitement generated was a narrow loss to North Carolina in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas most likely won’t be as close to as good as the upstart Vols and Tigers, but the young team has shown promise, a home upset loss last weekend to Western Kentucky notwithstanding.

The Hogs (6-2) will try to get that bad taste out of their mouths with a Saturday night game against Texas-San Antonio at Verizon Arena. The Hogs are looking for improvement and consistency as they get ready to tackle the demanding SEC slate.

Look for some unexpected wins and losses and needing a few wins in March to get off the proverbial bubble.

The Hogs play better defense than they have under Anderson and feature a true point guard in junior Jalen Harris, who has proven to be an effective distributor. This team is ultra-talented, just very inexperienced, and that showed against Western Kentucky.

Promise and potential have been advertised a lot in the Mike Anderson Era.

Meanwhile, teams such as Tennessee have created drastic turnarounds. Hogs fans are still waiting and jealous.