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Getting fans leaving Rupp Arena early will be strong impression in March

Razorbacks storm past Kentucky, 88-73, that had fans on their feet leaving, an image that will stick for awhile.

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Arkansas coach Eric Musselman probably saw folks leaving Rupp Arena with over four minutes left in Tuesday night’s game.

That is something not seen very often.

But that’s what the Razorbacks did in an 88-73 win over Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., going to 17-5 overall, 6-5 in the SEC and landing a sixth straight win.

More importantly it was a second Quad 1 win, which is a big deal when it comes to determining who gets seeded where in the NCAA Tournament.

The Hogs are one of the hottest teams in college basketball.

On a rainy day in Fayetteville where almost nobody was expecting a double-digit win going on the road against the Wildcats most of the swirling talk was about getting a player back that hasn’t set foot on the court in months.

Instead, they saw Ricky Council IV finally start scoring again, getting 20 points and freshman point guard Anthony Black putting up 19 along with five assists and four rebounds.

“This is a team that is getting much more confident offensively,” Hogs coach Eric Musselman said later. “Defensively, we got much better in the second half.”

The Hogs, who have had an uncanny knack at times for blowing second-half leads, saw that offensive confidence pay off with Davonte Davis and Makhel Mitchell (5 blocked shots and 15 points) doing it on both ends.

When the second half started with the Hogs getting turnovers and a couple of breakway dunks by Black you got the feeling this game might be a little different.

Every time Kentucky made a little run to get within 10 points, the Arkansas offensive answered and pushed the lead back.

The Wildcats, who have been struggling all year for any kind of consistency, picked a bad night to struggle again.

This Razorback team wasn’t letting go of the rope.

We’ve said all along, just be patient because Musselman’s teams usually get it figured out every year about this time.

This is when it matters.

Finally getting above .500 in league play is one thing. Downing Kentucky by double digits at Rupp Arena will mean a lot when it gets behind closed doors putting together the bracket in March.

As we’ve said over and over, this is when it really counts.

Because March is the Hogs’ goal every year.

And fans in blue leaving Rupp with four minutes to go in the game says a lot and leaves an impression that will be remembered by people deciding who lands where in that bracket.

Whether Musselman wants to admit it or not.

2024 Razorbacks Football

Thu, Aug 29vs UAPB (Little Rock)W, 70-0
Sat, Sep 7@ Oklahoma StateL, 31-39 2OT
Sat, Sep 14vs UABW, 37-27
Sat, Sep 21@ AuburnW, 24-14
Sat, Sep 28vs Texas A&M (Arl)L, 21-17
Sat, Oct 5vs TennesseeW, 19-14
Sat, Oct 19vs LSUL, 34-10
Sat, Oct 26@ Mississippi StateW, 58-25
Sat, Nov 2vs Ole MissL, 63-31
Sat, Nov 16vs TexasL, 20-10
Sat, Nov 23vs Louisiana TechW, 35-14
Sat, Nov 30@ MissouriL, 28-21

2024 High School Rankings

Following is the Arkansas Sports Media High School Football Poll including the Overall Top 10, the top five in Classes 7A, 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A, plus the top three in the 8-man division, as voted by a panel of sports media from around the state for the week ending August 24. Ranking is given with first-place votes received, records, total points and ranking from last week's poll:
OVERALLRecordPtsPrv
1.Bryant (25)10-02681
2.Greenwood (2)10-02343
30Conway9-12022
4.Little Rock Parkview9-11714
5.Bentonville7-31625
6.Benton9-11486
7.Fayetteville8-21117
8.Pulaski Academy8-2898
9.Rogers7-3439
10.Joe T. Robinson9-122
Others receiving votes: Valley View 8, Mountain Home 7, Cabot 6, Little Rock Catholic 6, Shiloh Christian 6, Elkins 1, Farmington 1.
CLASS 7A
1.Bryant (27)10-01351
2.Conway9-11022
3.Bentonville7-3813
4.Fayetteville8-2454
5.Pulaski Academy8-2395
Others receiving votes: Rogers 3.
CLASS 6A
1.Greenwood (27)10-01351
2.Benton9-11082
3.Mountain Home8-2623
4.Shiloh Christian7-3494
5.Little Rock Catholic9-1345
Others receiving votes: Marion 6.
CLASS 5A
1.Little Rock Parkview (27)9-11351
2.Joe T. Robinson9-11062
3.Valley View10-0793
4.Farmington9-1484
5.Hot Springs Lakeside8-2205
Others receiving votes: Camden Fairview 7, Harding Academy 7, Morrilton 3.
CLASS 4A
1.Elkins (20)10-01261
3.Arkadelphia (5)8-2913
2.Little Rock Mills (1)10-0682
4.Warren8-2554
5.Dardanell (1)9-123
Southside Batesville10-023
Others receiving votes: Malvern 12, Gravette 5, Highland 2.
CLASS 3A
1.Bismarck (12)10-01051t
2.Fordyce (10)10-0961t
3.Prescott (1)9-1704
4.Osceola (2)8-1543
5.Booneville (1)9-1395
Others receiving votes: Mansfield (1) 23, Rivercrest 10, Rison 4, Salem 4.
CLASS 2A
1.Carlisle (20)10-01271
2.Conway Christian (7)10-01152
3.Des Arc8-2595
4.East Poinsett Co.7-352
5.Bigelow6-4183
Murfreesboro7-3184
Others receiving votes: Mount Ida 6, Junction City 4, Cross County 3, Poyen 3.
8-MAN SANCTIONED
1.Strong-Huttig (27)5-0811
2.Midland9-0532
3.Cedar Ridge8-1253
Others receiving votes: Woodlawn 3.

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ESPN ARKANSAS 99.5 IN FAYETTEVILLE, 95.3 IN THE RIVER VALLEY, 96.3 IN HOT SPRINGS, 104.3 IN HARRISON-MOUNTAIN HOME.