Nobody ever said playing on the road in the SEC is easy.
Which is why when Arkansas manages to come away with a three-point win in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night, there’s reason for fans to enjoy it.
Don’t nitpick a road win.
Eddie Sutton said that one night after a narrow win against Rice or somebody back in the old Southwest Conference days.
It guarantees the Razorbacks will finish at least .500 in the league because it’s their ninth win. Most felt 9-9 was necessary to get into the NCAA Tournament.
Tuesday night, after beating the Hogs in Fayetteville, John Calipari said Arkansas should be a sixth or seventh seed in the tournament “if they can win some games.”
Some fans were skeptical. For a fan base that tends to be somewhat bipolar, many didn’t figure that would happen and a couple of wins in the SEC Tournament were going to be necessary.
It didn’t come easy. Both the Crimson Tide and the Hogs seemed to be determined to let the other one win the game at times during some ugly stretches.
At the end, though, they were able to close the deal and hit some free throws while the Tide missed some golden opportunities.
That’s the type game the Hogs have tended to lose, according to some fans. The truth is this year they’ve dominated close games, going 5-1 in games decided by a single possession.
Close games haven’t been the problem. Putting together big runs late when trailing has been, particularly on the road.
Early, this one didn’t look like it would be close. Alabama started that badly.
“We started off in a fog,” Tide coach Avery Johnson said later.
He didn’t say if the Yahoo Sports report that named Collin Sexton as one of the players that allegedly got impermissible benefits was an issue.
” I’m very, very disappointed in our overall effort,” Johnson said. “I’m very disappointed in myself.”
Avery’s not a bad coach, but Mike Anderson showed him a thing or two. Anderson later credited the Hogs’ success at the end to getting the starters a rest that gave them more than the Tide.
As we said, Alabama had chances.
Sexton missed a free throw late and Donta Hall missed two free throws. Sexton missed a long shot at the buzzer that could have sent it to overtime.
In the end, as they’ve done nearly all season, in a close game the Hogs made the plays they had to make to win the game.
And now, if you believe the so-called bracketologists that actually make a living projecting the players in the NCAA Tournament, the Hogs are a virtual lock.
Winning one of the next two — at home against Auburn on Tuesday night and on the road Saturday at Missouri — would likely give them some breathing room.
But for the seeding in the conference tournament (and that won’t be determined until after the final game next weekend), the Hogs are in pretty good shape.
Locked in a gaggle of teams (eight or nine by my reckoning), Arkansas could get a bye in the conference tournament, which is always a bonus.
In any event, we’ll know next weekend and the guess is the Hogs will be in the NCAA … regardless of what happens through that tournament in St. Louis.
All of which is why winning over Alabama on Saturday night was so big.
The pressure’s not off, but it’s not a 10,000-pound weight.
