Arkansas defensive end Gabe Richardson wasn’t rude, but he wasn’t saying a whole lot meeting with the media following Tuesday’s practice before Auburn.
Burks after practice Tuesday: ‘Everything’s not promised’
Arkansas freshman wide receiver Treylon Burks said after practice that “everything’s not promised” in assessing the team’s rocky start to the season ahead of Auburn game.
Smith says Hogs still have ‘ton of energy’ headed into Auburn game
Razorbacks defensive lineman T.J. Smith talked with the media after Tuesday’s practice about the team being ready to move forward and they still have a ton of energy before Saturday’s game with the Tigers.
Foucha on what freshmen having to learn on Razorbacks’ defense
Arkansas defensive back Joe Foucha talked after practice Tuesday about what the group of freshmen are having to learn and everything being different from high school.
McClellion on how locker room holding together in rough stretch
Razorbacks defensive back Jarques McClellion talked after practice Tuesday on how the locker room is staying together, despite the 2-4 start to the season.
???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — Nikki Chavanelle
Tye & Matty T on what Chad Morris had to say, Nikki Chavanelle, the close losses and more!
Joe named to SEC’s second team by media day; Hogs picked 11th
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Arkansas sophomore Isaiah Joe was named to the media’s preseason All-SEC team while the Razorbacks were predicted to finish 11th this season.
Joe, who was named second team All-SEC last season, is one of the top returning scorers in the SEC.
The Fort Smith product averaged 13.85 points per game last season and ranks third among returning players in the league trailing Ole Miss’ Breein Tyree (17.91 ppg) and Texas A&M’s Savion Flagg (13.88 ppg).
Joe set several records by making 113 3-pointers last season – setting an Arkansas single-season mark and tying an SEC freshman record. His 113 triples were the fourth-most ever by an NCAA freshman in a season and his 3.32 3-pointers made per game set an SEC single-season record by a freshman.
Joe additionally led the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage, becoming just the fourth SEC freshman to accomplish the feat.
Joe not only made a name for himself on the offensive end, but he ranked 10th in the SEC in steals (1.50), led the Razorbacks by taking 27 charges and recorded 110 deflections.
Arkansas is starting the first year with Eric Musselman as coach.
Last year, Arkansas had one of the youngest teams in the NCAA, having no seniors. This year, Arkansas will have a veteran squad featuring three seniors — including two graduate transfers that have combined for nearly 2,000 points, four returning starters and eight returning lettermen with no freshmen.
Despite losing NBA draft pick and last year’s leading scorer-rebounder Daniel Gafford, Arkansas still returns 68.8 percent of its scoring, 62.6 percent of its rebounding, 88.0 percent of its 3-pointers made, 83.2 percent of its assists and 68.8 percent of its steals.
While the Hogs are picked 11th, Arkansas has exceeded its preseason predictions in each of the last six years.
UPCOMING
Arkansas will play the first of its two exhibition games on Sunday (Oct. 20) at 3 pm versus UALR.
Prior to the game, there will be a ceremony to unveil Nolan Richardson Court.
2019-20 Media Preseason All-SEC Team
First Team All-SEC
Kerry Blackshear — Florida
Anthony Edwards — Georgia
Ashton Hagans — Kentucky
Breein Tyree — Ole Miss
Reggie Perry — Mississippi State
Second Team All-SEC
Kira Lewis Jr. — Alabama
Isaiah Joe — Arkansas
Andrew Nembhard — Florida
Tyrese Maxey — Kentucky
EJ Montgomery — Kentucky
Skylar Mays — LSU
Lamonté Turner — Tennessee
2019-20 Media SEC Player of the Year
Kerry Blackshear — Florida
Predicted Order of Finish
- Kentucky
- Florida
- LSU
- Auburn
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Mississippi State
- Ole Miss
- Georgia
- South Carolina
- Arkansas
- Texas A&M
- Missouri
- Vanderbilt
Dungee named preseason All-SEC; Hogs picked fifth by media
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas women’s basketball was picked to finish fifth in the SEC in the 2019 Media Poll, while Chelsea Dungee was named to the SEC’s preseason first team, the league announced today.
Rankings
- South Carolina
- Texas A&M
- Mississippi State
- Kentucky
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Auburn
- LSU
- Missouri
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Florida
- Ole Miss
- Vanderbilt
Arkansas returns four of five starters from last season, and will be riding the momentum of their postseason run.
The 22 wins for the Razorbacks a season ago were the most for the program since the 2011-12 season.
In addition to the team’s preseason recognition, redshirt junior guard Chelsea Dungee was named to the preseason first team All-SEC team.
She was also one of just three players in the league, joining Rhyne Howard of Kentucky and Chennedy Carter of Texas A&M, to receive at least one vote for the Player of the Year. Carter was picked to win the award.
Last season was a special one for Dungee, as she set the school record for scoring in a single season (759 points), the school record for free throws made in a single season (229), set the game record for most points in Bud Walton against an SEC opponent (41) and was the first Razorback in 13 years to tally 30+ double-figure performances in a single season.
Dungee was even better in the postseason, scoring a record 103 points in the SEC Tournament, propelling the Hogs to their first-ever SEC Tournament Final.
Additionally, Dungee’s 20.5 points per game a season ago was the 20th best mark in the nation, while her free throws made mark was the second-highest total nationally.
The Full 2019-20 Media Preseason All-SEC Teams are as follows:
Player of the Year
Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M (14)
Rhyne Howard (2)
Chelsea Dungee (1)
First-Team All-SEC
Chelsea Dungee, Arkansas
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
Ayana Mitchell, LSU
Tyasha Harris, South Carolina
Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M
Second-Team All-SEC
Unique Thompson, Auburn
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, South Carolina
Rennia Davis, Tennessee
Ciera Johnson, Texas A&M
Mariella Fasoula, Vanderbilt
???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — Connor O’Gara
Tye & Matty T on why you should have expected the Kentucky loss, Connor O’Gara and more!
Have boosters, players, moved past just questioning Morris, staff?
It’s a good thing Chad Morris was a highly successful coach in Texas high school football because on the current track he’s on could he be back there sooner rather than later?
You have to wonder that.
Could the big-money boosters already be ready to pass the hat for the money to give him a negotiated buyout and send him on his way?
Has he lost the confidence of the players at the halfway point of the season?
It’s a question only athletics director Hunter Yurachek could answer and he’s not going to do it. Based on how quickly the Mike Anderson firing came down, it’s doubtful anybody’s going to have a really good read one way or the other until something happens.
But Morris is going to have to start answering questions better than the tap-dance he performed Monday morning in his weekly press conference that is turning more into a wake a couple of days after the wreck.
It’s not helping his case that one of the highly-touted freshman in this signing class has decided to leave halfway through the season:
After speaking with my parents and coaches, I’ve made the decision to officially enter the transfer portal. Thank you Coach Morris and the staff for all you have done ????❤️
— DB23???? (@Dev_Bush1) October 14, 2019
There also appears to be grumbling among some other players questioning Morris and the staff. Losing a four-star cornerback when a defense that is getting lit up like a Christmas tree awaiting Santa Claus has him — and some others — sitting on the bench.
With two players leaving (D’Vone McClure announced he’s leaving the program Monday, too) and recruiting de-commitments, could Morris be in the left lane with the hammer down and headed out of town?
There are some wondering why several of the highly-touted freshmen that came in this year are not even seeing the field. Could players be asking the same question?
“You can lose your confidence back there in a hurry at that position,” Morris said. “The worst thing we can do is put a guy out there then we lose him for a lack of confidence. We have to bring those guys along.”
There are some folks asking if he’s bringing them along in practice and not playing them so the next coach has them for an extra year.
Every coach Monday said there’s no mass insurrection on the team, which is about what you’d expect them to say.
Of course you could get the impression the only person they’re trying to convince is themselves.
“We’re going to get out of this corner we’re in, but it’s not easy and it’s not going to get any easier,” Morris said. “We’re not going to flinch or back down.”
Nobody expects the Razorbacks to win the next two weeks. Let’s face it, if you got together the best 22 players in program history I’m not sure they would be even with the talent on either the Auburn or Alabama rosters.
Interestingly enough, the Tigers are playing a freshman quarterback this year and it was just a couple of years ago the Crimson Tide won a national title with a freshan a couple of years after nearly winning it with another freshman.
Nobody’s going to say there’s anybody on the roster to make that happen, but coaches all across the landscape of college football seem to be more willing to play freshmen.
Morris, for whatever reason, appears to struggle with it.
Worse, yet, he apparently hasn’t reviewed any history of how to explain it all and his material isn’t something Hog fans want to hear anymore.
“You’re 20 yards away from winning the last two games,” Morris said about the losses to the Wildcats and Texas A&M. “We have to put ourselves in good position. We’ve got to be able to find a way to get the ball in the end zone. We have to finish the deal, and we haven’t done that.”
Fans heard that from Bret Bielema for a couple of years and it didn’t work out well for him.
The coaches wanted to redshirt promising freshman quarterback K.J. Jefferson all along this year, along with some of the other talented freshmen.
Some, including those in the football program, may be wondering why Arkansas is about the only place that appears reluctant to play freshmen.
But could Morris be following a pre-determined script all along? Oh, I’m not about to say he was counting on being 2-4 at this point, but talking about the freshmen here.
Could the plan have been to save Jefferson, running back A’Monte Spivey sit the first eight games? That would get past the Auburn and Alabama games.
Play those freshmen in the final four games when they retain their redshirts, but still give the fans hope for the future?
It’s some intriguing questions. There is the question if anybody outside of the coaching staff knows it. Are there players asking the same questions, which could be filtering down to recruits?
The answers could hold the key to Morris surviving past Thanksgiving weekend.
Morris not ready to make big changes with personnel
Arkansas coach Chad Morris said Monday the quarterback will be either Nick Starkel or Ben Hicks and indicated there weren’t going to be any other major shakeups this week.











