Razorbacks’ opening-day pitcher Isaiah Campbell talked with the media about getting the season started Friday against Eastern Illinois and what he thinks about freshman Connor Noland.
Kostyshock on being Sunday starter, putting on more weight
Razorbacks pitcher Jacob Kostyshock is slated to be the third day starter for the Eastern Illinois opener this weekend and he talked about adding weight to his thin frame.
???? Wednesday Halftime Pod — featuring former Hog Joe Kleine
Phil Elson & Tye Richardson discuss what the Mizzou loss means, interview former Hog Joe Kleine, and more!
Kjerstad ready to get season started, Omaha still goal for Hogs
Razorbacks’ preseason All-American Heston Kjerstad talked Wednesday about how the goal for this team is to get back to Omaha and he’s enjoying new position.
Fletcher looks ahead to season starting Friday against Eastern Illinois
Arkansas centerfielder Dominic Fletcher talked with the media Wednesday about being ready to start the new season Friday.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Wednesday
John & Tye discuss Arkansas’ NCAA tourney hopes, interview Aaron Torres, plus What’s Your Beef Wednesday!
Anderson can’t stop bleeding in game Hogs somehow could have won
The bleeding of Arkansas basketball continued Tuesday night at Missouri.
Despite another sluggish defensive performance and double-digit deficits, somehow, the Razorbacks still had a shot to win the game at the end.
But Jalen Harris’ weak attempt at a final shot fell short, giving the Tigers a 79-78 win and leaving some Hog fans scratching their heads.
Others will be screaming to the heavens … for what, though, I’m not really sure. Fans scream, but it’s hard to nail somebody down on exactly what they expect. Not what they hope for, but what’s their realistic expectation.
Later this week when we talk to Mike Anderson, it’s going to be repeated that this team is young, inexperienced and needs to learn how to win these close games.
They have won some this year, but not enough. There’s not much point hoping for a deep run into the NCAA Tournament because the odds now are almost at the point the Hogs are going to have somehow pull out a win at the SEC Tournament to get there.
With the record now sitting at 14-10 overall and 5-6 in the league, they’ve got to get some more wins just to have a shot at the NIT.
The way this team has been playing defense lately, that may even be a stretch. Missouri was 2-8 coming into the game. Arkansas had beaten them just a couple of weeks ago in Bud Walton Arena.
We’ll hear how tough it is playing on the road anywhere in the SEC. But to lose to a 2-8 team, giving up 46 points in the first half after a meltdown Saturday against South Carolina where a team that has to have defense gave up 46 points.
A lot of people were banking this week on Anderson’s track record of teams playing better towards the end of the season. That may still turn out to be the case this year, but the trend is not looking good.
All of this happening with the best 3-point shooter in program history in Isaiah Joe (he passed Rotnei Clarke on Tuesday night when he hit five 3-pointers, scoring 17 total) and a likely first-round NBA draft pick in Daniel Gafford (26 points against the Tigers).
Now back to those expectations.
Some fans holler about making the Sweet 16 should happen frequently, but the program has now gone the longest in modern history without getting there (23 years). The first came in 1958, the second in 1978. That started an 18-year run when the Hogs got to the Sweet 16 10 times.
They haven’t been since 1996. Arkansas also hasn’t had that many players with that level of talent to put on the floor at once since then, either.
Mississippi State is next on Saturday. The Hogs need a win in about as bad of a way as it gets. They are 4-7 in the last 11 games, 3-3 in the last six games.
As we said earlier, the trend is not looking good.
Oh, and if you think there’s going to be any sort of change coming, you can forget it. Anderson’s not going anywhere and nobody’s going to fire him.
Add that to the unrealistic expectations for some fans.
What nobody will say, however, is that not making the NCAA this year might put Anderson on a seat a little warmer than anything he’s experienced as a head coach.
Hogs basketball may not be winning right now, but it is going to be interesting.
For a variety of reasons.
???? Tuesday Halftime Pod — featuring Pat Bradley
Phil & Tye discuss the win over North Carolina in 1984, Get Off My Lawn, plus Pat Bradley!
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Tuesday
John & Tommy discuss Arkansas baseball, Connor Noland’s future, Would You Rather Tuesday and more!
ANDY’S NOTES: Noland’s spring football, Hogs running out of games, Murray’s gamble
With the first baseball series starting this weekend for Arkansas, it is expected freshman Connor Noland will be on the mound at some time and that’s probably going to be early, according to Dave Van Horn.
Van Horn spoke to the Swatter’s Club on Monday and that’s what he said.
Last week Chad Morris was confident Noland will be at spring practice quite a bit, too.
It’s really not as difficult as it sounds, mainly because spring football isn’t as time-intensive as many think. It’s nothing like it was 40 years ago … or even 20.
Here are some of the key rules for spring practice and how it could affect Noland (remember, he’s a pitcher, so basically one day a week is all he’s in a game there):
• There are only 15 practices total. With the Razorbacks starting February 26, that’s three practices per week over a six-week period (the spring game will be April 6, according to a news release Monday).
• Morris usually practices on a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday rotation. At most, that’s five workouts missed, but because the Hogs have a host of games in March, well, the guess is that number could be reduced.
• Of those 15 practices, only 12 can have any contact and only eight can have tackling to the ground. Of those eight, only three can devote more than half of the time on 11-on-11 … and the spring game counts for one of those.
To summarize, yes, Noland will miss some football practices but don’t be so quick to think he’s going to miss that much.
Van Horn and Morris have each indicated they want this to work. Both are smart guys and they each have a player with some pretty special abilities … in both sports.
Don’t be surprised to see Noland making the overwhelming majority of football practices.
And starting in baseball.
Anderson still positive, but that’s no surprise
At his press conference Monday, Mike Anderson was still positive, even explaining away the Hogs’ second-half collapse against South Carolina last Saturday by saying it’s the way the game is played today.
“If you watch basketball, we’ve had games where we’ve been 16 down, come back and go up,” he said. “There’s a lot of time in basketball.”
Against the Gamecocks, the Hogs had a 13-point lead with just over 15 minutes left in the game.
“That’s a lifetime in basketball,” Anderson said. “You want to be ahead at the end. You want to build on those leads, but if you watch around the country … it’s called learning how to win and learning how to finish.”
As someone who has defended the youth and inexperience, it’s getting hard to keep doing that.
If these freshmen haven’t figured it out in 23 games, there are some wondering if they ever will.
And if they’re going to learn how to finish, well, they’re running out of time.
The Hogs sit at 14-9 on the year, 5-5 in the SEC, and there are just eight games left in the season.
That includes, by the way, a road game against a surging Kentucky team. Four of the games will be at home and splitting those last eight games will leave the Hogs at 9-9 in the league.
Get ready.
The stretch run could be interesting.
Murray’s has a backup plan … baseball
With former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray committing to play football over a guaranteed contract in baseball, he’s gambling he can make it bigger in that sport.
Talk about a gamble.
For him to make that decision, though, you have to at least make the educated guess somebody in the NFL has told him he’s going to be a high draft pick.
That’s a huge gamble for an NFL team to take a quarterback that’s not even 5-foot-10 inches tall.
Don’t believe it? Here’s the Sooners’ assistant athletics director on Twitter:
Keep hearing TV talking heads question the 5-10 height at which we list Kyler. Have heard a couple even say they think he's more like 5-8. Before the season, our strength staff measured him at 5-9 7/8 in socks.
— Mike Houck (@mhouckOU) January 14, 2019
By the way, only five quarterbacks 5-10 or shorter have thrown a pass in a league game since 1960. Doug Flutie was the last one in 2005.
Only two quarterbacks shorter than 6-1 have been drafted in the first round since the leagues merged the draft in 1967.
What this says is the odds are against Murray, but then again he could have a plan to give it a shot in the NFL and if it doesn’t work out … go back to baseball.
It’s always good to have a plan.
???? Monday Halftime Pod — featuring Arkansas BSB’s Casey Martin
Phil & Tye discuss the basketball squad, good memories from the weekend, plus Arkansas baseball shortstop Casey Martin!
