Noah Trister of The Associated Press has penned a fine article on the Hogs' SEC woes. Below are some of the "highlights." Apologies in advance for the buzz-kill.
• The Hogs are shooting 17 percent from behind the three-point line in conference play. Their opponents are shooting 39 percent.
• "Overall, Arkansas has been outscored by 78 points from behind the arc in conference play - meaning the Razorbacks have had to make up about 20 points each game just to break even. That's been almost impossible because the Hogs haven't established themselves as an intimidating pressing team."
• Rotnei Clarke is 3 for 17 from three-point range is SEC play. Courtney Fortson is 1 for 18.
• Speaking of Fortson, he has 14 assists and 22 turnovers in conference play.
• "Against Oklahoma and Texas, the Razorbacks averaged 1.09 points per possession. In SEC play, that figure has plummeted to 0.87."
Now that you're all bummed out, we'd like to get your prediction on tonight's game. Does a Razorback turnaround begin this evening? Or, will the recent misery continue?
I can be overly optimistic when it comes to the basketball team, so take my prediction with an appropriately sized grain of salt. But I think the Hogs will play fairly well tonight and walk out of The Bud with a victory. I'm predicting a final score somewhere in the ballpark of 75-68.