14-62.
That's the Razorbacks' road record during the Stan Heath and John Pelphrey eras. As one might guess based on that sorry mark, the Hogs often do not look ready to play when they take the court outside the comfy confines of Bud Walton Arena. For whatever reason - maybe the gorge themselves on too much gumbo before the game - they seem particularly unready to play when tip-off takes place in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Two years ago in Baton Rouge, the Hogs entered intermission trailing 41-21 before losing by 10. To be fair, that Tigers squad would go on to capture the regular-season SEC championship with a 13-3 mark. Last year, however, with an NCAA bid not entirely out of the question and LSU threatening to live in infamy - the Tigers entered the contest with an 0-12 conference record! - the Razorbacks found themselves at one point trailing by the remarkable score of 50-28 and, after a mild garbage-time rally, lost by 11.
Tonight, the early-game carnage continued.
In the first 20 minutes, against a bad LSU team missing its leading scorer, the Hogs made just 5 of 27 shots from the field (19 percent) and got outrebounded by a 29 to 11 margin. They trailed 31-17 at halftime.
LSU stretched its lead to 18 in the second half before the Hogs mounted an admirable if not entirely artful rally. In the end, though, sloppy execution and bone-headed shots (particularly Jeff Peterson's massive brick on an ill-advised potential game-tying three with seconds to play) sealed the Razorbacks' fate.
This appeared to be a very winnable game, and tonight's effort was particularly disappointing after the Hogs' somewhat unexpected victory over Tennessee on Saturday. Start the conference season 2-0, and things are looking kinda, sorta interesting. Instead, Arkansas' dull-as-dirt road performances continue.
14-62.