clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.

That's my reaction to the 79-46 shellacking the basketball Razorbacks suffered last night at the hands of the No. 12 Texas Longhorns. John Pelphrey has surely never been so happy to have his squad completely overshadowed by the football team.

I checked in periodically during Sugar Bowl commercial breaks, and the action on the court looked every bit as ugly as the stat sheet. The Hogs shot less than 35 percent from the field and turned the ball over 23 times. They "only" got outrebounded by 9 boards.

I've tried to be optimistic this season, and the non-conference schedule has yielded a few genuine moments of encouragement. Step back and look at the overall picture, though, and you can't overlook this: this team has been pretty wobbly against a very weak schedule. Each time they've played a top 25 opponent, they've turned the ball over at least 20 times and shot 40 percent or less from the field. Yes, they've defeated two "name" opponents — Oklahoma and Seton Hall — but both of those teams are lousy this year.

All that said, there's still plenty of season left, and, if nothing else, the sad shape of the SEC West may yet allow the Hogs to compile a halfway decent conference record. Still, my heart of hearts says this will be the third straight season that following the Razorbacks feels more like homework than hobby.

It's getting really old.