The home-court winning streak is no more.
We Arkansas fans have seen the Razorbacks be on the receiving end of a lot of butt-kickings over the past decade, but that felt like the most complete and suffocating beatdown I've seen the Hogs absorb in a long, long while - maybe ever. The record books say my sentiment is not unfounded: Florida's 98-68 win marks the Razorbacks' biggest margin of defeat ever in Bud Walton.
To make an obvious quip, one has to wonder if the Hogs thought this was a road game. Just as in Arkansas' recent visits to Georgia and Tennessee, the Razorbacks' opponent came out on fire and never really cooled off. Florida's effort, though, was on a whole other level: the Gators shot 57 percent - 57 percent - from three-point range and 58 percent from the field overall. They didn't loaf at the line, either, sinking 29 of their 34 free-throw shots.
After tonight's game, Arkansas has allowed its opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the field in three of its last four games. Their last three defeats have been by margins of 22 points, 19 points and 30 points, respectively, and their conference record now stands at 5-7. I'd long thought an NIT bid was in the bag. Not anymore. Instead of making a case for their first post-season bid in four years, the Hogs appear to be indulging in what has become a tradition in Fayetteville: a late-season collapse.