Arkansas will be back at full strength Saturday when No. 20 Florida comes to Fayetteville.

First-year coach John Pelphrey said during his Thursday news conference that senior forward Charles Thomas would return after a one-game suspension. Thomas was at practice Thursday, but Pelphrey wouldn't comment on what kind of role Thomas would take on Saturday.

Sophomore Michael Washington took Thomas' place in the starting lineup and senior forward Vincent Hunter played rare double-digit minutes.

Otherwise, here are a few other tidbits from the visit with Pelphrey and the Razorbacks:

• Andre Clark, a 6-foot-10 forward from North Little Rock, began practice Tuesday and spoke with the media for the first time on Thursday. Clark, a member of Arkansas' recruiting class for next season, enrolled this spring so he could work out with the Hogs and will be a freshman next fall.

• Sonny Weems hates snow. Not surprising, I guess, since the senior swingman grew up in West Memphis, where snow is quite rare. But Weems was pretty funny when I asked him if he planned on sledding tonight.

• Pelphrey thinks Florida is one of the premier passing and shooting teams in the country. "It puts a lot of heat on you" defensively, Pelphrey said.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 04:17 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Sorry about our unusual absence last night, but we were having some Internet problems courtside and weren't able to blog during the game. After the game, well, that's our fault. We let you down.

  Arkansas, on the other hand, turned in quite an impressive performance last night in the 78-58 win against Mississippi State. The Razorbacks bullied the Bulldogs and got big nights from Sonny Weems and Patrick Beverley. They also managed to play their best with forward Charles Thomas suspended.

  It was an important time, too. An MSU win would've given it a three-game lead on the entire SEC West. But the loss makes it a race again. The Bulldogs (5-1) lead Arkansas (4-2) by one game and Ole Miss (3-3) by two.

  Next up for Arkansas is two-time, defending national champion Florida. You might not recognize the Gators, considering every key member of the championship teams have departed. But the youngsters have been impressive enough on their own, leading Florida back into the national rankings after a 5-1 start in the SEC.

  The Florida game, of course, has an intriguing storyline: Pelphrey faces off against his good friend and former boss Billy Donovan. We'll have more on that later.

  We'll also have an update on Thomas' status. It's still unclear if he'll play.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 10:51 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Alex Abrams at 10:08 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Houston Nutt's departure to Ole Miss and Bobby Petrino's arrival have guaranteed Arkansas of one thing: There won't be many boring weeks on the schedule.

  We've written about that here on the blog before, but the belief is spreading. Google Alerts, well, alerted me to this story by Heath Cline that appeared on the Fox Sports Web site. Interestingly, Cline selected the top five storylines in the SEC and the Razorbacks are part of three of them (Arkansas vs. Ole Miss, Petrino vs. Tommy Tuberville, Ellis Johnson against Arkansas). He had this to say about the upcoming fun throughout the league.

"There are more intriguing story lines setting up for this season than we've had going into any year in a while. ... Couple all the extra intrigue with the already existing intensity of the SEC and the West division practically qualifies as a reality show at this point."

  Of course, those three are big, big storylines to Arkansas. But there's more. Gus Malzahn will return to the area as Tulsa's offensive coordinator in November. And who can forget Texas? There used to be a time when the Longhorns were the only thing on the Razorbacks' minds. My, how things have changed.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 09:53 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Another day, another bit of news regarding the Arkansas basketball team.

  Coach John Pelphrey just announced that starting power forward Charles Thomas will be suspended for the Mississippi State game because of a violation of team rules. He said the suspension will be at least one game, but could be more. Pelphrey would not elaborate on why he suspended Thomas, but said he was upset.

  "As a head coach I've never been more disappointed in a young man's choices," he said.

  Pelphrey said the Razorbacks will turn to either Michael Washington and Vincent Hunter to pick up the slack in Thomas' absence. Hunter said he's eager for the opportunity. But losing a senior — as well as a team leader — isn't a good thing for the Razorbacks two days before an enormous game.

  "He brings things to the table," Pelphrey said. "But I refuse to talk about him today."

 

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 03:44 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

   Arkansas faces, no doubt, its biggest challenge of the year when it plays Mississippi State in Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday night.

  The Bulldogs are off to a 5-0 start in the league and just polished off an impressive, 20-point win against in-state rival Ole Miss. MSU has won nine-straight behind a punishing defense led by the center Jarvis Varnado and, of course, the smooth tandem of forward Charles Rhodes and guard Jamont Gordon.

  How well do those two play together? Take a look at this clip from Saturday's game.

  With Rhodes and Gordon rolling, MSU is threatening to run away with the SEC Western Division title and have the conference's regular season title in sight. The Bulldogs have a two-game lead on the Razorbacks and a three-game cushion on Ole Miss and Auburn. They can add to it Wednesday night with another win.

  There are a couple of MSU notes worth mentioning:

  • Coach Rick Stansbury will be trying to win his 200th career game against the Hogs. He tried to shrug that off on the SEC Teleconference, noting that he cared about being 6-0 in the SEC more than anything else.

  • MSU guard Ben Hansbrough (you might be familiar with his big brother, Tyler), missed the Ole Miss game because of mono and is suposed to miss at least one week. No word on if he'll play Wednesday.

  • I guess another hot topic this week, is the Gary Ervin story. It's three years removed, but, once again, he's facing his former teammates. Stansbury had little to say about it from MSU's perspective on the teleconference today. My guess is that Ervin won't have much to say this afternoon.
 

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 12:16 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Judging by a big chunk of the first half Sunday, things looked pretty awful for the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks. But after missing their first 15 shots from the field and failing on their first six attempts from the free throw line, the Lady'Backs made quite a turnaround.

Down 13-1 at one point, Arkansas somehow went from missing everything to almost missing nothing on the turn of a dime. The Lady'Backs hit 11 of their final 13 shots from the field in the first half and just like that, a bad-looking start turned into a 29-23 lead at the half.

The Lady'Backs didn't win this one — which ended up in a 56-42 victory against Mississippi State — with just one hot streak of offense, though. All game long, Arkansas' defense came ready to play and held the Lady Bulldogs to the lowest point total ever allowed in school history in a Southeastern Conference game.

Posted by Vernon Tarver at 11:50 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Arkansas fans are familiar with Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin.

  Arkansas fans also are familiar with ESPN NFL reporter Chris Mortensen.

  Well, Mortensen (father of Razorbacks quarterback Alex Mortensen) is reporting that Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis has asked Kiffin (son of former Arkansas assistant and defensive guru Monte Kiffin) to resign after just one season.

   For what it's worth, Kiffin has apparently refused to resign. And Davis is, well, crazy.

  Of course, another interesting twist to the story is that Kiffin's name was attached to the Arkansas opening once Houston Nutt resigned and went to Ole Miss. We all know another first-year NFL coach, Bobby Petrino, got the Razorbacks job. Hey, maybe Arkansas can get both of them after all. Can he coach defense?

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 03:19 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Make no mistake, the Tennessee Lady Vols are loaded. But what's new...

The Lady Vols jumped out to an 18-0 lead — much to the joy of of their 13,270 fans in Thompson-Boling Arena — and had no problems dusting past Arkansas, 98-55 tonight. While All-American Candace Parker was her usual self, scoring 24 points, grabbing six boards and dishing out six assists (in just 21 minutes, mind you), it was actually freshman guard Angie Bjorklund who stole the show.

Bjorklund nailed her first four 3-point attempts and finished with seven in all, tying a school record that she has already matched three times this season. And remember, she's just a frosh....

Asked if he knew Bjorklund was going for the record at the end of the game when Tennessee kept giving her the ball — even in a blowout — Arkansas coach Tom Collen said he wasn't aware.

"I thought the crowd was wanting 100 points," Collen said. "I wasn't aware she was going for the record. But she's just a freshman. She'll get plenty of chances."

Posted by Vernon Tarver at 09:09 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Sonny Weems wants to play a game now. Right now. The 6-foot-6 senior swingman is sick of all this practicing, all this waiting. The sour taste in his mouth, put there by South Carolina and Georgia, hasn't gone away. And he knows it won't go away until Arkansas' next victory.

So, understandably, this week has been difficult for Weems.

"We’re real anxious coming off the losses to go to LSU (on Saturday)," Weems said before Thursday's practice. "It's never good to have a week off coming off losses."

Yes, it's been a rough eight days or so for the Arkansas basketball team (13-5, 2-2). So rough, in fact, that ESPN.com has had to point it out in a couple of ways. In its "Weekly Watch," Arkansas was deemed one of the teams "falling" this week. Can't argue with that. Also, Joe Lunardi's "Bracketology" bracket has the Razorbacks on the outside looking in, the seventh "last team out."

Earlier in the season, Arkansas was listed as high as a No. 7 seed.

The Razorbacks can turn it all around at LSU, but before then, they have endured a rough few days. First-year coach John Pelphrey made his team practice right after landing back in Fayetteville late Saturday night. They then took a couple of days off and came back a little rusty Wednesday.

Several players talked Thursday about playing better "team basketball" and "supporting each other." We'll see. With this group of Hogs, the road is always in adventure.

We'll blog from Baton Rouge ...

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 05:10 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Ellis Johnson's tenure as Arkansas' defensive coordinator was short. Very, very short.

  Arkansas has announced that the veteran assistant coach has resigned after one month on the job and will accept a position at South Carolina. This quick move was made possible because South Carolina's new defensive coordinator, Brian Van Gorder, decided to return to the Atlanta Falcons after leaving the NFL when Bobby Petrino bolted to Arkansas to become the Razorbacks' coach back in December.

  A little dizzy? Me too.

  Johnson's departure isn't exactly ideal. National signing day (Feb. 6) is less than two weeks away and the Hogs don't have a defensive coordinator on their staff. No word on how this might affect Arkansas on the recruiting trail, but Petrino said in a statement released by the university he was working on a replacement.

  Petrino will not be available for further comment on Johnson's departure or the search for a new defensive coordinator.

  Who will that be? Stay tuned.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 04:36 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Arkansas found out how tough the Southeastern Conference can be playing without its best player when the Lady'Backs dropped a 92-74 decision against Florida on Sunday. But if they thought that game was a doozy, just wait until Thursday.

The Lady'Backs now get the dubious task of traveling to Knoxville to face the No. 2-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols. And without Lauren Ervin inside the paint, it's safe the say Arkansas' chances against Tennessee will be almost slim to none unless it pulls off an almost perfect performance.

Even if the Lady'Backs play to perfection against the Lady Vols, it might not be enough — Ervin or no Ervin. In 20 previous meetings against Tennessee, Arkansas has won just once. And in nine games played in Knoxville, the Lady'Backs are 0-9 with the closest game being a 78-66 loss way back in the 1996 season.

Posted by Vernon Tarver at 05:46 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Alex Abrams at 12:14 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  The Conway native is in Mobile for the Senior Bowl (see previous blog) and spent some time talking to Mobile Press-Register sports reporter Tommy Hicks. It's a brief overview of his career with the Razorbacks, the shadow he played in with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones in the same backfield, and a look at his pro football hopes. The story centers on Hillis' versatility, which should help him in the NFL.

  Here's a quick quote to show how much importance Hillis is placing on this week: 

"This is a huge week for me," Hillis said of his Senior Bowl appearance. "This can make or break where I go in the draft. It's a really big week and I'm going to work as hard as I can to do the best that I can."

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 11:38 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones grabbed all the headlines for Arkansas' NFL hopefuls when they declared for the draft, but a few other Razorbacks get their turn in the spotlight this week.

  Fullback Peyton Hillis, defensive lineman Marcus Harrison and offensive lineman Robert Felton are participating in the prestigious Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. The Senior Bowl is Saturday, but the game itself isn't the main attraction. In the infamous words of Allen Iverson: "We're talking about practice."

  NFL coaches, scouts and front office personnel spend the week in Mobile studying players during practice. The North and South teams are coached by NFL staffs. So making an impression on the practice field is vital. The Senior Bowl is the first phase of four-month interview for NFL hopefuls like Hillis, Harrison and Felton. All three are expected to be drafted, but can help or hurt their chances by their performances this week.

 Remember: The Senior Bowl is where Matt Jones first made a splash as a wide receiver back in Jan. 2005.

  Speaking of receivers, Marcus Monk isn't on either team's roster this week. No word on whether Monk didn't receive an invitation or declined to participate because of his knee. Either way, the receiver will have to impress at a later date. Arkansas is expected to have two, on-campus workout dates with scouts in attendance. He could receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine, too.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 04:23 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  It wasn't long ago that I wrote a column complimenting Arkansas and coach John Pelphrey for opening SEC play with two wins for the first time since 2001-02. It was supposed to be a sign that things could be different for this group of players, who have been a puzzling mix throughout their careers.

  My how things have changed. Or stayed the same.

  Arkansas capped off the worst week of the Pelphrey era by losing to Georgia on Saturday. It came three days after the home loss to South Carolina. The Razorbacks  had high hopes of opening 4-0 in the league. Now, they're 2-2 and trail Mississippi State (4-0) and Ole Miss (3-1) in the SEC Western Division standings.

  If that wasn't enough, center Darian Townes was arrested on Sunday night for a failure to appear in court because of what Pelphrey called a "minor traffic ticket" this morning. He also said there would be no suspension for Townes as of today. But it's still another black eye during what has been a bleak week.

  But the good news for Arkansas is this: It's just one week. There's a long way to go in SEC play. It won't be an easy road, though. The Razorbacks play at LSU on Saturday, then have five straight against Mississippi State, Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Mississippi State again.

  Does Arkansas have enough heart, leadership, chemistry and pride to snap out of last week's funk?
 

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 12:28 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Sunday it became clear the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks are struggling with depth issues.

After losing Lauren Ervin to a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee last week, the Lady'Backs manged to fight through their next two games — a loss at Ole Miss and a win at Alabama — by mainly sticking to the starters. But against Florida on Sunday, a deep Gators bench was the biggest difference in the 92-74 outcome.

Although Arkansas (16-3, 1-3 in the SEC) had a tough day against the Gators, the game did include some fun. Former Lady'Backs coach Susie Gardner is now an assistant at Florida and she was greeted by several friends she left behind in Fayetteville. Gardner also got a chance to catch up with her former players — many of whom have already graduated but still attended the game.

Posted by Vernon Tarver at 11:24 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Alex Abrams at 07:09 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Alex Abrams at 06:22 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Well, we made it, without much time to spare.

Fellow writer Alex Abrams, photographer Marc Henning and myself were a little worried last night when I got the phone call that our flight to Atlanta for this morning had been cancelled. We caught the 12:26 p.m. flight, though, got in the rental car and drove through the rare Georgia snow to get to Stegeman Coliseum.

So, no worries. But now, on to the game. This, truthfully, could be the biggest Southeastern Conference home game of Dennis Felton's five-year tenure in Athens. His Bulldogs are 10-5 overall and 1-1 in the SEC after beating Alabama on Wednesday night.

Tough to beat at home (9-0 at 10,523-seat Stegeman Coliseum), Georgia could have a capacity crowd on hand tonight as Arkansas looks to improve to 3-1 in conference. The road woes of this collection of Razorbacks have been thoroughly chronicled the past few years, and winning tonight could help Arkansas silence some critics.

It won't be easy. Warming up a few feet in front of me is Billy Humphrey, one of Georgia's guards who could give Arkansas trouble. Mostly, Humphrey and the rest of the Bulldog backcourt is physical, far more physical than Arkansas'.

First-year coach John Pelphrey said "passing and catching" becomes difficult against the Georgia D. If the Hogs can handle that harrassment and keep their turnovers down, they should bounce back from the South Carolina loss. If not, well, it'll be same ol', same ol' away from Fayetteville.

Tip-off in 10 minutes. Check it out on Fox Sports Net. ... 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 05:51 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  My handy dandy Google alerts have brought something interesting to my attention (after I checked it).

  Running back Darren McFadden, who said he is going to the Dallas area to work out of the draft, is apparently having all of his workout expenses paid for by ... NIKE! It's detailed in a story in The Sporting News.

  McFadden (and I'm guessing Felix Jones) will prepare for the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine at the Michael Johnson Performance Center. Johnson, the track star, is a Nike client. McFadden has not signed a deal with Nike as of yet, but something tells me he will pretty soon. It will probably be a lucrative deal, too, considering McFadden is regarded as the top overall prospect in the 2008 draft class.

  There are some interesting nuggets in the story about McFadden's immediate future.

  How about this one: McFadden's family is close to hiring a marketing agent. The leading candidate? Mike Conley, Sr., of course. The former Arkansas track star, of course, was involved in the infamous Cadillac Escalade incident before the Cotton Bowl. Conley strongly denied any part in arranging for McFadden to get a vehicle. The university checked out the incident and cleared McFadden to play in the bowl game.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 11:44 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Know this, Arkansas fans.

Your Razorbacks took their loss Wednesday night, their devastating, momentum-halting, 70-66 loss to South Carolina very hard. Assistant coach Rob Evans said this afternoon that he tossed and turned all last night.

Sonny Weems said, "not really," as to whether he slept. Patrick Beverley said he was angry and couldn't remember how many hours he slept. Not surprisingly, the Gamecocks slept a little better.

In fact, South Carolina coach Dave Odom looked toward the back of his team's charter flight late last night and saw a bunch of his players snoozing. "It was certainly a good plane ride back," Odom said on Thursday's SEC basketball coaches teleconference. "Although I have to say, whether they were tired or what, but there wasn’t a lot of celebrating. And that’s good."

It's also good the Hogs are feeling bothered by their subpar effort. They have little time to stew over it, however, as a test awaits Saturday night at Georgia (6:05 p.m. on Fox Sports Net). The Bulldogs moved to 9-0 this season at Stegeman Coliseum with a 61-54 win over Alabama on Wednesday night.

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey lauded the Bulldogs for their toughness and togetherness during his news conference Thursday afternoon. He said the simple things such as "passing and catching," become more difficult against the Bulldogs. He also stressed the significance of letting go of the South Carolina loss "at midnight" Wednesday night, just as he recommends his players do after victories.

And as for questions on Arkansas' SEC past on the road, well, Pelphrey was almost comically blunt.

"Our basketball team has certainly had its struggles on the road," he said. "Period."

The Hogs look to change their coach's perspective Saturday night. We'll be blogging from Athens, so make sure to check back before and during Saturday's game ...

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 04:53 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  South Carolina's small lineup has held the edge on Arkansas' bigger group in the first half.

  The Gamecocks lead 33-32 at halftime behind the strength of point guard Devan Downey's 14 points. Guard Zam Fredrick has added 10 as well. The Gamecocks have knocked down outside shots, swiped the ball from the Razorbacks and frustrated Akransas throughout the half.

  The lone bright spot for the Hogs has been center Steven Hill, who has 12 points at the half. Before tonight, the most Hill had scored in a season was nine points. Hill has taken advantage of his size, but it hasn't been enough for the Razorbacks to grab a halftime lead.

  Arkansas must make adjustments in the second half or are in danger of suffering an unexpected loss.

 

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 07:53 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  We are at the 11:46 mark in the first half and Arkansas coach John Pelphrey is yelling.

  Arkansas has gotten off to an ugly start against South Carolina's pesky lineup. The Gamecocks started five players under 6-foot-7 and has been able to grab a 13-9 lead. Gamecocks point guard Devan Downey is leading the way, spinning, sprinting, winding and weaving his way up and down the court.

  Pelphrey shed his coat during the timeout and lit into his team. We'll see if they respond.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 07:25 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

First off, let's get to the news you all want: Arkansas sophomore Patrick Beverley will play tonight. The word here at Bud Walton Arena is that Beverley will see action and will likely start, albeit with a mouth-guard and with substantial pain.

Just now, as Arkansas conducted one of its pre-game shoot-arounds, I caught a glimpse of Beverley shooting jumpers. He nailed three straight 21-footers. So, obviously, he looks fine to me.

Now, let's move on to another topic, mainly the Razorbacks' collective psyche for tonight's 7:05 p.m. home matchup with South Carolina. While first-year coach John Pelphrey has surely stressed to his Hogs that the Gamecocks pose a serious threat, you'd at least halfway understand if they peered ahead.

A 5-0 start in the Southeastern Conference is staring Arkansas right in the face. Tonight's contest, which is not being televised, marks the start of a three-game stretch against three of the five worst SEC teams, according to RPI rankings.

South Carolina (8-8) is No. 132. Georgia, which hosts Arkansas on Saturday night, is No. 165. And LSU, which hosts the Hogs the next Saturday night, is No. 180. Take care of business, and suddenly Arkansas is 16-3 and ranked nationally heading into a key three-game homestand against Mississippi State, Florida and Ole Miss.

The Razorbacks should start the stretch right and get to 3-0 in the SEC for the first time since 1998 if they:

a) contain South Carolina point guard Devan Downey, a transfer from Cincinnati who averages 19 points,

b) keep feeding their post men against an undersized, outmatched group of Gamecocks and

c) push tempo, again and again

Check back for more updates, live from BWA ...

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 06:30 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Two days after losing Darren McFadden and Felix Jones to the NFL Draft, Arkansas released its 2008 football schedule. All I've got to say is good luck Bobby Petrino.

  The 12-game slate could go down as one of the most difficult in school history. Arkansas was teased for its nonconference schedule in 2007, but there's nothing to laugh at now. Texas is back on the schedule. Tulsa — and Gus Malzahn's high-octane offense — has been added as well.

  Nevermind the fact the Razorbacks also play Florida, LSU, Auburn and Alabama. My favorite? Check out this four-game stretch from Sept. 13 to Oct. 11 — Texas, Alabama, Florida, Auburn. Here it is in its entirety.

        Aug. 30        Western Illinois       Fayetteville
        Sept. 6        Louisiana-Monroe     Little Rock
        Sept. 13      at Texas                 Austin
        Sept. 20      Alabama                 Fayetteville
        Oct. 4         Florida                   Fayetteville
        Oct. 11        at Auburn               Auburn  
        Oct. 18        at Kentucky            Lexington  
        Oct. 25        Ole Miss                 Fayetteville  
        Nov. 1         Tulsa                     Fayetteville
        Nov. 8         at S. Carolina          Columbia  
        Nov. 22       at Mississippi St.       Starkville
        Nov. 29       LSU                       Little Rock

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 05:37 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Alex Abrams at 01:35 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It was understandable to see the Arkansas women struggle in the first half of Sunday's 63-55 loss at Ole Miss. After all, the Lady'Backs were playing their first game without senior post Lauren Ervin.

Lost for the season to a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury in her right knee, Ervin was clearly Arkansas' top player before she went down. Not only did she lead Arkansas in scoring and rebounding, but she also was the Lady'Backs top shotblocker and best free-throw shooter as well. But without Ervin, Arkansas looked timid at times as it got off to a slow start in Oxford on Sunday.

The good news, though, is the Lady'Backs played much better ball in the second half. In fact, Arkansas even made a serious run at Ole Miss by pulling to within four points on two different occasions. And now, they hope to carry that momentum over to Thursday night when the Lady'Backs pay a visit to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a 6 p.m. showdown with the Crimson Tide in a game that can be seen on Cox Sports.

Posted by Vernon Tarver at 06:04 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  I tried to get in touch with ESPN and Scouts, Inc., analyst Todd McShay after Darren McFadden and Felix Jones declared for the 2008 NFL Draft on Monday.

  I couldn't get him. But that's understandable considering it's a busy time of year with player after player declaring for the draft. Scouts, Inc., does have McFadden and Jones rated as the No. 1 and No. 23 prospects in the draft. McShay also posted something a little later on ESPN's Web site projecting McFadden as a top five pick and Jones as a late first-rounder.

  In addition, McShay did have something else to say about McFadden on one of ESPN's shows yesterday. Click this link to find out.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 02:25 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Patrick Beverley didn't look comfortable at all. Not at all. And sure, John Pelphrey said he "anticipated" that the sophomore guard would be on the court Wednesday night against South Carolina.

But I saw Beverley, heard him grit through every word, his previously dislocated jaw throbbing in pain. Don't be so sure about Beverley taking on the Gamecocks. And really, who can blame him if he didn't?

“We’ll see how my mouth reacts to it,” Beverley said. “It’s like a real bad knee sprain. Hopefully, I’ll be back in uniform. But if I’m not, I’m not. I’m going to try real hard to play, but I just have to go by what (Arkansas trainer) Dave (England) says.”

Only time will tell. Pelphrey said Beverley, who impressed his coach with his toughness Sunday in the win over Alabama, would be reevaluated on a daily basis. He was limited throughout Monday's practice.

Other tidbits from Pelphrey's — and his players' — news conference today:

• Pelphrey said he expected a "desperate" Gamecocks squad to visit Bud Walton Arena. "Certainly with them being 0-2 (in the SEC), I think it’s going to do nothing but bring them closer together, have them more focused and make them more desperate in terms of wanting to win," he said.

• Pelphrey used a football analogy to describe Alabama erasing an 11-point second-half deficit Sunday. "It was like we fumbled at their goal line," he said.

• Charles Thomas has a new look. He's growing a small strip of hair down the middle of his head, shaving everything else. Gary Ervin called it a "Fro-hawk." Thomas said: "I just wanted to try something new."

Also, I ran across something strange — and ironic, I guess — while surfing on RealTimeRPI.com. Arkansas, at this very second, is No. 32. The team ranked one spot higher than the Hogs at No. 31? How about South Alabama, with all the players Pelphrey recruited to Mobile, Ala.

Look for more basketball news Wednesday night before the Razorbacks and Gamecocks collide ... 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 07:10 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  It's another big news day at Arkansas.

  A little while ago, running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones announced their plans to leave school after their junior seasons and enter the 2008 NFL Draft. The decisions were no surprise. Honestly, Jones was the only running back that had anything to think about considering the number of backs that had already declared. But the NFL told Jones he was a first-rounder, so the Tulsa native couldn't pass up the opportunity.

  Usually a departure like that leaves fans a little down, but the Razorbacks have other things to be excited about today. Former Michigan quarterback Ryan Mallett is in the process of transferring to Arkansas and an announcement could be made by the university a little later today. Mallett is the kind of big-time quarterback that seems to fit perfectly into Bobby Petrino's offense. He played as a freshman at Michigan last season and will have to sit out 2008 because of NCAA transfer rules. But Arkansas, no doubt, can wait.

  It's almost fitting these two stories take place on the same day. It's like passing the proverbial torch. An era ends. Another begins. Could you script it any better?

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 02:27 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Arkansas sophomore guard Patrick Beverley isn't expected to miss any playing time because of suffering a dislocated jaw in Sunday's 71-67 victory over Alabama.

First-year coach John Pelphrey said he learned late last night, after Beverley had X-rays performed, that Beverley did, in fact, dislocate the jaw and that it wasn't any more serious than that.

Pelphrey also said on this morning's SEC basketball coaches teleconference that he breathed a big sigh of relief. 

"He'll be sore for a couple of days, and he won’t eat a lot of solid food," Pelphrey said of Beverley, who snagged a career-high tying 13 boards Sunday. "I think we dodged a bullet."

Check back for more after I get back from today's Arkansas basketball news conference ...

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 11:59 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  We've had some Internet problems in Bud Walton Arena this afternoon, but the Hogs are having no trouble with Alabama so far.

  Arkansas put together a pretty strong first half and leads the Crimson Tide 36-28 at halftime.

  Darian Townes has led the charge on offense, going 5-for-5 from the field for 12 points. He also has been a big part of a pretty solid defensive effort. Townes and the Razorbacks have forced eight turnovers in the first half, have five steals and are holding Alabama to 32.1 percent shooting.

  Alabama's two biggest offensive weapons haven't done much so far. Guard Alonzo Gee, who scored 32 points in the conference opener, made 1-of-7 in the first half and has six points. Forward Richard Hendrix has only gotten four shots off and has 7 points. He is 0-for-3 from the foul line.

  Arkansas is trying to open 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2001-02, which was Nolan Richardson's last season with the Razorbacks.
 

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 04:02 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The Auburn athletic department called for a “white-out” tonight, requesting that Tiger fans don white shirts. Well, the ones who showed up got the message. Only problem: Not many showed.

Maybe it’s the fact their team can only suit up seven scholarship players. Maybe it’s the tornado warning that was just issued for the Auburn area in the past hour. Or maybe it’s the existence of ESPN2’s broadcast, which lets them stay at home — out of the rain and winds — and still see the game.

Whatever the reason, the Hogs won’t encounter an overwhelmingly intense environment tonight in John Pelphrey’s first SEC contest as a head coach. And as I discussed in the Gimme 5 section of The Morning News’ Fast Break page in today’s newspaper, that should provide a telling test for the Razorbacks.

Last season, these same players played down — as well as up — to the level of competition. In front of small crowds on the road, the Hogs often floundered. Tonight gives them the chance to put that trend behind them, to make a statement to the rest of the conference.

This week already has been a week of statements in the SEC.

Tennessee handed Ole Miss its first loss of the season. LSU scored 39 points and showed why it could be one of the worst BCS conference teams. Young Florida won on the road. And Vandy stayed undefeated.

Now, it’s Arkansas’ turn. The key should be the Razorback big men, especially bench guys such as Darian Townes and Michael Washington.

If the Hogs can overpower the Tigers inside, they should have no problems in moving to 1-0 in the SEC.

Ryan Malashock 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 07:37 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Are you wondering what Arkansas' coaching staff is earning? Well, we've got the answers for you.

  This information was obtained through a Freedom of Information request:

  Ellis Johnson    Defensive coordinator    $350,000
  Paul Petrino    Offensive coordinator    $300,000
  Mike Summers    Offensive line coach    $225,000
  Bobby Allen    Defensive line coach    $190,000
  Lorenzo Ward    Secondary coach    $190,000
  Tim Horton     Running backs/tight ends coach    $185,000
  Garrick McGee    Quarterbacks coach    $185,000
  Kirk Botkin    Defensive line/special teams coach    $165,000
  Reggie Johnson    Linebackers coach    $110,000

  In all, Petrino's assistants will earn $1.9 million annually. Last season, Arkansas' assistants made $1.755
 

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 06:19 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  New Arkansas defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson may have said something he shouldn't have this afternoon.

  The former Mississippi State defensive coordinator, who was available for comment for the first time since being hired late last month, was asked about Darren McFadden and Felix Jones during a press conference in the Broyles Center. His response was pretty eye-raising:

   "They're great players," Johnson said. "i wish they weren’t leaving."

  Of course, this has not been confirmed by Arkansas. New coach Bobby Petrino has spoken with Felix Jones, but declined to say what the running back is planning. He expects McFadden and Jones to hold a press conference soon. Running backs coach Tim Horton said he talks to Jones on a daily basis and knows what his plans are. But he's not revealing them, either.

  But it may be too late. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 04:53 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  In the past few days, a handful of big-time college backs have decided they're going to skip out on their senior year and enter the NFL Draft. It started with Texas back Jamaal Charles. Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall is reportedly gone. So is Central Florida's Kevin Smith.

  If you're keeping score, three running backs have declared for early entry. Arkansas' Darren McFadden is expected to follow and should be the top back taken. But here's a list of other running backs who will either be in the draft or are considering early entry: Michigan's Mike Hart, West Virginia's Steve Slaton, Rutgers Ray Rice, Oregon's Jonathan Stewart, Oklahoma's Allen Patrick and East Carolina's Chris Johnson.

  How much will the size and depth of the draft class matter to Felix Jones as he makes his decision?

  I spoke with Jones briefly this afternoon, but he didn't want to comment on much. He maintained his stance that he would let the media know as soon as he talked it over with his family and made a decision. But that was it. He didn't want to say anything else other than he was doing fine.

  In other news, McFadden's mom, Mini Muhammad, told Alex Abrams that her son is in Fayetteville right now and will go back to Little Rock in the next few days. Once there, she believes her son will make his decision known (at least to her) about his NFL plans.

  Let's be serious though: We know what McFadden is going to do. But Jones? That may not be so easy to answer right now.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 04:12 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The reaction was mixed.

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey admitted the league likely didn’t possess the same star power as a season ago. Hard to squabble with that assessment. The Florida Five (Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford, Lee Humphrey and Joakim Noah) is gone. Kentucky’s Randolph Morris ... also gone. Vanderbilt’s Derrick Byars and LSU’s Glen Davis ... both gone, as well.

That said, “it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be any easier this year,” Pelphrey said.

Alabama coach Mark Gottfried concurred, arguing that any person who believes the SEC is down obviously hadn’t even competed in the league. Gottfried doesn’t “buy it at all.”

“At the end of the season, come tournament time, we’ll either hang our hat on being a really good league or really down,” he said.

Right now, however, the numbers — and paper can lie, mind you — tell a different story.

According to RealTimeRPI.com, the SEC is the sixth-strongest conference in the nation. Conferences ranked ahead of the SEC are the 1) Atlantic Coast, 2) Big East, 3) Pacific 10, 4) Big 12 and 5) Big Ten. Plus, the Missouri Valley and the Atlantic 10 are ranked just percentage points behind the SEC.

Arkansas’ RPI ranking, by the way, is 57, fifth-best in the conference.

Also check out this week’s national polls. The only schools ranked by the Associated Press are Tennessee at No. 8, Vanderbilt at No. 13 and Ole Miss at No. 16. So while many of the league’s coaches may truly feel the league is not down, the conference’s 42 combined nonconference losses don’t make that argument any easier.

RYAN MALASHOCK 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 04:03 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Former Arkansas offensive coordinator David Lee was supposed to be joining Houston Nutt's staff at Ole Miss.

  Maybe he still will.

  But there seems to be plenty of rumors swirling over in Oxford that Lee is actually going to head back to the NFL and join the Miami Dolphins staff. Bill Parcells, of course, is the new executive vice president of football operations at Miami. He's the one who brought Lee to the Dallas Cowboys a few years ago.

  The Jackson Clarion-Ledger has a small story on the Lee's future this morning.

  One of the problems, it seems, is that the Dolphins don't have a head coach yet. So it's kind of hard to be hiring (or at least announcing) the addition of assistant coaches. In addition, it's the start of the final recruiting push and it's not exactly a good time to be losing an offensive coordinator.

  Nutt already lost one assistant (Louis Campbell), who was announced as a member of his Ole Miss staff and joined Mississippi State. There's also been rumors that another (Tracy Rocker) was considering an offer to join Reggie Herring at Texas A&M.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 11:47 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)