Freshman guard Nate Rakestraw, a Springdale Har-Ber High grad, has asked for and will be granted his release from Arkansas. His father, P.D. Rakestraw, confirmed this to me in the last hour.

 Nate and Arkansas coach John Pelphrey met for their "end of the season" meeting last Friday. After the meeting, P.D. said, the Rakestraws spent the weekend thinking about Nate's future.

 Nate came to a decision late Sunday night, he said, met again with Pelphrey this afternoon and asked for his release.

 I'll have more in a story for tomorrow's paper, as well as a separate story on Sonny Weems and Darian Townes being invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. Sonny, I also learned today, will participate in Thursday's college slam dunk contest in San Antonio.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 06:28 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino met with the media for the first time since national signing day this afternoon to preview spring practice, which begins Thursday. Several topics were covered. Too many to list. But here are some of the highlights:

  • First, Arkansas will be without linebacker Freddie Fairchild, defensive tackle Ernest Mitchell and linebacker Wendel Davis. Fairchild is currently serving an indefinite suspension. Mitchell and Davis both have knee injuries. Petrino didn't exactly specify the extent of the injuries, though. In addition, defensive back Walner Leandre (shoulder) and defensive tackle Marcus Shavers (shoulder) will be limited. No contact for them.

  • Another injury note: Tight end Ben Cleveland hasn't completely healed from the neck injury he sustained last year. Petrino said he's not as healthy as they'd like, but they're going to try to get some work from him this spring. That means contact drills, too.

  • There is one position change to note: Sophomore Chip Gregory has moved from linebacker to tailback. Petrino likes the idea of having a big back for the fourth quarter. The 6-foot-3, 218-pound Gregory fits that description.

  • The biggest areas of intrigue/concern are obvious. Who is going to be counted on in the backfield with all the departures? Who is going to catch the ball? Who is going to step in in the defensive backfield? All are areas where departures have hit the team. Petrino knew it when he arrived, but believes playmakers are there.

  • On the flip side, he feels good about the lines. Guys like Jonathan Luigs, Adrian Davis, Mitch Petrus and Antwain Robinson give the Razorbacks a good foundation in the trenches.

  • The quarterback battle is open. There are only three on the roster right now. Even more, there are only three that we know will be eligible next season. So brothers Casey Dick and Nathan Dick — along with Alex Mortensen — will be battling things out. Ryan Mallett will be there, too, but no word on his eligibility case with the NCAA. So he'll likely work with the second-team this spring.

  • Of course, if you haven't heard (and why haven't you?) practice is open. Petrino likes it that way. In fact, he'd leave it open year-round if someone hadn't invented the Internet. Thanks Al Gore. But, in all seriousness, the Razorbacks expect a big turnout Thursday. Rain could hurt though. If Arkansas has to move indoors because of weather, fans may not be able to watch because of space constraints.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 03:02 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Arkansas' players have been sent back to their hotel to wait out the storm, and the hope is that at least another three outs could be played so the game could be ruled official. But that's not looking good. The rain is still coming.

Posted by Alex Abrams at 05:56 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Saturday's game will be televised by FSN at 3 p.m., so that could either be the first game of a doubleheader or the two teams could play a morning game beforehand. Either way, ugh!

Posted by Alex Abrams at 06:08 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  If you're wondering what's the score to Arkansas' game at Vanderbilt, don't worry. You haven't missed anything. The game has been postponed until at least 7:10 p.m. because of rain.

  First pitch was scheduled for 6 p.m., but heavy rain started coming down at around 5:20 p.m. Both teams were forced to leave the field, and the infield was covered with a large white tarp.

  Apparently, another storm system is coming through the Nashville area, so I will cross my fingers to hope that the game can start at 7 p.m. I'm not looking forward to a late start or a brutal doubleheader.

Posted by Alex Abrams at 05:12 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Arkansas coach John Pelphrey wrapped up the season earlier this afternoon with a press conference in Bud Walton Arena. There was no big news coming out of it, but several items of interest:

  • First, Pelphrey thanked the senior class for its contributions to the program. He said they were a group that put their trust in the new staff and appreciated the support. He credited Stan Heath for bringing them. He also believes they did achieve a "significant" feat by beating Indiana in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

  • With that said, Pelphrey is looking to next season. The Razorbacks will be very young at most positions, but the NCAA Tournament remains their aim. "Whether it is or not, that’s the goal. if it’s not realistic, then we need to overachieve and make it realistic," Pelphrey said.

  • Pelphrey currently has one scholarship to fill. But there could be more. No players have asked to leave the team, yet. He said no one to his knowledge won't be back. But in the same breath, Pelphrey said there always are additions and subtractions. So don't be surprised if some players don't return.

  • The Hogs continue to work on next season's schedule. They have home games with Oklahoma and Texas. They also will play Baylor in Little Rock. And they'll go on the road to Missouri State. Pelphrey said Arkansas will take part in an early-season tournament of some sort, but no details yet. He also said there has been discussion with Memphis about a series. But it's not clear if that will happen. Apparently, John Calipari would like a neutral site series. Arkansas may not.

  • The final thing Pelphrey was asked was whether he was surpsised by anything. The one thing he mentioned was being "blown away" by the support in the state. "I love being the Razorbacks coach," Pelphrey said. "I'm very humble and honored by that. This is a privelage and an honor and something I don’t take lightly.”

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 05:41 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  I just came back from listening to Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino speak for around 40 minutes at The Church at Pinnacle Hills. Most of what he spoke about was getting his players ready for spring practice and how the focus will be on getting his team faster, smarter and tougher for the season.

Posted by Alex Abrams at 01:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Bad news from Baum Stadium today. For the first time since 1965, Arkansas has lost a baseball game against Centenary.

The Razorbacks struggled with the bats Wednesday — managing just four hits and one run — and Centenary pitched its top three hurlers in a 5-1 win for the Gents.

The loss snaps a 25-game winning streak for Arkansas over Centenary. It also dropped Dave Van Horn's record against the Gents to 11-1 since becoming the Razorbacks coach.

Posted by Vernon Tarver at 05:07 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  When the football schedule comes out every year, there is one thing that never changes: Arkansas and LSU are slated to play in the regular-season finale on the final Saturday of the season.

  Then, a couple months later, something else happens.

  The game is moved to Friday and scheduled for a CBS broadcast.

  The obvious happened earlier today, when Arkansas announced the LSU game in Little Rock has been moved from Nov. 29 to Nov. 28. It will be the 13th straight season the Arkansas-LSU game will be televised the day after Thanksgiving.

  There's little doubt this one will have plenty of intrigue.

  Remember what happened last November?

  Arkansas knocked off then-No. 1 LSU in triple overtime. Arkansas coach Houston Nutt resigned a couple days later and landed at Ole Miss. Darren McFadden finished second in the Heisman Trophy race and left school. LSU won the SEC championship, caught a couple breaks late in the season, then went on to win the national title in January.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 02:56 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Chris Dunivan at 02:47 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

No matter who the opponent, you can't complain when your pitchers throw a two-hit shutout. And that's exactly what happened here at Baum Stadium, as Travis Hill and Evan Cox combined to blank Centenary, 9-0.

For both hurlers, the performance was just what the doctor ordered. Entering the game, both Hill and Cox were struggling. But against the Gents, they were dominating.

"I thought Travis did a great job and I was just really proud of Evan Cox coming in," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. "He threw the ball extremely well. That’s the best he’s thrown since he’s been here. The fastball was locating around the knees, in and out. Then he threw a couple of nice breaking balls.
“So that was a good win for us after a rough weekend.”

Arkansas and Centenary conclude the series at 3:05 p.m., today. 

Posted by Vernon Tarver at 09:03 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Sunday's Southeastern Conference baseball clash between Arkansas and LSU looked and felt more like a Friday night conference affair.

Instead of two teams out of pitching and forced into a slugfest, the Razorbacks and Tigers instead put on a pitcher's duel in the series finale at Alex Box Stadium here in Baton Rouge, La. Unfortunately for Arkansas, it was the outdueled one as LSU pitchers limited the Hogs to three hits and just two runs in a 4-2 decision which gave the Tigers the series win.

How bad was Arkansas offense Sunday? Well, look at it this way. Both of the Razorbacks' runs were scored without getting a hit in the inning.

The Diamond Hogs at least get to return home for a short while after dropping their second SEC series in a row to open conference play. Arkansas hosts Centenary at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday then again at 3:05 Wednesday before heading back on the road this upcoming weekend at Vanderbilt. 

Posted by Vernon Tarver at 10:34 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Alex Abrams at 04:52 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Well, Arkansas senior Gary Ervin had some people in his way as he tried to shoot layups just now. Those jubilant people? The Davidson Wildcats, who just shocked Midwest Regional No. 2 seed Georgetown behind Stephen Curry's 30 points — 25 which came after halftime.

So they finally moved, and the Razorbacks are now warming up for their showdown with top-ranked North Carolina.

One sight in particular is important. Sophomore guard Stefan Welsh, who badly sprained his left ankle Friday night against Indiana and played just six minutes, looks to be fine. He is cutting hard on the ankle and lifting high on his jump shots without favoring it.

It's just 15 minutes now 'til tip-off ... 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 03:21 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

So I just dined here at the RBC Center in Raleigh with several reporters who have followed North Carolina from its season-opening win over Davidson until now. The consensus? Arkansas has a chance today because of its depth and size inside.

Here are a couple of preview stories in the Carolina papers today:

• Ken Tysiac of the Charlotte Observer introduces his readers to 7-footer center Steven Hill.

• A.J. Carr of the Raleigh News and Observer looks at Arkansas' big bodies.

I'm sitting courtside right now. Georgetown and Davidson are about to tip off their second-round Midwest Regional game.

Lots of Carolina blue, though, already in the building. 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 12:17 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Dave Van Horn called it maybe the greatest win of his life. And you'd be hard pressed to find one better.

One week to the day after Arkansas blew a 10-1 lead and lost to Georgia, 15-11, it was the Razorbacks who did the rallying in a big way Saturday. Trailing 9-0 at LSU after three innings, Arkansas scored six runs in the fourth, two in the fifth, two in the seventh, one in the eighth, two in the ninth and one in the 10th for a remarkable, 14-13 win against the Tigers.

Tim Smalling was the hero of the moment for Arkansas in the win, delivering a game-winning solo blast in the 10th off of LSU ace Jared Bradford. But in all honesty, Smalling was just one of many who made this win possible.

There was also Justin Wells, who pitched 7 1/3 innings of relief and held LSU to just one hit in his final five innings.

There was Casey Coon, who continued to dramatically raise his batting average with a 3-for-6 day.

There was Thomas Hauskey and Jacob House, who came off the bench and went a combined 5-for-7 at the plate.

All in all, it was — like Van Horn said — one of the great wins in Arkansas baseball history. 

Posted by Vernon Tarver at 08:54 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  A funny sequence during the question-and-answer session with North Carolina today.

  Coach Roy Williams was asked about the 1984 game between Arkansas-North Carolina, in which the Razorbacks beat the top-ranked Tar Heels 65-64. Williams was an assistant on Dean Smith's staff at the time.

  "Jonesboro, Arkansas," Williams said. "We were 21-0, had the last shot to win the game, some guy named (Michael) Jordan went the wrong way on the play and Steve Hale got a shot from the corner and missed it. Not that I remember everything, but I remember that day pretty clearly."

  But his memory of where the game was played isn't clear. It was Pine Bluff. Not Jonesboro.

  Williams quickly corrected himself when reminded by a reporter.

  "You're right, Jonesboro. That's Catfish Cabin. Seriously, if you go there, try Catfish Cabin. It was Pine Bluff, Arkansas. I apologize."

  There's no word on if the Catfish Cabin in Jonesboro actually exists.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 05:26 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Arkansas and North Carolina both spent time with the media this afternoon regarding tomorrow's game here in the RBC Center.

  The most pressing news for the Razorbacks is the injury startus of backup guard Stefan Welsh. The sophomore stepped on an Indiana player after shooting a 3-pointer last night, rolled his ankle and didn't return. But Welsh said he's going to try to play against North Carolina. If he can't, Marcus Britt might get pressed into duty.

  "We've got an appeal in the NCAA to see if I can get into the game if he doesn't play," Arkansas coach John Pelphrey joked. "I don't know. If we played today, he couldn't play. ... I would say at best he's doubtful."

  Welsh, of course, isn't Arkansas' only concern. The Razorbacks are playing the nation's top-ranked team in what is little more than a home game for them. The Tar Heels campus in Chapel Hill is only about 30 minutes away and the RBC Center was packed with Carolina blue yesterday. It will be tomorrow, too.

  North Carolina is 22-1 in NCAA Tournament games played in the state. It's only loss was against Penn (72-71) in the 1979 East Regional. So the Tar Heels obviously enjoy the home cooking.

  Just don't tell intense forward Tyler Hansbrough this is a home game for the Tar Heels.

  "To be honest with you it didn’t (feel like a home game)," Hansbrough said. "it wasn’t our home court. It wasn’t our own locker room and we went to our hotel after the game. it felt like a road game to me."

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 05:15 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  As Ryan Malashock, Robbie Neiswanger and myself were wrapping up our stories for The Morning News, Indiana interim coach Dan Dakich happened to walk across the RBC Center court and pass the press row we were sitting at.

Posted by Alex Abrams at 10:59 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Alex Abrams at 08:48 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It isn't that I don't enjoy the Arkansas band. It plays some nice, catchy tunes. I just don't prefer to have it located 15 feet from me. Wow. That's loud. Oh well.

Also, those Indiana pants, the red and white stripped ones that look so ugly on TV ... well, they're even uglier in person. Hideous. Just hideous. But, the Indiana folk just loves them — my sister (the Indiana grad) even wears some around her house when she's lounging.

So, game-time is finally upon us. The Razorbacks are way down on the other end to my left warming up. They seem calm and relaxed, focused even. You can bet they don't want to make it three years in a row with a "one-and-done" effort in the NCAA Tournament.

Here's one more note: While Arkansas coach John Pelphrey is starting the same five he has for some time now, junior forward DeAndre Thomas is a suprise starter for Dan Dakich's Hoosiers. Thomas is a 6-foot-8, 295-pound force with shockingly good touch who could help contain the wealth of Arkansas big men.

Ten minutes 'til tip-off ... 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 07:27 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

So that was kind of weird. Don't know if you heard it on TV just now. But the few hundred Arkansas fans behind us on press row just saw some of the Razorbacks come in to watch part of North Carolina's game, which has turned into a blowout, and immediately went into a Hog call.

With the UNC game going on right in front of them. Pretty funny, actually.

Sonny Weems, earphones in his ears, waved toward the fans with a big smile on his face. 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 06:28 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Arkansas' basketball team hasn't even arrived yet at the RBC Center for its NCAA Tournament first-round game tonight against Indiana. Yet, Alex, Robbie and myself have been inside the home of the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes for about six hours already.

This afternoon's games here in Raleigh, N.C., had no bearing on Arkansas -- they were Midwest Regional games; the ninth-seeded Razorbacks and eighth-seeded Hoosiers are in the East. But the two contests did entertain the almost-packed-to-capacity crowd.

First, 10th-seeded Davidson pulled the biggest upset of the tournament (at the time) by downing seventh-seeded Gonzaga 82-76. Stephen Curry, the son of former NBA star, Dell Curry poured in 40 points, including eight 3-pointers, to thrill the pro-Davidson crowd.

In game two, second-seeded Georgetown struggled early but pulled away from 15th-seeded Maryland-Baltimore County and won 66-47. Senior center Roy Hibbert led the Hoyas with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Well, the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels just came onto the court for their game against 16th-seeded Mount Saint Mary's. There's a lot of Carolina blue in the crowd already, and surely more to come.

Should be interesting to see which team — Arkansas or Indiana — the Tar Heel faithful will throw their support behind after North Carolina (likely) drills Mount Saint Mary's.

We'll blog again in a bit ... 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 04:37 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Arkansas first day at the 2008 NCAA Tournament was met by a minor setback.

  The Hogs got stuck in traffic.

  The team bus to the RBC Center got caught in a jam here in Raleigh, delaying the Razorbacks' 30 minutes with the media. Arkansas players and coach John Pelphrey were supposed to meet with the media beginning at 6 p.m. local time, but were 10 minutes late. In fact, with only 20 minutes before their practice time was scheduled to begin, Steven Hill, Gary Ervin and Sonny Weems were lumped together with Pelphrey for the media session.

  Pelphrey was asked about the delay during the press conference.

  "Hopefully that's as much as we get slowed down," Pelphrey said.

  Pelphrey said the delay wasn't bad. Someone else was driving the team and there was satellite television on the truck. Only the media portion of the day was altered. They're on the floor practicing right now.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 04:29 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Ryan, Alex and I are here in the RBC Center, home of the North Carolina State Wolfpack, for the press conferences and interviews leading up to tomorrow's first-round action. If you aren't sure of the schedule, top seed North Carolina plays No. 16 Mount St. Mary's at 6:10 p.m. No. 8 Indiana plays No. 9 Arkansas at 8:40.

  This may be N.C. State's home floor, but it's clear North Carolina is the home team now. The school's campus in Chapel Hill is about 30 minutes away and the Tar Heels stepped on the court a little while ago to a thunderous applause. About a thousand powder blue supporters are here to watch the practice. The fans cheered again when coach Roy Williams appeared on the court as the team went through stretching exercises.

  It's part of North Carolina's home court advantage and reward for being the nation's top seed in the NCAA Tournament. If the Tar Heels reach the Final Four, it means they didn't have to leave the state to get there. If N.C. wins two this weekend, they'll play in Charlotte next week.

  Williams talked about the proximity to campus during the press conference today and said it could be a distraction. Life can be tough on the road. But if you're North Carolina, you're happy the road is Raleigh.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 03:12 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  He returned to the Big Apple in December again as a Heisman finalist, but those are the only two times he has been to New York.
 

Posted by Alex Abrams at 09:44 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Alex Abrams at 02:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Here is a link to the newspaper report about the Jets meeting with McFadden.
 

Posted by Alex Abrams at 01:57 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Chris Dunivan at 02:52 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  Arkansas coach John Pelphrey just gave us this bit of news: Sonny Weems left Tuesday's practice with an injury.

  The Hogs' leading scorer was in the training room for the last bit of practice, which was closed to the media, after sustaining an apparent knee injury. Pelphrey said he didn't think it was anything serious. He didn't see it happened, but said it could be a sprain. He wasn't sure, though.

  But this is certain: Pelphrey didn't seem too concerned about it.

  No word on what type of impact — if any — this will have on Weems for the NCAA Tournament. My guess is that it would take an awful lot for the the senior to miss, what could be, his final collegiate game.

Posted by Robbie Neiswanger at 01:22 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Arkansas senior Sonny Weems picked up another award today, as he was named to the Associated Press' second-team all-Southeastern Conference squad. He was the only Razorback named to any of the AP's teams.

First-team all-SEC selections were Tennessee's Chris Lofton and Tyler Smith, Alabama's Richard Hendrix, Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon, South Carolina's Devan Downey and Vanderbilt's Shan Foster.

Foster and Gordon were unanimous choices.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 03:19 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

CBS just announced that Arkansas will play Indiana at about 8:40 p.m. Friday in Raleigh, N.C., in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Hogs are a No. 9 seed and would likely play North Carolina if they win.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 04:39 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Arkansas couldn't rally all the way back Sunday.

The Razorbacks lost 66-57 to Georgia in the Southeastern Conference Tournament title game, losing in it for the second straight season. The Hogs started slow and couldn't ever catch the Bulldogs, who now advance to the NCAA Tournament at the expense of some ticked-off bubble team.

Georgia's players are out on the floor celebrating as the Razorbacks are slowly trudging back to their locker room. Very soon, we'll all find out where Arkansas is headed in a few days.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 03:39 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Right from the start, Georgia has looked like the more focused, more intense team here in Atlanta. The Bulldogs stormed out to a 12-5 lead, went on a 12-2 run and opened up a lead as high as 19 points.

Arkansas recovered after missing 5 of its first 16 shots and committing nine turnovers in the first 12 minutes. Sonny Weems drained three consecutive baskets — a 17-footer, 12-foot turnaround and a 3-pointer — as the Hogs hit 6 of their last 8 shots of the half.

Charles Thomas and Patrick Beverley gave Georgia one more chance in the final minute when they fought for a rebound and watched the ball fly out of bounds. That play pretty much exemplified the entire half for Arkansas. The Bulldogs couldn't convert that miscue into points and took a 36-26 lead into halftime.

Seven Georgia players have scored between four and eight points, while Weems leads Arkansas with 13 points at the break. 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 02:29 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Just as surreal in Alexander Memorial Coliseum, only today, red is all over.

What an improbable SEC Tournament title game: Lowly Georgia at 16-16 and surging Arkansas at 22-10.

Actually, the crowd looks a bit bigger today. Both schools were allowed to let in 1,000 people each. I spoke a few moments ago to Bill Gray, executive associate athletic director at Arkansas, and he said he expected close to the 1,000 allowed to show up. He said any Arkansas fan with an original ticket to the Georgia Dome would be welcomed to attend.

Well, the Razorbacks just ran onto the court with the clock showing "34:00" left in warm-ups to the Razorback fight song and their fans waving red and white pom-poms.

One thing to remember about today: Today isn't just about the SEC Championship. Today is also about redemption. The Hogs were drilled by Georgia, one of its four SEC wins this season, 82-69 on Jan. 19 in Athens.

Fans will remember that's the night Arkansas coach John Pelphrey put his Razorbacks through an early-morning practice right when they got home from Georgia. Seems like ages ago the way this team has matured.

Also just found out that Georgia guard Sundiata Gaines will play, and start, today. He suffered a hip-pointer as he fouled out of the second of Georgia's two wins yesterday. 

Thirty-one minutes now until tip-off ...  

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 01:05 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

First off, sorry about the lack of a blog after last night's 92-91 Arkansas win over No. 4 Tennessee. I must have hit the wrong button our something. Annoying. If the blog had made it online, you would have read about Arkansas' post-game celebration and about Sonny Weems' six late points after scoring just one point in the first 34 more minutes.

Anywho, in about three hours, Arkansas will try — for the second straight season — to win an SEC Tournament championship. Last year, the Hogs were drilled by Florida. This year, they get a better matchup.

Georgia, the No. 6 seed out of the Eastern Division, had to play twice yesterday and won both games. But you can bet the Bulldogs will be a bit tired today, even though the incentive of making the postseason is sure to provide them with plenty of adrenaline.

It's amazing to me how much Arkansas has likely improved its NCAA Tournament seeding with two enormous victories over two top 10 RPI foes. The Hogs are now No. 26 in the Ratings Percentage Index, according to CollegeRPI.com, and Jerry Palm has Arkansas as a No. 9 seed playing BYU in Anaheim. Joe Lunardi of ESPN.com has Arkansas as a No. 8 seed playing Kent State in Raleigh.

In a few hours, we'll find out for sure. I'll blog from Georgia Tech when I get there in a couple of hours. Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said he expected the crowd today to be about double of yesterday's. Should still be another surreal environment.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 10:28 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

That was 20 intense minutes of basketball, which ended with Arkansas leading No. 4 Tennessee 47-45.

Both teams made shots at an incredible rate. The Vols are 16 for 28 from the field, 6 for 12 from 3-point range; the Hogs are 17 for 31 and also 6 for 12.

The pace was frantic, up and down, up and down, at an alarming rate, and the play was quite heated. Players jawed at each other constantly. Three technicals were called. Plenty of hard fouls were whistled.

Charles Thomas leads the way for Arkansas with 14 points. Patrick Beverley has 10. 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 05:00 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

This is surreal. No other way to describe it. I'm located in the third row of the media seating in Alexander Memorial Coliseum, home of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the place is about one-tenth full.

The remainder of the Southeastern Conference Tournament was moved here from the Georgia Dome after last night's tornado damaged the building. And the SEC determined that each school would be allotted just 400 tickets for their game today.

Who got those tickets? I spoke a few moments ago with Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long, and he explained the process he and his staff went through early this morning. He said players' friends and family, cheerleaders, band members, athletic department staff and high-level, long-time supporters were given tickets.

Any way you slice it, it's strange in here. Right now, below me, the Hogs are warming up. Tennessee, which beat Arkansas 93-71 on Feb. 13 in Knoxville, just took the court to a roar from the 400 Vols fans to my right waving orange and white pom-poms.

A few other notes: 

• Earlier today, Georgia edged Kentucky 60-56 in overtime to advance to tonight's semifinal against Mississippi State.

• Tomorrow's championship game has been moved again, this time to 2:30 p.m. and will air on ESPN2 nationally, but on CBS in Arkansas.

• Arkansas moved up to No. 31 in the Ratings Percentage Index, according to CollegeRPI.com. 

Well, 25 minutes until tip-off ... 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 03:39 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It's 4:45 a.m. here in Atlanta, and Dudley Dawson and myself are still in the Georgia Dome, where severe weather wreaked havoc on the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Are we crazy? Uh, quite possibly.

Well, the folks with the SEC have FINALLY come to a decision about how the tourney will proceed, after more than four hours of deliberation. Charles Bloom, the SEC's associate commissioner, just addressed about 15 reporters and elaborated about the conference's decision.

That decision? The remaining games are all moved to Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum, capacity 9,200. And therein lies the catch. The SEC has decided that because far too many tickets were sold to accomodate everyone in that arena (26,000 tickets were bought by fans), no fans will see the game. They will be refunded, Bloom said. He said he hoped fans would understand the circumstances. He also said he expected "a thousand or two" people to actually be in the arena for the games.

That's right — nobody other than players' and coaches' families, cheerleaders, bands and credentialed media (I'll be there!). Hopefully Kentucky fans will not riot.

So today's docket: Kentucky vs. Georgia at 11 a.m., Arkansas vs. Tennessee at 5 p.m. and Mississippi State vs. Kentucky/Georgia at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday's championship game will be played at 2 p.m. at Georgia Tech. Bloom said the conference was still working on making sure every game gets on television.

I will now go to sleep. I'll be blogging later today from a mostly-empty Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 02:22 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Arkansas couldn't have asked for a much better start to SEC baseball play. The Razorbacks had two big innings at the plate and got great pitching from Cliff Springston and Kendal Korbel tonight in a 5-1 win against Georgia at Baum Stadium.

Springston and Korbel were especially impressive tonight. The pitching pair limited the Bulldogs (6-7, 0-1) to just seven hits and only allowed one serious scoring threat the entire game.

At the plate, freshman Brett Eibner continues to impress. Eibner was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, including a sol home run in the fifth which gave Arkansas its first lead at 2-1.

The Razorbacks and Bulldogs are back at it at 12:05 p.m., Saturday. 

Posted by Vernon Tarver at 10:22 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

What a strange, crazy, dangerous day and night in the Georgia Dome. Well, that day is now officially over. The final game between Kentucky and Georgia has just been postponed.

Not sure why this game has been postponed if it was deemed OK to finish the last game, which ended in a thrilling 69-67 overtime win for Mississippi State over Alabama.

In any case, Kentucky fans are not happy. 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 09:28 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Well, so I'm just minding my own business up here in the football press box in the Georgia Dome, trying to finish my game story, watching Mississippi State lead Alabama in overtime in a thrilling quarterfinal, when I noticed a strange noise.

I looked up, and to my amazement, I saw the roof of the dome rippling, shaking from whatever was going on outside. Then, the scoreboard started to swing back and forth. Speakers started to shake. The roof rippled faster, more intensely. Seriously, my first thought was: Is that a tornado outside?

By that time, play stopped. Fans started to scream and scramble. It was brief chaos. Then, the wind blew open a large window or panel high up in the dome and debris started to blow in to the dome. Players and coaches headed to the locker rooms, and I can't even get on my cell phone so many people are making calls.

Craziness. Pure craziness. Play is still stopped. Atlanta is still under a tornado warning. Mississippi State still leads 64-61 in overtime. And I'm still a little freaked, a little frazzled.

Just wanted to keep you updated!

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 07:53 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Arkansas just won 81-75, defeating Vanderbilt for the fifth straight time, sealing up an NCAA Tournament bid and moving the Hogs on to tomorrow's SEC semifinal against Tennessee at noon.

Five Razorbacks scored in double figures, led by 18-point performances by Gary Ervin and Darian Townes. 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 03:56 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Sonny Weems has two points at halftime. So does Patrick Beverley. Vanderbilt must be having its way with Arkansas, right? Wrong.

Stefan Welsh had 11 points in the first eight minutes, and Darian Townes tallied 13 points in the first half. Arkansas led by as many as seven points (at 26-19), but Vanderbilt fought back. Gary Ervin's drive and layup as time expired gave Arkansas a 40-36 halftime lead.

A.J. Ogilvy leads Vandy with 15 points. Shan Foster has six. 

Posted by Ryan Malashock at 02:34 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)