Arkansas vs. LSU

[distanthog]

For Baked, GH …

There isn’t an ounce of any emotion in my posts specific to the Head Coach. None. Nadda. My views are tightly focused on the basketball product. I have the utmost respect for the program and Mike’s performance as point for that program.

I DO however not care much for the style and substance of the product. Said that before, don’t waiver from that. I doubt seriously the style produces its desired endstate. The style negatively impacts the product making it less effective. You want to eat soup, you don’t keep practicing with a fork.

I have zero doubt that the players on Mike’s team work hard, want to be successful, are committed. I DO also believe that the style Mike chooses to employ will not ‘win’ championships give the factors involved. Simple as that. My view is that the numbers ( that I tend to speak about) underpin my point.

So - where I don’t relish the thought of just 18-22 wins and chasing the Dance every year, I’m a bit of a loud mouth when suggesting that Arkansas has to change its ‘style’ if its going to do something different.

Reference the Football program. No one would argue that sticking with CBBs 3YCOD (3 yards, cloud…) was ever going to produce something akin to an SEC Championship. So … the program changed direction. Do something … different. The change may not produce a Championship either, but change breeds new hope.

I hope for the season where we have a style and product that truly contributes to the Razorback Nation knowing it can compete all the way to the Final Four. We’ve not been there in many years.

[bakedhog19741]

Distant, going to reply to each paragraph

For Baked, GH …

There isn’t an ounce of any emotion in my posts specific to the Head Coach. None. Nadda. My views are tightly focused on the basketball product. I have the utmost respect for the program and Mike’s performance as point for that program. - You maybe being honest and not intentionally doing it, but you’re saying the same thing the “Fire Mike” crowd says. Hard to distinguish between the two.

I DO however not care much for the style and substance of the product. Said that before, don’t waiver from that. I doubt seriously the style produces its desired endstate. The style negatively impacts the product making it less effective. You want to eat soup, you don’t keep practicing with a fork. - I don’t necessarily disagree that tweaks are in order, but we are looking at the current team, CMA is looking at long term. Next year we will have all young guys, should we really teach the SO’s next year and JR’s (who in my opine won’t play as much) next year two styles when they have difficulty learning one?

I have zero doubt that the players on Mike’s team work hard, want to be successful, are committed. I DO also believe that the style Mike chooses to employ will not ‘win’ championships give the factors involved. Simple as that. My view is that the numbers ( that I tend to speak about) underpin my point. - not necessarily there are other teams having success with this style. The issue is we have decent athletes that are avg basketball players. Some of those teams have good basketball players with above avg athleticism (by the way that’s what I see in the next few classes)

So - where I don’t relish the thought of just 18-22 wins and chasing the Dance every year, I’m a bit of a loud mouth when suggesting that Arkansas has to change its ‘style’ if its going to do something different. - I’ve said with the current roster a change is needed, problem is what I posted above. If the SR’s were Jr’s I could see the switch.

Reference the Football program. No one would argue that sticking with CBBs 3YCOD (3 yards, cloud…) was ever going to produce something akin to an SEC Championship. So … the program changed direction. Do something … different. The change may not produce a Championship either, but change breeds new hope.
Disagree, with both CMA and CBB, I said the day both were hired they wouldn’t achieve the success many of you wanted, they had a long term rebuild and the fanbase would turn in them. Many expect a one or two year turn around, that won’t happen here, every 20 years or so, we get a group of phenomenal athletes that want to be Razorbacks, that’s when the success starts. 2020 is that year. Next year will be a better group of players and the following year also has some good guys. 2020 is the year, but if Mike failed to land them or fails to dance then I think we can start complaining more. I also think Morris will struggle. How long will the fanbase give him?

I hope for the season where we have a style and product that truly contributes to the Razorback Nation knowing it can compete all the way to the Final Four. We’ve not been there in many years.

Here is the issue with the last paragraph, it took Eddie and Nolan a combined 19 years for the basketball team to reach that plateau. Under Heath and Pelphrey we returned to pre Sutton eras, Mike will have to get us to the Eddie level first. Look at the last five years (counting this year). NIT with 21 wins (first time we ever missed the dance with 20+ wins, reason our conference was presumed weak, other teams got in with 18 wins from “strong conferences”, finished with 22wins), NCAAT with 26 wins (Finished with 27 wins, most wins in a season since Nolan’s glory days), 16 wins (but we lost our two best players very unexpectedly and replaced them with “practice bodies”, many including myself considered that Mike’s greatest coaching year, to keep from having a losing record), then last year we won 26 and made the NCAAT again, this year we are sitting at 15 wins, in what is considered the number two conference in America, 5 or our final 8 is at home, in games both the players and fans will be excited about. 2 of the 3 road games left are against teams that are struggling. Very good chance we make 20 wins and make the dance again. Now, it seems we are starting to get to the constant tournaments. I fully expect in the next three years, to not only continue to make the tourney but reach the Sweet 16. My guess is 2021-2022 season, when next year’s class are SR’s is when we will flirt with the FF, provided they stay that long.

As has been said compare the last four years, plus this years with other SEC teams and see how we stack up. You may be surprised. We are getting back to Eddie levels.