The last 4 years

Basketball Insider Board
#1

I have not added up the numbers for this year and am basing this for already compiled numbers for three years prior to this year. But I am almost sure that following numbers are still true for last 4 years

Over Last 4 years

Second in SEC to UK in most SEC wins
Second in SEC to UK in most SEC road wins
Second in SEC to UK in most NCAAT appearances
Second in SEC to UK in most SECT championship game appearances

Revenues trending up
Attendance trending up
Foundation contributions trending up
Graduation rate and APR rate trending up
Recruiting trending up
Kept best talent in Arkansas home the last two years
Good looking freshman class coming in next year

This program is the healthiest and most stable it has been in this century and has now a solid foundation to build on.

2016 class was the first class we were able to recruit from a position of strength, thanks to what Portis led group accomplished in two years. 2016 brought us Macon and Barford. 2017 was one of the best and 2018 class is full of potential and solid. And 2019 and 2020 look very promising.

Not being involved in the FBI scandal also puts us at an advantage. Much to look forward to.

As I said before, keep going to NCAAT and eventually there will be a right mix of players, experience and the draw for things to click. And I mean more than Sweet 16.

#2

Thanks for this post. That is good information for all Hog fans to consider.

#3

Good summation of the current situation. Much better than things were after Bobby Portis’ freshman year, when we got blown out in the NIT second round at Cal.

Of course, we have some fans who think we need a new coach every year in every sport if we don’t win the SEC title or make the Final Four or a New Year’s Six bowl or some other pie in the sky dream. That noted overcoacher, Eddie Sutton, got to one FF here. Nolan got to three, should have had four (blew a 10-point halftime lead in the EE to Kansas). We started thinking that was our birthright. It isn’t, and it wasn’t, and it’s not nearly as easy as Nolan made it look. Not as easy now as it was then, either, not when a 16 seed can blow out the #1 team in the country. There were some narrow 1-16 escapes along the way (Princeton-Georgetown among others), but UMBC kicked some serious butt. And they needed a buzzerbeater to even make the tournament.

#4

I really doubt Nolan would be that successful now with hand-checking outlawed and so many stoppages in play that let teams rest, negating his pressure and depth. Mike is having to evolve his program to adapt while recruiting against the one-and-done agent wannabes and shoe company helpers. His best player in this next class got bought away from him by MissState. Nolan’s teams were mentally tough and played great defense, but that is just a lot harder to do now. JMVVVVHO

#5

Great post! I’m a huge Mike Anderson guy but even I said that his seat may have been warming after the loss. I hope this puts things into perspective for others like it did for me.

#6

Not where we want to be or where many of us thought we’d be. However, we are much better than we’ve been in close to twenty years. Trending up and doing things right. I’m good with that and I’ve developed patience as I’ve aged. This would be a terrible time to change course IMHO.

#7

PJ, I’ll add something to this:

One of the things people have said is the seven years and only three trips to the tournament. I think they forget about the number of players Mike recruited in those seven years. His first season he recruited zero players on that team (11-12). The following year he signed three and a transfer that had to sit out a season. He had a total of 3 (his type) players on his team. The following year was Portis’ class. That gave the team at least half of Mike’s players. Since Mike has had a team of at least half his players, we have won 22, 27, 16, 26, and 23 games. In our existence since the field first expanded to 32, if AR has won 20 we’ve made the dance (the lone exception is the 22 win year listed). I completely agree with you, in order to win in the dance you have to make it to the dance. Mike has us there. We are going the right way.

#8

The way aI see it, if I wanted to conclude that Mike should be out or put on a hot seat, I would tabulate numbers going back to seven years and ignore Mike’s body of work at UAB and Missouri.

Otherwise I would review the trend over the last 4 years and be aware that the coach has proved himself at the highest level and the Big Dance plus academic progress of student athletes. I would measure fan opinions based on BWA attendance, revenue and contributions and not on this forum, Bo Mattingly show, etc.

I am confident that ADs would look at the latter because they are running a business. In my opinion, it is all about the trend. That is what nailed Bielema.

#9

You are all a bunch of Mike Anderson apologists.

/sarcasm

#10

There.is little doubt that the basketball program is in the best shape since the Hood, Reid,and Bradley teams of the late 90’s. Recruiting is better, team discipline has been restored, and our record reflects that.

There still are areas that need to be improved. Our talent needs to be better and our game performance is incredidlely inconsistent. I do think that we need to match our talents and abilities to our style of play. Does this mean that Coach A needs to be replaced or does this mean that he has a lifetime pass and is untouchable? Obviously, the answer lies somewhere in between. All of the successful people I know have had the ability to change as conditions warrant. I think that Mike Anderson deserves a chance to continue as our coach. I also expect our program to continue to improve.

Hopefully our athletic programs will prosper under our new A.D. and we will have success in our basketball program (football too). If the results don’t meet expectations, we will make a change then. WPS.

#11

Not sure about “talent being better”, but I agree about more consistency.

I think the guys we have coming in fit Mike’s style more than any team since he’s been here. BUT the issue will be next year, if Garland is cleared to play we will have 11 SO and Freshmen out of 13 scholarship players. I think we may win between 18-22 games. Definitely NIT at least, with a possibility of NCAA. Some, however won’t think that’s good enough.

I agree with everything else. All common sense points.

#12

Great post :+1:t5: Woo Pig

#13

I tend to agree that the talent level is not where it needs to be through this season. I think the combined classes of 2017 and 2018 brings the talent up to the level where it might be enough. I think that is what you meant.

#14