Is Help on the Way?
While everyone else is looking at games across the SEC to determine whether the Hogs can slip through the backdoor to steal the conference crown away from Auburn, we're going to take a look at a much bigger picture.
Is there any team out there that can lose to get Arkansas back onto the No. 4 seed line heading into the conference tournament?
Oh, you didn't realize Arkansas fell back down to the No. 5 seed on Joe Lunardi's bracketology after beating LSU Wednesday night? After all, he made it a point to come onto ESPN 2 during the game to let everyone know there was a big gap from the three teams he had seeded at No. 4 and Arkansas as the final No. 4.
By Friday morning, Lunardi had decided a win over the Tigers was enough to drop the Hogs while doing nothing to LSU's seeding.
The win over the Tigers also dropped the Hogs a spot in the NET rankings to No. 22.
So if winning is doing nothing for the Razorbacks, is there a loss out there that might could help this weekend?
Butler vs. No. 11 Villanova, 11 a.m., Fox
Mitchell Leff-USA TODAY Sports
Villanova has been on a stretch similar to Arkansas lately. In the past seven games, the Wildcats have beaten No. 9 Providence twice while beating No. 18 UConn at home by 11 before dropping a road game to the Huskies by two last week.
Between Villanova's big wins recently and the fact Butler is no longer itself at 13-17, there's not much that can be gained from this one.
Oklahoma St. vs. No. 12 Texas Tech, 2 p.m., ESPN+
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Just like Butler-Villanova, this is a traditional marquis match-up that doesn't have its usual shine.
These two teams were supposed to have met in the Big 12 season opener in the midst of a 4-3 stretch for the Red Raiders, but COVID put one more game literally on the back burner.
Oklahoma State might have had a puncher's chance back in late December, but the Cowboys have fallen on hard times at 14-15. They come into the game having lost eight of their last 11.
Again, another team that could impact the Razorbacks' seeding with little hope of it happening.
No. 6 Kansas vs. No. 21 Texas, 3 p.m., ESPN
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
At first glance, this doesn't look like a game that could affect Arkansas. However, despite being ranked seven spots behind the Razorbacks, the two schools are both projected to be No. 5 seeds.
If Texas were to upset Kansas on the road, the Hogs would get leap-frogged should a spot on the No. 4 line suddenly open up. While no Razorback fan is thrilled to cheer on Kansas, the fact it's the Longhorns who need to lose makes it completely acceptable to do so.
Memphis vs. No. 14 Houston, Sun., 11 a.m., CBS
Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Finally, one game that can actually have a positive effect on Arkansas that has a legitimate chance to play out.
Memphis is listed among the last four projected to make the tournament and are desperate to tack on a quality win to help erase a 1-5 stretch that also included two games cancelled between Thanksgiving week and New Year's Day.
Houston is currently in a rare tie with the Razorbacks in the AP rankings and has a grip on the projected No. 4 seed in the South bracket.
Memphis beat the Cougars in Houston by 10 earlier in the season, but Houston has been strong on offense in recent weeks.
This will definitely be one to keep an eye on because a Memphis win, coupled with an Arkansas win over Tennessee and at least a semifinal run in the SEC tournament, would most likely keep the Hogs among the Top 16 seeds. This would potentially set up a second round NCAA tournament game in Buffalo, New York as part of the South bracket in San Antonio.
Of course, like a lot of things in college basketball, the logistics don't make sense. But that's OK.
No one, including Arkansas coach Eric Musselman, has to get it. They just have to get it.
