Wade Says Tigers "Petrified" by Williams, Respect Hogs' Hard Play
There's a famous quote from G.K. Chesterton that reads “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.”
When it comes to Arkansas and LSU, every part of that quote applies, and LSU head coach Will Wade's showering of love toward the Razorbacks Thursday night in his Missouri postgame press conference was truly of Biblical proportions.
Here are a few of the highlights.
On Arkansas
"The first thing that stands out is how hard Arkansas plays. I think they're one the hardest playing team in our league. It's what makes this league so tough, how good everybody is, but there's not like a team that sits back in a 2-3 zone. I think Arkansas is toward the top end of the hardest playing teams in our league, if not the hardest playing team . . . I think us playing today is to Arkansas's advantage because you have to play so hard to beat them."
On J.D. Notae
"We got lucky. He missed some open shots. We were fortunate. He makes those 9-out-of-10 games."
On Jaylin Williams
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"I think I said this going into that game. I'm not saying he's the best player in the league, but in my opinion he's the most valuable player in the league – the most valuable player to Arkansas as a team. The way he can stretch the floor, he's made some shots, and he makes every big shot. It seems like every three he makes is a huge three. The way he rebounds. The way he protects the rim. If you remember in the Arkansas game, he took three charges on us. We had a 2-on-1 break and we took a 12-foot pull-up floater, because we were petrified of going in there and charging. There's a huge difference between shooting a lay-up and a 12-foot floater. So, it's not just the charges he takes, it's the shots he affects that you have to take. You have to take more challenging shots than you normally have to.
THE STATUS OF AU'DIESE TONEY
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Whether Toney is playing against LSU can only be chalked up to who you believe more – LSU coach Will Wade or Arkansas coach Eric Musselman.
Earlier this week Musselman painted a bleak picture that gave the impression Toney might not be in good enough condition to play unless this thing stretched to Sunday, and that was if doctors didn't have to amputate his leg before then.
He described Toney as being in a boot non-stop and doing nothing but feebly climbing onto a bike at the urging of trainers to try to provide his body minimal cardio. Musselman reported that even work in the pool where weightlessness created by the water to take stress of the injury was not able to be part of the equation yet.
Of course, if Arkansas reaches the championship game, it would make sense for Toney to continue to sit out since an SEC tournament title does nothing to help the Razorbacks win a national championship as their seed would most likely be locked by tip-off. The risk of injury and not having a healthy Toney for the opening game of the NCAA tournament would just be too much.
Now if you're a believer of Wade, Toney has probably been working on his dunks for nearly a week now to make sure he's recovered enough to power easily over the rim.
Wade referenced watching Toney warm up against Tennessee last week and voiced little doubt the guard will be looking to exceed the 18-points he dropped on the Tigers at Bud Walton.
No one will know for sure until the starting line-ups are officially submitted.
ADOPTING VANDY INTO THE HOG FAMILY?
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Arkansas fans are known for adopting other teams at times.
NJIT got to see to what ends Razorback fans will go to support a team that has earned their respect during the baseball postseason in 2021. Having such a rabid fan base take them in as one of their own hundreds of miles away from home is something the Highlanders will never forget.
It's very possible Vanderbilt has launched itself into potential adoption status with a huge comeback to upset Alabama Thursday night.
The Commodores have Arkansas ties by way of Hamburg's Scottie Pippen being courtside to watch his son play each game. Having slain the Crimson Tide draws favor from Razorback fans, but nothing pulls in Hogs more than a likable underdog taking on a program Arkansas loves to hate.
Kentucky fans will do their best to pack the house and make the Vanderbilt feel like they're in Rupp, but Wildcat fans might find a bit of unexpected push back.
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Should Arkansas win, it's likely a large number of Arkansas fans use the Tennessee game as a chance to grab dinner and return just in time to provide Vanderbilt the support it needs to even the odds against the "Blue Bloods of the Blue Grass."
While there probably won't be many actual Vanderbilt fans present, Razorback fans love nothing more than to get under the skin of Kentucky when it comes to basketball. Chances are fans of the other SEC schools will follow their lead in shouting down the Wildcats.
If for some reason Arkansas doesn't win the tournament, it's hard to imagine a Razorback fan not supporting a miracle run by Vanderbilt that would include wins over Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and either Auburn or LSU.
Even if the Hogs were to reach the championship, lining up against Vanderbilt for the chance to avenge that one loss in Bud Walton would be a nice bonus.
