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Hogs' SEC Tourney Pod Filled with Road Kill from Regular Season

No team on Arkansas' path to SEC Tournament semifinals has beaten Razorbacks
Kent Smith|
Arkansas wing Billy Richmond III (24) dunks the ball during the first half against Texas at Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas wing Billy Richmond III (24) dunks the ball during the first half against Texas at Bud Walton Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

In this story:

Oklahoma SoonersTexas A&M AggiesSouth Carolina Gamecocks

NOTE: On Monday a story went out breaking down the Arkansas pod. Unfortunately, the bracket being referenced had Arkansas in the wrong spot. The Hogs were shown in a pod with Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee were shown as the teams in line to play Arkansas.

Unfortunately, after reviewing the official bracket posted by the SEC, that is not the case. Those are the opponents in Vanderbilt's pods.

The actual bracket posted by the SEC should have been used to begin with, so no excuses. So, with the official bracket in hand, here is a breakdown of how things are shaping up for the Hogs on the road to the SEC Tournament championship.

The Arkansas Pod

In this case, Arkansas is in a pod of four teams that is highlighted by the Razorbacks at the end of the rainbow at 8:30 p.m. Friday night. The teams trying to get to the Hogs include South Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, all of whom lost to Arkansas this year, two of which were in blowout fashion.

The Gamecocks and Sooners get things started in this bracket in Nashville Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. Whichever survives, then advances to take on the Aggies in the same time slot Thursday.

South Carolina Gamecocks

Typically, there's no reason for any program to be scared of South Carolina, especially one that is trying to make a case to make the NCAA Tournament. However, Oklahoma is one of the few that lost a game to the Gamecocks.

South Carolina took down Oklahoma rather soundly, 85-76, in Columbia back when both teams were 11-8 overall. The entire Gamecocks starting line-up scored in double-digits led by guard Meechie Johnson.

Xzayvier Brown and Tae Davis had 22 and 20 points respectively, but the rest of the Sooners more or less sat this one out.

As far as a source of trouble for Arkansas, it's not going to come in the form of South Carolina. Odds are slim the Gamecocks make a run to Friday night, but if they do, stuck in the back of their minds will be the 108-74 beatdown the Razorbacks handed out the last time the two met.

Pretty much everyone but Billy Richmond had a big game against South Carolina. This was one of those odd games where Meleek Thomas led the team by coming off the bench to score 21 and Darius Acuff failed to meet his 20-point quota with 18 points.

Since the win over Oklahoma the Gamecocks are 2-10, although it should be noted they have a little momentum heading into the tournament with a win over Ole Miss to close the regular season.

Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser is desperate to justify keeping his job in Norman and his team is desperate to justify a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners have certainly had NCAA worthy moments as of late.

A huge last second win over Texas to close the season certainly drew attention, but it was only enough to get into the "Next Four Out" line of the latest bracketology.

The point is, Oklahoma needs a big run and has just enough in the tank to make at least a small one. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Sooners show up to play the Hogs Saturday.

Xzavier Brown, Nijel Pack and Tae Davis are just annoying enough on the court to make the push. In fact, they almost had what it took to take down the Hogs back in late January.

Pack put up 22 in an 83-79 loss in Norman. Unfortunately, things can go the other way pretty easily for Oklahoma as well.

The Sooners lost to both South Carolina and Texas A&M during a nine-game losing streak that really killed what was initially a huge push for a spot in the tournament. However, Oklahoma has rebounded as of late, going 6-2 down the stretch to close the season.

Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M should reach the Razorbacks rather easily. The Aggies have already disposed of Oklahoma twice, 83-76 and 75-71, although it's hard not to note how close those games were.

Texas A&M also easily put away South Carolina, 92-69, so no concerns there. Still, the most shocking result on the A&M schedule is how easily the Razorbacks disposed of the Aggies.

Despite having Rashaun Agee, who should have given the Hogs fits all night, Arkansas had to intentionally not score 100 for a more respectable 99-84 win in Bud Walton. However, it should be noted the Razorbacks were borderline unstoppable in their home arena, losing only one game, although it was against Kentucky, which has really bothered Hogs fans ever since.

On a neutral floor, things might be different. Agee was good for 17 last time and he's probably good for at least 20 at a neutral site.

The key will be the five interchangeable parts with whom he plays. The Aggies have five players who on average will always put up 10 or 11 points each game to help fill in the gap.

However, against Arkansas, it was Zach Clements, who typically averages far below A&M interchangeable parts, who went wild. Clements put up 29 points, but his offensive explosion for 22 points above his average wasn't nearly enough.

Meanwhile, for Arkansas, everyone went off. Billy Richmond led the way with 23 points, followed by Darius Acuff who posted 22 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Forward Trevon Brazile threw up 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists while center Malique Ewin managed 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Meleek Thomas rounded out the Hogs with double-digit scoring with 13. The only player to play significant minutes and not score in double-digits was DJ Wagner and he finished with nine spread over 29 minutes.

It will be a lot to expect Arkansas to play so lights out once again when facing a solid team like Texas A&M. The Aggies led the SEC for most of the season for a reason.

They have won four of their last six, including the final two to close the season that incorporates a 96-85 win over Kentucky.

Final Analysis

As far as a four-team pod goes, this is about as good as Arkansas could have asked. Not only do the Razorbacks get teams they know they can beat each of these team, quite handily in most cases, but they got as much time as possible between the end of their regular season and the beginning of the postseason.

It not only maximizes the healing of Darius Acuff, who passed on the chance to nail down several Arkansas records on his way out the door to ensure he has his best shot at a national championship, but it also lets the other guys recover. With the spotlight shining so brightly on Acuff, most forget Arkansas has been playing short-handed, driving up minutes and general wear and tear on the bodies of the rest of the team.

As long as the Razorbacks can come out with an edge rather than rust, John Calipari's Hogs should find themselves in that rematch they want against Alabama in the semifinals. No one wants to get their hands on the Tide more than the Razorbacks, especially Acuff.

If the Hogs can survive and make the finals, that almost certainly means a rematch against Florida. Arkansas may not want to extend things out to Sunday, wearing themselves out and making their short-handed roster susceptible to injury, but a chance to face Florida one more time might prove important enough to take the risk.

Taking on the Gators gives the Hogs the opportunity to work on several things that will help them in the NCAA Tournament when they come up against an athletic, powerful backcourt in the Sweet 16 or possibly earlier.

However, sitting back, resting up an extra day while watching Alabama and Florida go at it in what should be an exhausting, phsyical game, might be worth not getting the extra work against larger opponents.

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Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments. 

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