Arkansas Safe for Now, Could Play for Its Life in SEC Opening Round

Bracketology has Hogs on firmer footing, but will take little for Razorbacks to end up in defacto play-in game

Arkansas Razorbacks forward Zvonimir Ivisic battles against the Oklahoma Sooners in the lane at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. / Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas Razorbacks can breathe a sigh of relief for at least a few more hours.

The latest bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi, which has been stunningly accurate over the past few years, has the Hogs as the last team to receive a bye in the field. This theoretically provides insurance against upsets in conference tournaments adding extra teams that wouldn't have made it in otherwise.

However, it also means Arkansas is one regular season loss away from falling back into the danger zone. Right now John Calipari's team is slated to face a dangerous St. Mary's team in Milwaukee in the West Regional.

The reason St. Mary's name might be itching the back of the brains of Hogs fans is because it's the team that took Eric Musselman's USC Trojans to the woodshed early in the season. Back in November, the Gaels plastered them in a jarring 71-36 rout.

For the time being, San Diego State, Boise State, Indiana and Xavier each provide a cushion for the Razorbacks. Meanwhile, a pair of SEC teams many thought would definitely find a way in a couple of weeks ago are on the outside looking in.

Despite a big win over No. 25 Mississippi State, the Texas Longhorns are currently out in the cold. The Oklahoma Sooners also got little value for their win over No. 15 Missouri this past Wednesday despite the 12-point win.

Much like Texas, Oklahoma also took down Mississippi State in Starkville. Because of the similar resumes, Saturday's game between the two essentially serves as an elimination game as far as the NCAA Tournament is concerned.

Right now the SEC is projected to get a dozen teams in with the outside possibility of adding No. 13. Depending on how Arkansas fares against Mississippi State, along with whether Georgia wins over Vanderbilt, the Hogs could find themselves squaring off against Oklahoma in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

It's highly likely this happens because the Sooners beat Texas and Arkansas lost to Mississippi State. If that's the case, the selection committee could view it as a play-in game for the last SEC spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas and Mississippi State play at 11 a.m. Saturday morning while Texas and Oklahoma play at 7 p.m. Both games are on the SEC Network.

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