Surging Hogs Becoming Team Nobody Wants to Face in NCAAs

Calipari's ever-improving squad lassoes Longhorns for second time in three weeks

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari exhorts his team during the 86-81 overtime win against the Texas Longhorns at Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday. / Nilsen Roman-HitThatLine.com

Here's the good and bad news from Arkansas' 86-81 overtime victory over Texas at in a rematch from their old Southwest Conference rivalry Wednesday night.

Good news: Coach John Calipari's ever-improving Razorbacks are a virtual lock to hear their name called on Selection Sunday, otherwise known as March 16.

Bad news: The Razorbacks nearly blew a 12-point halftime lead in the friendly confines of Bud Walton Arena but that's simply because Texas sensation Tre Johnson is the best pure scorer in college basketball.

The other bad news might be for the team that has to face Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, even if that team is a six seed facing an 11th-seeded Arkansas.

Good news for Calipari's team is they won't likely won't have to face a player like Johnson in the NCAAs, or again this season unless they play Texas a third time in the SEC Tournament.

Johnson frustrated the Hogs' defense with a blistering second half to finish with a Texas freshman record 39 points highlighted by a 7-of-11 barrage from beyond the 3-point arc.

Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson drives against Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile for two of his career-high 39 points. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The other Longhorns were only 2-of-15 from deep while Arkansas countered by making an impressive 9-of-17 to go with an 11-point edge at the free-throw line.

Five Hogs scored in double figures while playing without leading scorer Adou Thiero, who was in Los Angeles getting a second opinion on his injured knee.

Hog heroes were all seven who played from Calipari's shortened bench that has been without freshman star Boogie Fland for five weeks.

Zvonimir Ivisic led the scoring parade with 18, including the first six in overtime. D.J. Wagner had 16, including the tying free throw with eight seconds left in regulation -- although he missed the second freebie that could've won the game without five more tension-packed minutes.

Johnell "Nelly" Davis had 14, five in the game's first four minutes and six in overtime. Karter Knox and Trevon Brazile, who stepped up big in Thiero's absence, each netted a dozen. Brazile got the Hogs off to a fast start by draining consecutive 3-pointers in the game's first two minutes.

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Johnell Davis against the Texas Longhorns at Bud Walton Arena Wednesday. He scored six points in overtime. / Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

Despite the near second-half collapse, make no mistake: Calipari's team is surging. They dominated Texas in the first half, survived a great and gallant effort by Johnson, a future NBA star, while exhibiting a collective heart and will to win that could lead to multiple post-season games.

The Razorbacks are winners in five of their last eight games. Doesn't sound like much except for who those three losses were against: No. 1 Auburn, No. 6 Alabama and No. 12 Texas A&M.

'Bama was by four in Fayetteville. Auburn was by seven and A&M by by eight, both on the road although much closer to the final minutes.

According to the ESPN2 broadcast, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi's up-to-the-minute pregame rankings had both Arkansas and Texas as ultimate bubble teams entering their clash before a juiced sellout crowd at Bud Walton Arena.

They were among the "Last Four In," announcer Tom Hart said, although the latest online story had Texas among the top 64 invites and not among the four-play-in teams.

Arkansas Razorbacks guard DJ Wagner against the Texas Longhorns at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-HitThatLine.com / Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

In the first 20 minutes Wednesday, only one team at Walton Arena looked truly worthy of getting one of the 68 invitations to the Big Dance. Texas tried to hang tough but the Razorbacks were in command from the outset.

At that point, the ever-fluid tournament predictions likely would've had the Hogs bypassing the play-in games in Dayton, Ohio, and advancing straight to a first-round game while slumping Texas was fast approaching being one of the first four out.

Calipari doesn't want his players tuning into tournament talk. He simply wants them to keep working in practice, keep playing hard twice a week, and adding more notches in the win column.

The victory over coach Rodney Terry's Texas team improved Arkansas to 17-11 overall and 6-9 in the rugged SEC. The Longhorns are 16-12, 5-10 and losers of five of their last six.

Up next for Arkansas is a Saturday contest at lowly South Carolina (11-17, 1-14). The Gamecocks did rout Texas at home last Saturday, so could pose a threat to the Hogs.

Since their disastrous and embarrassing 0-5 start in SEC play, Calipari's kids are 6-4 in the country's toughest conference.

They've rallied without Fland, did it again against Texas without Thiero, and have latched on to Calipari's catch phrase he first uttered before the season-changing win at Kentucky: Play fearless.

That's the kind of team attitude, especially when combined with Calipari's talented recruits, that could make the Hogs a tough out in March Madness.

HOGS FEED:

• Arkansas Avoids Late Collapse; Makes Free Throws to Sink Texas

• Predicting Razorbacks' entire football season now hilarious

• Former Razorbacks' QB Calcagni excited for new opportunity

• Signs clear Burks' time in Tennessee over

• SEC Tournament Taking Shape with Much on Line for Bubble Teams

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