WholeHogSports
Weems comes up big at end In the lane
Posted on Sunday, March 16, 2008
URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/219912/
ATLANTA — The cold shooting of Arkansas’ leading scorer, Sonny Weems, continued deep into the Razorbacks’ SEC semifinal against Tennessee, but Weems came up big with six points in the final 6: 04 as the Hogs upset No. 4 Tennessee 92-91 on Saturday.
Weems missed his first six shots and finished with seven points on 3-of-9 shooting. But it was Weems’ first field goal, with 6: 04 left, that completed a 12-3 Razorbacks run and forged a 76-76 tie.
Weems also cashed in an alley-oop lob from Gary Ervin that tied the game 83-83, and his step-back jumper from 16 feet at the 2: 03 mark gave Arkansas its biggest lead, 88-85.
Weems had one point at halftime, making 1 of 2 freethrow attempts at the 4: 48 mark.
Mr. T Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey added to his fiery reputation by picking up his sixth technical foul on Saturday. It was Pelphrey’s first technical since the last time Arkansas played Tennessee in a 93-71 loss at Knoxville on Feb. 13. In that game, J. B. Caldwell teed up Pelphrey after he pounded his right hand on the scorer’s table. On Saturday, Joe Lindsey hit Pelphrey with a technical with 12: 59 left in the first half, apparently for something the coach said as the official ran by the Arkansas bench. Welsh for 3 (again ) Arkansas sophomore Stefan Welsh came off the bench and provided 3 three-pointers in the first half for the second consecutive game. Welsh hit his first threepointer at the 13: 08 mark to cut Arkansas’ deficit to 15-13. Welsh, a 6-2 guard out of Newport News, Va., hit another three-pointer at 12: 22 to trim Tennessee’s lead to 17-16, then he made his third at 3: 48 on a kickout from Charles Thomas to pull Arkansas within 42-38. Welsh finished with 12 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting.
Rare three Arkansas forward Charles Thomas hit his first three-point basket in more than two months. Thomas’ three-pointer with 2: 33 left in the first half marked his first since Jan. 13 against Alabama. He’s 4 of 11 on threepoint attempts this season.
Up all night Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long stayed awake until 4 a. m. Saturday, engaging in discussions about the completion of the SEC Tournament. He described his recollection of the long hours of the night as “blurry” as the league decisionmakers deliberated all the scenarios for how to finish the tournament. “I remember four times we said, ‘This is it, it’s final. You won’t get another call from us. ’” Long said. “I lost track at 4. I do remember them saying, ‘ I’m not making any more promises that this will be the last call you receive.’” SEC officials, led by senior associate commissioner Mark Womack, had to be in touch with officials from the Georgia Dome, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive in Indianapolis, Georgia Tech officials and other parties in trying to work out the arrangements.
400 tickets Each of the five remaining schools — Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Tennessee — were given 400 “official party” tickets on Saturday to disburse among their fan bases and traveling parties for Saturday’s games. Kentucky fans clearly took advantage of their allotment, and possibly more, outnumbering the Georgia fans by what looked like a 4 to 1 count for the day’s first game at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Arkansas appeared to have approximately 250 fans in attendance, plus its band and cheerleaders, and Tennessee appeared to have roughly the same amount. “We wanted to honor our student-athletes,” Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long said. “They get six [tickets ] for family and friends. We wanted to honor that because they’re the reason we’re here. “ We did that and then, when you add our official party into it, then we just took really our highest-level, long-time supporters. Many of them had left as well, because of the weather.... Whether we utilized our full 400 I’m not sure, but we’ve got a representative group here.”
Atlanta rain There was irony on more than one front with the SEC Tournament having to move from the tornado-damaged Georgia Dome to Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Not only is Alexander Coliseum on the campus of Georgia Tech, an Atlantic Coast Conference member, but the facility has also had its issues in recent weeks. Georgia Tech was forced to postpone its home game against Virginia, originally scheduled for Feb. 21, because a leak in the ceiling caused water to fall on Bobby Cremins Court near the goal on the east side of the floor. That game was played on March 3.
Feels like home UA Chancellor John White has been a season-ticket holder for Georgia Tech basketball games since 1976, so he was comfortable in Alexander Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.
“I’m very familiar with this facility,” White said. “Our seats are right up there in that [upper ] section.... I thought about going in and giving Coach [John ] Pelphrey some pointers about playing in this arena, but he doesn’t need any pointers.”