82 ° Mostly cloudy  ·  Home · Archives · Go Hogs! · Blogs · Videos · Contact Us Search: Go

Fayetteville, Ark.

logo2.gif

SPONSORS



ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT



ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Location: WholeHogSports > Story     |     TAGGED:

UA coach looks for the best fit

Published: Friday, November 21, 2008 PRINT E-MAIL

FAYETTEVILLE — For now, at least, the Arkansas women’s basketball team appears to have a split personality.

There is the starting lineup that constitutes a traditional look: two guards, two forwards and a center. Then there are the four-guard units that have keyed the Razorbacks in their 2-0 start.

So which team will show up tonight, when SMU (0-1 ) visits Walton Arena for a 7 p. m. tipoff ?

“That decision could go right up to the last minute every game this season,” Arkansas Coach Tom Collen said with a smile.

ADVERTISEMENT

Collen’s conundrum is weighing the conventional logic that a four-guard lineup won’t withstand the rigors of SEC play against the fact it has been his best option through two games.

“We’ve got to establish some kind of inside presence,” Collen said following Wednesday’s 63-46 victory over High Point. “I don’t really want to get to the SEC and be playing with four guards.”

On Thursday, however, less than 24 hours after the game against High Point, Collen acknowledged his team’s strength lies with its perimeter players.

“As much as I think we need to get bigger and more physical for the SEC, I think there are still going to be times in the SEC where our identity is going to be four guards,” Collen said. “I don’t think there’s going to be any SEC game all year long where we decide to go with a big lineup just because we can be big.

“ I think we’re still going to have to put our best players on the floor and outmaneuver people and find ways to score. Right now, our best scoring lineup is probably with four guards, and it may continue to be that way all season long, even when we get into the SEC.”

Freshman Ceira Ricketts has best exemplified Arkansas’ new look. Quick, athletic and aggressive, Ricketts has earned a starting spot tonight by averaging 12 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals in a combined 42 minutes in the Razorbacks’ first two games.

Whether Collen will replace 6-3 center Ashley McCray with a smaller, more athletic player — perhaps sophomore forward Brittney Richardson or freshman post player Ashley Daniels — remains to be seen. While Collen would like to stick with McCray in hopes of developing a more consistent low-post presence, Arkansas has been at its best when forcing tempo with smaller lineups that employ a variety of pressing and trapping schemes.

The question is whether the Razorbacks can sustain that type of defensive effort over the course of an entire season, and against teams that aren’t overmatched athletically.

“I think you’ve got to be deep and I think you’ve got to be athletic, and I think they are that,” High Point Coach Tooey Loy said. “The one tough thing about that is if you face a team that can handle that pressure. If you don’t get the turnovers, then you’ve got to be very good in the half-court also.

“ It’ll be interesting in the SEC. I really like their youth and where they’re going with it, but it’ll be interesting to see how much pressure they can put on the teams in the SEC.”

In other words, it’ll be interesting to see how Arkansas handles its identity crisis.

recent_blogs.jpg

Question of the Day: How many points will Arkansas score?

Jul 01, 2009

We're always thinking of questions here at WholeHogSports.com, and with two-a-days a little more than a month away, we've got plenty to ask the Razorb ...

[+] More of this author's blog

dots_under_blog.gif

Brandon Marcello

Petrino would rather be 'grinding away' at work than Tweeting

Jun 30, 2009

Bobby Petrino isn't ready or convinced he'll join Twitter, the popular social networking Web site,  any time soon. In fact, he'd muc ...

[+] More of this author's blog

dots_under_blog.gif

Brandon Marcello

More basketball recruiting class analysis

Jun 28, 2009

We've got a couple of basketball-related stories on WholeHogSports.com today. Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ha ...

[+] More of this author's blog

dots_under_blog.gif

Brandon Marcello

LB Battle arrested again

Jun 28, 2009

Linebacker Khiry Battle has followed up his arrest for a failure to appear last month with an arrest earlier this morning on charges ...

[+] More of this author's blog

dots_under_blog.gif

Brandon Marcello

New turf, end zones at Razorback Stadium

Jun 27, 2009

Northwest Arkansas Times staff photographer Andy Shupe got a shot for us this afternoon of the ongoing work on the new synthetic turf ...

[+] More of this author's blog

dots_under_blog.gif

Brandon Marcello

Baseball America Poll

Updated May 20

1. UC Irvine 40-12

2. LSU 41-14

3. Arizona St 41-11

4. CS Fullerton 38-14

5. Texas 38-12

6. North Carolina 41-14

7. Ole Miss 40-15

8. Oklahoma 40-16

9. Florida 38-18

10. TCU 35-15

11. Rice 35-15

12. Florida St 40-14

13. Clemson 39-17

14. Georgia Tech 34-15

15. East Carolina 41-15

16. Virginia 39-12

17. Kansas St 39-15

18. Alabama 37-17

19. Cal Poly 35-17

20. Louisville 40-14

21. Minnesota 35-15

22. Elon 37-14

23. Miami Fl 35-18

24. Missouri 32-23

25. South Carolina 37-19

Who is the best defensive lineman in Arkansas' history?


Dave "Hawg" Hanner

Wayne Martin

Jimmy Walker

Dan Hampton

Loyd Phillips

Vote

Arkansas Razorbacks' 2009 Baseball Schedule

Feb. 20

Washington St. (DH)

W 7-5

Feb. 20

Washington St. (DH)

W 4-2

Feb. 22

Washington St.

W 4-3

Feb. 24

Kansas

L 3-9

Feb. 25

Kansas

W 9-8

Feb. 27

Western Illinois

W 8-7

Feb. 28

Western Illinois

     6:00 pm

Mar. 1

Western Illinois

     6:00 pm

Mar. 3

Valparaiso

W 7-3

Mar. 4

Valparaiso

W 9-6

Mar. 6

California

W 5-4

Mar. 7

California

L 6-12

Mar. 8

California

W 13-3

Mar. 10

@ Centenary

L 3-8

Mar. 11

@ Centenary

     6:00 pm

Mar. 13

Florida

W 11-4

Mar. 14

Florida

W 8-4

Mar. 15

Florida

W 4-2

Mar. 17

Nebraska

W 7-3

Mar. 18

Nebraska

L 4-7

Mar. 20

@ Auburn

W 3-2

Mar. 21

@ Auburn

W 10-6

Mar. 22

@ Auburn

W 12-6

Mar. 25

Missouri St.

W 10-0

Mar. 27

Mississippi St.

W 20-9

Mar. 28

Mississippi St.

W 5-1

Mar. 29

Mississippi St.

L 4-12

Mar. 31

@ Missouri St.

W 2-0

Apr. 3

@ South Carolina

W 6-4

Apr. 4

@ South Carolina

L 1-9

Apr. 5

@ South Carolina

W 7-4

Apr. 7

Arizona St.

W 7-3

Apr. 8

Arizona St.

W 8-7

Apr. 10

Vanderbilt

L 0-9

Apr. 11

Vanderbilt

L 6-13

Apr. 12

Vanderbilt

     1:05 pm

Apr. 14

La.-Monroe

L 2-3

Apr. 15

La.-Monroe

W 10-9

Apr. 17

@ Georgia

L 3-4

Apr. 18

@ Georgia

L 3-4

Apr. 19

@ Georgia

W 2-0

Apr. 21

@ Oral Roberts

W 9-6

Apr. 24

@ Tennessee

W 9-3

Apr. 25

@ Tennessee

L 4-5

Apr. 26

@ Tennessee

W 15-8

Apr. 28

Oklahoma

W 8-7

May. 1

LSU

W 11-4

May. 2

LSU

L 0-5

May. 3

LSU

L 3-4

May. 8

@ Alabama

L 1-2

May. 9

@ Alabama

L 6-8

May. 10

@ Alabama

L 5-6

May. 12

Oral Roberts

W 3-2

May. 14

Ole Miss

L 5-7

May. 15

Ole Miss

L 3-9

May. 16

Ole Miss

L 3-16