Some frequently asked questions about Arkansas’ men’s basketball team going into the 2014-2015 season:
OK, might as well get this out of the way. Are the Razorbacks going to end their NCAA Tournament drought that dates to 2008?
Pretty confident Arkansas is going to make it. Confident enough to bet your house, but maybe not mine.
Fans naturally are disappointed the Razorbacks haven’t made an NCAA Tournament in Coach Mike Anderson’s first three seasons, but the team has shown steady improvement and now everything seems to be in place. The roster has talent, depth and experience, and the players should be highly motivated to make the NCAA Tournament after being so close last season.
Six of the top seven scorers from last season’s 22-12 team — which played in the NIT — are back, led by All-SEC forward Bobby Portis, guards Michael Qualls, Ky Madden and Anthon Bell, forward Alandise Harris and center Moses Kingsley.
Every player on the roster was recruited by Anderson with the exception of Madden, but his skills fit Anderson’s pressing, up-tempo style.
As Anderson has said, Arkansas was just “plays away” from being an NCAA Tournament team. This team appears set to make those plays and get at least a couple more victories that will propel it to the NCAA Tournament.
What do you think of the newcomers?
Junior Jabril Durham and freshman Anton Beard should have an immediate impact sharing point guard duties. Anderson has said Madden had to try to do too much at the point last season and figures to be a more effective playing off the ball, which the addition of Durham and Beard will allow him to do. Durham’s new teammates have said he’s a pass-first guy, which is what you want in a point guard. Beard led North Little Rock to the 7A state title last season and teammates have praised him for his toughness. Junior forward Keaton Miles, who redshirted last season after transferring from West Virginia, is a slashing, athletic player whom Anderson said isn’t afraid to be physical inside and has a good nose for the ball. Trey Thompson, a 6-9 freshman from West Memphis, has lost more than 25 pounds since arriving on campus last summer and should provide quality minutes inside behind Portis and Kingsley. Freshman guard Nick Babb is a good shooter, but this season his best chance to get on the floor may be showing he can contribute on defense.
What do you think of the schedule?
No one should be complaining it’s not tough enough, that’s for sure. The Razorbacks have nonconference games at preseason top 20 teams Iowa State and SMU as well as a trip to Clemson. Their nonconference home games include Dayton and Wake Forrest. Then in SEC play, Arkansas plays at Kentucky and Florida, but the Wildcats and Gators don’t come to Fayetteville.
How good is Bobby Portis going to be as a sophomore?
Portis was a preseason first-team All-SEC choice for a reason. After a strong freshman season, he’s grown — up to 6-11 and 244 pounds — and said he’s ready to be more of a force inside as well as a vocal leader. Playing in summer camps with some of the top college players has only added to his confidence and all-around game.
How good is the SEC going to be this season, and where does Arkansas fit in?
The SEC should be improved, and it probably wasn’t as bad last season as a lot of folks seemed to think.
As Ole Coach Andy Kennedy pointed out recently, Kentucky lost seven games to SEC teams last season — granted, three were to Florida and two were to Arkansas — and went to the national championship game, where the Wildcats lost to Connecticut.
But no one seems to want to give SEC teams — other than Florida — much credit for beating Kentucky.
Maybe that will change this season, assuming anyone in the SEC can beat Kentucky, this season’s preseason No. 1 team nationally with nine McDonald’s All-Americans on its roster.
Florida lost some really good seniors from last year’s team that won the SEC championship and went to the Final Four, but the Gators may be more talented overall this season.
Arkansas was picked to finish third behind Kentucky and Florida in an SEC preseason poll voted on by 20 media members. LSU and Georgia should be pretty good, and Ole Miss may be a surprise.
It’s not crazy to think the SEC can get five teams in the NCAA Tournament, but a lot of that will have to do with how well teams do in their marquee nonconference matchups.