Hog Calls

SEC's basketball reputation takes a hit

Kentucky head coach John Calipari reacts to a call during the second half of the NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball semifinal game against Wisconsin Saturday, April 4, 2015, in Indianapolis. Wisconsin won 71-64. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

FAYETTEVILLE -- With Kentucky beaten, expect the SEC to take a pounding in overall men's basketball merit.

National postmortems on the nationally No. 1 Wildcats losing to Wisconsin in the Final Four semifinals almost assuredly will include innuendo that although obviously talented at 38-1, playing in the "basketball-weak SEC" didn't prepare Kentucky for a tough Big Ten team in the big game.

Even Notre Dame had the Wildcats beat in the Elite Eight but just couldn't quite seal the deal.

Yep, some will say, those last two NCAA Tournament games against real competition proved that playing an SEC schedule just wouldn't allow the SEC champion to live up to its undefeated hype.

The Big Ten sported two teams, Wisconsin and Michigan State, in the Final Four, and the always heralded ACC boasts national champion Duke.

It seems the SEC couldn't challenge Kentucky with only Arkansas and Ole Miss winning solitary NCAA Tournament games before being eliminated.

Until the 69-68 squeaker over Notre Dame, Kentucky's four narrowest escapes all were in the SEC: 89-86 in double overtime against Ole Miss at Rupp Arena, 70-64 in overtime at Texas A&M, 71-69 at LSU and 68-61 at Florida.

Until Notre Dame, Louisville losing 68-60 was the closest a non-conference opponent had come to Kentucky. Kansas was trashed, 72-40; Providence, 58-38; Texas, 63-51; North Carolina, 84-70; and UCLA, 83-44. In the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky rolled by Hampton (79-56), Cincinnati (64-51) and West Virginia (78-39).

Certainly the SEC basketball would look better had LSU and Georgia won their first-round NCAA Tournament games and if Arkansas and Ole Miss had advanced to the Sweet 16.

However, in 2014 the SEC had Kentucky and league champion Florida in the Final Four and Tennessee in the Sweet 16 yet still received a national shrug as a basketball league.

Perhaps the SEC's football superiority complex, which sometimes can be overwhelmingly annoying, makes it easier for some media to be underwhelmed SEC basketball.

AN ARKANSAS TRIFECTA

Razorbacks fans can sample a football, baseball and track trifecta this weekend in Fayetteville.

Coach Bret Bielema has opened Saturday's 11 a.m. football scrimmage to the public at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

At Baum Stadium, Coach Dave Van Horn's baseball team will host the Kentucky Wildcats in a three-game series at 6:30 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.

And at John McDonnell Field on Friday and Saturday, Coach Lance Harter's NCAA indoor champion women's team and Coach Chris Bucknam's men's team that finished third nationally indoors continue into the outdoor season trying to meet qualifying standards for the NCAA West Outdoors lead-in meet, in Austin, Texas.

NCAA indoor women's pole vault champion Sandi Morris and NCAA indoor men's hurdles champion Omar McLeod will be among the Razorbacks competing against men's and women's teams from Missouri, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Memphis and Tulsa. Minnesota and Missouri State also will send their women's teams.

Sports on 04/08/2015