FAYETTEVILLE -- All of the networks' basketball talking heads should decline discussing today's SEC season finale between Arkansas and LSU at Walton Arena.
Tell Dick Vitale, Clark Kellogg and Jay Bilas to zip their lips.
Proceed to Dr. Phil. He knows crazy better than they do.
Crazy diagnosed both LSU's game Wednesday night at the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge against the Tennessee Volunteers and Arkansas' game Thursday night vs. the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C.
On Feb. 14 in Knoxville, Tenn., LSU's Tigers gladdened their Valentine's Day hearts trashing Tennessee, 73-55. LSU led by 27 at halftime.
With LSU (21-8) appearing NCAA Tournament bound winning its last three, and Tennessee losing seven of its last eight, a victorious LSU rematch in Baton Rouge seemed a cinch.
Instead Tennessee cinched a noose around the Tigers.
The Vols won about as big in Baton Rouge, 78-63, as LSU won in Knoxville.
LSU now frets the NCAA Selection Committee will more eye the Tigers' losses to SEC cellar dwellers Missouri and Auburn than beating West Virginia and their home and home sweep of Ole Miss and taking unbeaten nationally No. 1 SEC champion Kentucky to the wire, 71-69. LSU can ill afford losing today and falling one and done in next week's SEC Tournament.
"Unfortunately we've had some tough losses that certainly don't help you," LSU Coach Johnny Jones said. "We're hopeful because of some of the wins we have and places we've won that it balances itself out."
Before Jones and his talented Tigers, including probable NBA forwards Jordan Mickey, the SEC's leading shot-blocker, and Jarrell Martin and reigning SEC Player of the Week guard Tim Quarterman, can claim Dr. Phil's couch, Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson might have his 18th-ranked Razorbacks on it even while Big Dance bound at 24-6 overall and a 13-4 assured second in the SEC.
During Thursday's first half in Columbia, S.C., Arkansas led by 20 over a South Carolina team Arkansas beat by 20 on Feb. 3 at Walton Arena.
South Carolina cut Thursday's lead to 11 at half and amazingly led Arkansas by 11 during the second half before Arkansas closed with an 18-3 run to win 78-74.
Talk about crazy.
"Our guys continued to believe in themselves and they were telling me, 'Coach, we got this, we got this,' " Anderson said. "But I am over there just screaming my head off."
Anderson normally stays calm even in the eye of storms, but there is a reason they call this craziness March Madness.
Still he can take solace. Anderson has a bench longer than Dr. Phil's couch.
Five Arkansas reserves totaling 67 minutes Thursday night didn't drive Tyrone Johnson crazy, but they drove South Carolina's senior guard to game-ending cramps while Arkansas surged at the end.
LSU's starters wore out logging 38, 38, 35 and 33 minutes against Tennessee.
The deeper bench and its home court seem Arkansas' biggest advantages today, though deeming any alleged advantage a given during March Madness is crazy.
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Sports on 03/07/2015