Stan Heath found all

sorts of things he liked

Wednesday night about his Razorbacks and their 71-58 SEC victory over Ole Miss at Walton Arena. By Thursday morning, though during his team’s NCAA-mandated day off, the Arkansas coach had busied himself compiling what he didn’t like to stress for Arkansas’ practices today and Saturday before the Razorbacks’ noon (CST) Sunday CBS nationally televised SEC game with Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington. "We gave up a little too much penetration from the guard spot," Heath said. "That’s something we have to do a better job of, especially with [Kentucky point guard Rajon] Rondo. We also are not creating enough space on the rebounding area of the defensive glass. Those are two areas that are strength of Kentucky and two things we really have to pay attention to these next two days in practice."

Those are concerns, particularly Rondo and how coach Tubby Smith’s Wildcats are using him since going to a smaller lineup.

Strong concerns, but not nearly so many as Heath had his previous Lexington visit two seasons ago. His then young Hogs seemed still ogling the aura of the house named for Kentucky coaching legend Adolph Rupp while the Wildcats pounded them, 73-56. "We were kind of starryeyed," Heath said, "It was like we were looking around and saying, ‘This is Rupp. This is [former Kentucky coach Rick] Pitino and all the different stars that played there.’ They jumped us right off the gate. We’ve got an older team now. I don’t think we are going to be looking around the arena. I think we are going to go there hungry and ready to play."

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Judging by how Arkansas’ talent has come up and normally near-invincible Kentucky, 13-6, 3-2 in the SEC East, has stumbled at home with two league losses, this marks the Razorbacks’ first real chance for a Lexington win since fourth-year coach Heath came to Fayetteville.

However, that was supposed to the scenario for this season’s SEC opener at Mississippi State, a SEC West school Arkansas annually plays home and home. The Razorbacks again didn’t get it done in Starkville.

That loss and losing 2 of its next 3 in heartbreakers at home to LSU and at Alabama, cast Arkansas’ alleged improvement on backslide.

Since then, the Hogs, 14- 5, 3-3, have won, 68-52 at Auburn and beat Ole Miss.

Auburn, 0-5, is the worst team in the league, but remember Arkansas lost there by a lot last year when the Tigers also weren’t much good and had been waxed earlier in Fayetteville.

Ole Miss, 3-2, sometimes seems a no-win deal for Arkansas.

Arkansas fans are furious when the Hogs lose to the Rebels but sometimes seem to take victory as a given despite Ole Miss’ successes in recent years before Arkansas swept the Rebels home and home last season.

While beating Ole Miss — and the Hogs face a tough Rebels rematch Feb. 15 in Oxford — nets approving grunts, a victory at Rupp would receive raves. The Wildcats may be down a bit, but Kentucky is still Kentucky, the SEC’s signature basketball school rivaled only for traditional league supremacy during Nolan Richardson’s Razorback zenith. "Maybe we’ve had a signature win with Kansas," Heath said of a 65-64 November victory, "one of those schools with a heavyweight name, but this is big for us to get a name like that and maybe a little respect."

Respect and a place above water with the Hogs 3-3 in the SEC and just two games from the league season’s halfway point. "When we get to that halfway point," Heath said, "we want to have a positive record. Positive isn’t 4-4."

Nate Allen covers University of Arkansas athletics for the Times.