In the first five minutes of their 96-56 exhibition win against Campbellsville (Ky. ) on Tuesday night, the Arkansas Razorbacks showed just how dominant they have a chance of being this season.

The Hogs smothered the overwhelmed Tigers with defense and hustle and gave them a workout with excellent offensive spacing to build a double-digit lead.

However, within the first two minutes of the second half, the same players showed just how average they can be with enough lazy, sloppy play to force first-year head coach John Pelphrey to pull his starting five at the first opportunity.

Pelphrey told the media early in preseason that he did not favor platooning players five at a time.

“ The only reason I can think for doing that is if I was upset with the effort on the floor, ” Pelphrey said.

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And make no mistake, Pelphrey was upset with his starting five when he sent them to the bench.

With his eyes squinted and face red from frustration, he blistered his starting five as they slinked to the bench.

I have no clue what Pelphrey said, but no doubt the message made an impression. The Hogs’ intensity picked up from there and any thought of Campbellsville of making a comeback faded as the Razorbacks’ effort sharpened.

“ If you aren’t going to play right, you’re not going to play, ” Pelphrey said.

Of course, the outcome of this exhibition had not been in doubt since the contract was signed, but Pelphrey’s early object lesson should pay dividends as the season progresses.

Without a doubt, that will not be the last time Pelphrey uses playing time and perhaps harsh words to correct his players. Heck, he’s a coach. It’s what he’s paid to do.

But, as an observer of Razorbacks basketball, it’s nice to see a coach set standards on, and for that matter, off the court and back them up with actions when those standards are not met.

For players to improve, they must have standards to meet and then be held accountable. Otherwise, fans can only expect rollercoaster efforts. Sharp play here but inconsistency there.

To me, that is the battle these Razorbacks have to fight this season. There is plenty of talent on hand, but are the players dedicated enough to their teammates to make the most of their opportunities ?

The past two seasons the Hogs had to struggle their way into the NCAA Tournament. For sure, it was a credit to them that they made the Big Dance after digging early season holes in SEC play, but it never should have come down to late-season pushes just to get into tournament by those teams.

Currently, the Razorbacks are ranked 19 th by both the Associated Press and ESPN / USA Today. Who knows if the ranking is deserved at this juncture of the season ?

But it sure is good for the program to be there. Since the turn of the century, Razorbacks basketball has had more disappointments than true moments to make fans proud.

This appears to be a team that can take steps toward turning that around. You can see that already from simple things like offensive spacing and defensive communication.

But, the team does have lessons to learn.

The Razorbacks forced an incredible 29 turnovers on Tuesday. Mike Washington looked like a latter-day Antoine Walker on the front of the press in spurts.

But, the Razorbacks turned the ball over 21 times themselves for a difference of just 8.

“ That’s not enough, ” Pelphrey said. “ We expended a lot of effort, did a whole lot of running around pressing, but we wasted it with 21 turnovers. ”

That’s a lesson he will no doubt begin to teach his players in practice today.

Terry J. Wood is the sports editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times.