ANDY SHUPE Northwest Arkansas Times Arkansas coach John Pelphrey instructs his team during the Hogs ’ 68-59 win over California-Davis Thursday in Bud Walton Arena.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Thirty-two years and a school name change ago, the University of Arkansas helped christen a basketball arena in Springfield, Mo.

Tonight the Razorbacks help open another one.

Instead of Southwest Missouri State University’s Hammons Center, it’s Missouri State University’s JQH Arena (still named for Springfield hotel magnate John Q. Hammons) that the Razorbacks open tonight.

Arkansas (2-0) and Missouri State (1-1) tip off at 7 p.m. on radio only in Arkansas, though telecast in Missouri via Mediacom on Missouri Sports Cable.

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These Razorbacks of second-year coach John Pelphrey already have had a narrow overtime escape at home over Southeast Louisiana. But even that, Jimmy Counce can confirm, can’t measure up to the narrow escape Eddie Sutton’s Razorbacks had in their 72-71 victory over Southwest Missouri State back in December of 1976.

Now Dr. Jim Counce fixing hearts as a cardiologist, he was UA junior Jimmy Counce that December opening night in the Hammons Center debut with his redo of free throws after the Hogs had initially retired to the dressing room believing they had won.

Other than Arkansas won instead of lost, the scene wasn’t unlike the 1972 U.S. Olympic team being hauled out of the locker room to replay its finish against the Russians.

Counce had missed a oneand-one in the final seconds, but SMS failed to score and the Hogs thought they won, 70-69.

“We were in the locker room,” Counce said, relating an anecdote for a book a few years back, “it’s 20 minutes after the game ended and most of us getting in the shower, when the officials came in. They said we would have to replay the final five or six seconds because SMS had only four legal players on the floor because the guy that fouled me had fouled out of the game and they hadn’t allowed SMS the chance to substitute.

“The officials said ‘if you don’t go back out,’ they would forfeit it to SMS. So we go out there thinking we’re getting jobbed in a homecooking type of deal. This time, fortunately, I hit the free throws, and there is no 3-point shot at the time.”

That left an uncontested SMS basket a point short.

It didn’t quite end there for Counce. He gave a bewildered scorekeeper a piece of his mind and a mouthful.

“I thought the scorekeeper was involved,” said Counce, who has had a dental plate courtesy of a teammate’s elbow when he was a Razorback freshman.

“So I went up to him said, ‘That’s in your crooked eye!’ Well, unfortunately when I did that, my plate fell completely out of my mouth. Poor guy. He looked at me like I was crazy.”

It might get just as crazy for Pelphrey’s crew tonight. This is after all a young team without a senior in its first road game opening an arena before a soldout 11,000.

“All this stuff is new,” Pelphrey said right after the Razorbacks defeated California-Davis, 68-59 last Thursday night. “I’m very interested to see how they’ll respond on the road. It’s the opening night in a new building and we’ve got one day to get ready after a very physically and mentally demanding game. I’m sure we’re going to get their best shot.”

Junior guard Stefan Welsh, one of only two returning two-year lettermen, quickly reminded his teammates of that last Thursday.

“Much as we’d like to celebrate this victory,” Welsh said, “we’re turning our focus to Missouri State.”

The Bears of new coach Cuonzo Martin, a former player and assistant for Gene Keady at Purdue, are without injured guards Justin Fuehrmeyer and Shane Laurie from last season’s 17-16 team that lost to a veteran Arkansas team, 70-51 in Fayetteville.

However they do have veteran guard Spencer Laurie, a senior second-year transfer from the University of Missouri who has played in four different home arenas in four years and averages 14.5 points as the Bears thus far have lost at Auburn and won at Central Michigan.

Solid senior forward Chris Cooks leads the Bears’ scoring with 16.0 points per game, and freshman guard Cardell McFarland averages 14.0 points.

Tonight the Bears will have an atmosphere apt to bring out the best in them.

“It’s going to be crazy,” Arkansas redshirt freshman forward Michael Sanchez said. “Like Coach [Pelphrey] says, We have to play 10 points better than the other team to win.”