Like It Is

Hogs improving tournament chances

Arkansas guard Davonte Davis goes up for a layup during a game against Ole Miss on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, in Fayetteville.

When Moses Moody picked up his second foul early in the Ole Miss-Arkansas game the thought was, that’s not good for the Hogs.

Moody, a freshman from Little Rock, is the best all-around player on the team.

He could start for any team in the country. That’s how good he is.

Instead of Ole Miss feasting, the Hogs turned the Rebel defense into a famine.

Davonte Davis, a freshman from Jacksonville, came off the bench and scored 14 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and had 2 steals.

It was not a one-man show.

JD Notae also came off the bench and scored 19 points, eight from the free-throw line.

Justin Smith, the senior transfer from Indiana who came back two weeks from ankle surgery, logged 30 minutes and was solid on both ends of the court.

Jalen Tate, the starting point guard, had 9 points, (after scoring 25 against Vanderbilt) 3 assists and 1 steal, but his calling card is defense.

He’s an on-the-ball defender who changes plays for opponents.

The 74-59 win over Ole Miss jumped the Razorbacks to No. 28 (they were No. 32) in the NCAA NET rankings, making them a Quad I team.

Quad I teams are the ones ranked in the top 30, and a win over a Quad I team carries more weight than the other three Quads.

That makes the Hogs a bit of a marked team, especially when they travel to Stillwater to play Oklahoma State on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Arkansas is currently 1-4 against Quad I teams but have a few top 30 ranked teams on their schedule, including Alabama, Missouri and Florida.

It is not impossible to get an invitation to the NCAA Tournament if you are ranked above No. 38 in the NET rankings, but the odds of dancing are much better if you are in the top 30.

In the last three games, the Razorbacks have looked more like a NCAA Tournament team. They seem to have more chemistry and willing to share the ball on offense.


Remember last fall when college football programs all over the country postponed football to spring, well its almost upon us.

More than 300 schools and 35 conferences from FCS to NAIA will start play Feb. 6.

Most are playing an abbreviated schedule, but some are playing as many as 10 games.

The question remains: Is it safer now than it was in the fall?

Granted, dozens of games were postponed or canceled last fall because of the coronavirus, but its still here.

Lately, the numbers have began to regress on new cases. Every day, thousands get their first vaccine shot, and some even their second, but the virus is still among us.

Tuesday night, nine college men’s basketball games were postponed because of the virus, and already giant programs like Duke and Michigan have taken a break.

Vanderbilt women canceled their entire season.

Not sure how many of these spring football games will be televised or where, but they are playing, and that’s mostly a good thing, especially financially.


Stuck at home last weekend with the last days of covid-19, I found a diversion in www.oaklawnanywhere.com.

That’s Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort’s website that allows you legally wager on the horses.

It constantly updates the odds and even gives you handicapping information, such as speed and class. They broadcast the race live.

On opening day, I hit the first daily double of the season, the last of the first day and had a trifecta. I was using Rick Lee and Jeff Krupsaw’s handicapping picks.

Although I strayed at times, I still lost $6, but that’s cheap for five hours of entertainment.