For now it is speculation. Conversation fodder if you will.
The exact field for the 2021 NCAA Tournament will not be known until Sunday, March 14, after the selection committee has spent a week eating, watching basketball, eating, discussing basketball, eating and picking the 68 teams.
Then they will celebrate by eating some more.
When you are locked in a hotel for almost a week, there isn’t much to do but eat, and its paid for by the NCAA.
They even have ice cream breaks during the meetings.
If someone on the committee represents a school, they will politely excuse themselves from the room while the school is discussed, but anyone worth half their salary would have done their lobbying long before then.
This is the first time in too long that Arkansas Razorback fans are very interested in not just who makes the tournament, but the seeds.
There was a time in the 1980s and the 1990s when the Razorback Nation didn’t have to worry about getting in. They were more concerned about their seed, sometimes even worried they might not be a No. 1 or No. 2.
Of course that changed when Nolan Richardson was terminated.
No one could have even suspect that the recovery period would be two decades.
It wasn’t supposed to be.
In the wake of Richardson’s request to pay him his money and he would be gone, which led to his firing, things didn’t go well.
Too many chiefs to begin with.
Former Athletic Director Frank Broyles initially offered the job to Bill Self but told him to hold tight while he ran it by his bosses.
Former Chancellor John White said no.
It was believed that Richardson would end up suing and that the Razorbacks needed to hire another minority.
Self was out before he was ever in, and Stan Heath was hired.
Heath had been a one-year wonder at Kent State, making the Sweet 16 with a team he inherited.
The story was that early in that season when he tried to change the offense, a team meeting by the players ended up with them going back to what they already knew, and he managed the game with timeouts and substitutions.
Heath was a really likeable guy ,but after five seasons the Hogs were 82-71 and had gone to the NCAA Tournament twice and lost in the first round both times. Losing to Bucknell should have been enough, but it wasn’t until he lost to Southern Cal the next year and then was terminated.
In fairness, his last two years were his best.
Broyles then hired Dana Altman away from Creighton.
White didn’t like it and let Altman know it. Altman returned to Creighton the next day. Three years later he left for Oregon where he is 275-108.
John Pelphrey was hired.
Another nice guy, but one who had trouble being on time. That doesn’t scream discipline.
He lasted four years and was 69-59 and made the NCAA Tournament with Heath’s leftovers.
Mike Anderson, Richardson’s top assistant for all those years, finally got the job and did OK in his six years. The thing was fans thought they were getting Richardson back.
Anderson went to three NCAA Tournaments and was 2-3.
That’s six NCAA Tournament appearances in 20 seasons with an overall record of 3-6.
That’s not Hawgball.
Now, the tide has shifted, and Arkansas appears to have the ship back on course.
Eric Musselman and the Hogs were one win away from making the Big Dance last season, before March Madness became March Sadness.
This year, they are in second place in the SEC, they will be in the NCAA Tournament and the only question is what will their seed be.
Its feeling a little like the good old days.