|
|
| |
| Sat, Nov. 22, 2008 |  |
 |
|
||
| |
Home schedule should help basketball Sunday, Oct 30, 2005 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas and Alabama have a leg up on LSU in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference because the Razorbacks and the Crimson Tide play Kentucky on the road. Think about it. The team to beat in the SEC every year under Tubby Smith, the Wildcats win on the road more often than any team in the league. The past three years, Kentucky is an amazing 20-4 in SEC road games. Among the 12 league schools, Florida had the next best three-year road record of 14-10. None of the others came close to .500. Arkansas won a total of two road games during those three years under Stan Heath, but Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt did no better than a total of five. The Wildcats know they are going to get every team's best shot because they are Kentucky, but that's one reason players sign up to wear that blue and they don't flinch. Alabama is the favorite in the Western Division followed by Arkansas-LSU or LSU-Arkansas and a contender needs 7-1 or a minimum 6-2 at home. Such a record is much more doable when Kentucky does not visit. Florida and Vanderbilt are supposed to be the best of the rest in the Eastern Division and, again, Arkansas and Alabama get a break in the schedule. The Razorbacks and the Crimson Tide have both the Gators and the Commodores at home. LSU plays in Gainesville and Nashville and is eligible to lose both. Year after year, SEC teams win 65 to 70 percent of their home games. Even the bad teams are good at home. Just last year, seven of the league teams were 6-2 or better at home and two more were 4-4 or better, including Arkansas at 5-3. Heath's fourth team should be his best by far and his job could hinge on whether the Razorbacks get into the NCAA Tournament. To do so, they need at least a 9-7 in the league. During the past 10 years, 11 teams have compiled such a record in the SEC and nine of them have made the NCAA. The exceptions were Alabama in 1996 - the last year that the SEC had as few as four teams in the NCAA - and Tennessee in 2003. In '03, the Vols were squeezed out when the NCAA refused to go seven deep in the SEC. During a recent interview and again during SEC media days, Heath made it clear he expects the Razorbacks to contend for the league title. To do so, somebody must perform at point guard. By the same token, Alabama coach Mark Gottfried says he doesn't have an off guard in uniform. Each of the Western Division contenders has at least one excellent player. Arkansas' Ronnie Brewer is the media's preseason pick as the SEC Player of the Year. Alabama senior forward Chuck Davis is on the watch list for the John Wooden Award and LSU sophomore Glen Davis, remarkably agile at 338 pounds, is down to 308. The Razorbacks won 18 last year, but that was deceptive because of the easy nonconference schedule. Getting to that number during the regular season this year will require at least 9-7 in the league because the 12-game non-conference schedule is much more difficult. The Razorbacks should win seven of those on class alone, but there is not a gimme among the other five - Missouri in Fayetteville, Texas Tech in Dallas, and heavy hitters in Maui. Strange things happen in Maui, Heath says. In 2001, Ball State beat No. 4 Kansas and No. 3 UCLA back to back before losing to top-ranked Duke. Back on the mainland, Ball State was nationally ranked for a month. In January, the Cardinals opened Mid-American Conference play against Kent State and lost by 27. Heath was the Ken State coach. ----- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media Group's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
