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Another road loss for UA Wednesday, Mar 5, 2008 By Harry King OXFORD, Miss. - Pass the knives and forks, pretty please. Arkansas coach John Pelphrey set up that line with his Quote of the Month on Saturday. The Razorbacks, he said, "don't need mommy cutting the corners of our bread all the time" and "don't need our chicken nuggets cut up so we can eat them in small pieces." In other words, quit being a baby. The Razorbacks weren't flabby soft Tuesday night at Oxford, but they had enough of those give-in moments that they failed on the road ... again. In particular, 262-pound Dwayne Curtis abused them close to the basket, scoring 13 of his 22 in the second half. Even then, Arkansas might have escaped, but Sonny Weems was a non-factor. He missed his first seven shots and scored his only two baskets in the final four minutes. Prior to the 81-72 loss, Weems had been in double figures in 19 straight games. Former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson had a slightly different take on the Razorbacks' road woes on Monday, complimenting Pelphrey but noting a difference between fear and respect. Chris Warren was fearless with a 3 after Arkansas had reduced an 11-point lead to 58-51 and David Huertas was even more so, making a 3 for 73-64 only a possession after his attempt to beat the shot clock sailed over the backboard. Certainly a qualified observer, Richardson also offered that the Razorbacks could use more leaders. Every week, the Razorbacks talk about playing with the same passion and enthusiasm on the road as they do at home. That's not something that comes in a bottle and six seniors does not equal a half-dozen helpings of leadership. Weems is the logical choice, but he's not going to grab a teammate by the scruff of the neck or get in somebody's face. Patrick Beverley plays like a leader, but the sophomore has been inclined to defer to others until the past couple of games. Arkansas is now 2-6 on the road in the Southeastern Conference and still on the cusp of the NCAA Tournament. Even if the Razorbacks get to 9-7 in the league on Saturday, they likely will need to win one game at the SEC Tournament to be safe. It is no coincidence that the division leaders, Mississippi State in the West and Tennessee in the East, are the only SEC teams with winning records on the road, both at 5-2. At 6-9, the Rebels still have NCAA hopes, but must do well in Atlanta. Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said Weems had made a case for SEC Player of the Year, but that Eniel Polynice kept him in check. It was Polynice who contributed one of those plays that underline the Rebels' edge in aggressiveness. Michael Washington was prepared to grab a rebound when Polynice plucked it with his right hand and put it up left-handed for 63-51. Gary Ervin missed and Huertas attacked the goal and Stefan Welsh for a three-point play. Prior to that, it was all Curtis. He held off Charles Thomas with his left hand and scored with his right, then bumped back Darian Townes and scored again. Townes took it away from Curtis, who reclaimed the ball and scored from the baseline for 58-47. Even on a couple of fruitless possessions, the Rebels had second and third chances. Between Beverley's 3 at 19:09 and his 3 at 4:26, Arkansas missed seven straight from long range and Ole Miss led by as many as 11. For the night, the Razorbacks were 5-of-19 from long range - not as bad as the 5-of-32 in the awful losses at Georgia and Alabama - but woefully shy of the 9-of-16 in the victory over Vanderbilt. At 73-68, Beverley took the ball away from Warren, but rushed a 3 and missed. At 74-68, Beverley got away with a travel and Ervin lost it in the corner. Some little things hurt Arkansas in the first half: - On a fast break, Townes couldn't decide whether to lay it up or dunk it down and missed with something in between. - Steven Hill fumbled the ball and Curtis plucked it from him. Warren drove hard and Ervin caved for 18-11. - Washington rebounded, but when he put it down, Smith slapped it away and that led to a layup for 28-19. - Weems' soft pass was stolen and a dunk resulted. ---- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
