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Arkansas gets to 9-7 in SEC Sunday, Mar 9, 2008 By Harry King FAYETTEVILLE - Not quite as sweet as a Patrick Beverley swish, John Pelphrey's snap, crackle, and pop received almost as much attention. Beverley's six 3s killed Auburn; Pelphrey's back kick did in the red hog on the Plexiglas sign in front of the stat crew. Beverley's demolition began with 12:23 to go in the first half and ended with 5:45 to play. Pelphrey's destruction was much quicker and could be heard, but not seen by those on the teams' side of the court. Apparently, he was irritated by the Razorbacks' slow retreat at 13-9. Anyway, a manager picked up the pieces and the entire panel was replaced in minutes. Pelphrey said the kick was unintentional, but he has smacked the panel previously with his hand. Auburn coach Jeff Lebo was unaware of the antics, but added, "Make sure he pays for it." Beverley's 3s were for 16-11, 26-16, 36-20, and 41-23 in the first half. His 14 points helped Arkansas to a 45-26 halftime lead, but the Razorbacks suffered some turnovers early in the second half and the Tigers closed to within 10. He finished his 6-of-6 long-range shooting at the 5:47 mark for 67-54. By that time, Pelphrey's demeanor included fists clinched at times, arms crossed at times, a few foot stomps, and a "Whoa, Whoa, Stop" to a headstrong Gary Ervin after a Steven Hil block. Hill broke up a back-door lob and Charles Thomas converted an open look for 71-56, but Ervin committed a turnover and the lead was down to 10. Despite a foul, Thomas got the bounce for 73-61 at 1:36 and Pelphrey began plotting exit strategy for Senior Night. With 40.4 seconds to play, he sent in three subs, one at a time. Thomas thought the second one was for him and started off the court, one hand raised. That sub was for Hill and Thomas returned, a bit sheepishly, before leaving at the proper moment. Beverley had the ball at the end and ignored the students, "We want 30," surrendering possession to a nearby official with 4.9 seconds to play. With the 77-64 victory, Arkansas improved to 20-10 and 9-7 in the Southeastern Conference and probably secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. In the unlikely event that the NCAA Selection Committee snubs Arkansas, the Auburn game should be the Walton Arena swansong for Arkansas' six seniors. That's not a good riddance to Sonny Weems, Ervin, Hill, Darian Townes, Thomas, and Vincent Hunter, simply a truism that another game in Fayetteville would be a waste. The only way Arkansas would play again at home is in the National Invitation Tournament and the sole reason to accept an NIT bid is if a team is loaded with young players in need of postseason experience. Against Auburn, each of the seniors played between 14 and 30 minutes - a total of 132 out of a possible 200. Beverley, a sophomore, logged 35 minutes and was on the court for the first time at the 17:37 mark. For sure, the Razorbacks can cast out the NIT demon by beating Vanderbilt on Friday in the SEC Tournament in Atlanta. Even if the bid is secure, the Razorbacks would improve their seeding to a No. 10 or a No. 9 with a victory over the Commodores. After 19 straight games in double figures, Weems was in single digits for the second game in a row. He had five against Ole Miss on Tuesday night and seven against Auburn. In those two games, he is 5-of-23 from the floor, including 2-of-9 on 3-pointers. Beverley's fourth 3 of the first half made it 41-23 and was the Razorbacks' eighth in 13 attempts. Auburn was good on 4-of-15 during that 20 minutes. Arkansas finished with 10-of-19 from outside. This is the same team that made 6-of-19 at Ole Miss and 3-of-21 at Alabama - the two disappointing outings that raised doubts about whether the Razorbacks deserved an NCAA bid. If both Beverley and Weems are hot in Atlanta, Arkansas could do some damage. ---- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
