SportsLine.com Report
March 17, 2000

Round 1: Hogs slim deficit but still fall

They rallied late, but this time, it wasn't enough to carry the comeback Razorbacks on to another game, as sixth-seeded Miami beat Arkansas 75-71 in the South subregional in Nashville.

Arkansas, which had to win four games in four days in the SEC Tournament just to get in to the NCAA Tournament, trailed by 16 in the first half. The Hogs made just four field goals in the first 16 minutes of play.

They began to inch closer in the second half but Johnny Hemsley's 3-pointers pushed them back each time. Finally, Arkansas put together a 10-0 run to get within three on a layup by Teddy Gipson with less than a minute to play, ending the comeback.

How They Got There

After struggling to a 15-14 regular-season record (7-9 SEC), Nolan Richardson's young guns caught fire in the SEC Tournament, becoming only the second team since the event was revived in 1979 to win four games in four days to win the tournament and claim the SEC's automatic berth.

Arkansas beat Georgia in the opening round, which was expected. Then came the surprises: 86-72 over Kentucky, 69-67 over LSU and 75-67 over Auburn in Sunday's final.

Arkansas has a 1994 national championship and a 1995 title game appearance to its credit, but this was its first SEC Tournament championship since joining the league in 1992.

Starting Lineup

• PG Teddy Gipson (6-4, 170, So.): Unlike the last four years, when Kareem Reid was a prototypical point guard, this is an interchangeable position for the Hogs. Several players have filled in at different times. Gipson happens to be the one in the lineup that has proven the most successful in the last couple of weeks.
• SG Chris Walker (6-5, 220, Sr.): A former walk-on and the only senior, Walker has provided leadership and direction for a team loaded with teenagers. He also leads the Hogs in assists and is the second-leading scorer.
• C Alonzo Lane (6-7, 240, Fr.): Arkansas doesn't have a true center, but Lane comes the closest. He had a career-high 23 points in the 71-64 victory over Georgia to open the SEC Tournament and leads the team in field goal percentage (57 percent).
• F Joe Johnson (6-8, 225, Fr.): The Little Rock native became eligible at semester break, scored 16 points in his debut and hasn't been slowed since. He can shoot the three, but Johnson is most dangerous with the mid-range jumper or after pump-faking and going to the goal, where he has a remarkable array of scoring moves. He is the Hogs' leading scorer and rebounder.
• F Blake Eddins (6-6, 205, Fr.): Eddins' late-season charge is a testament to Richardson's remarkable ability for experimenting until he finds the right chemistry. Eddins made his first start Feb. 23 against Vanderbilt. Arkansas won 78-63 and Eddins has started each game since. With him in the lineup, Arkansas has gone 6-2. For the season, Eddins averages 3.4 points a game. As a starter, he's averaged nearly 10 a game.

Keys to Success

Slap and trap and run and gun. The more active the Hogs are defensively, the more confusion they cause and the better chance they have to win. This is Richardson's youngest and smallest team ever. They get out-rebounded routinely, but what they lack in size they make up for with hustle, determination and a nose for the basketball.

Forward Joe Johnson, the SEC's co-Freshman of the Year, carried the Hogs most of the season with his dazzling combination of outside shooting and slinky inside moves. He can't do it alone, though.

The difference lately has been that he's been getting help from a variety of players, with different guys stepping up on different nights.

The Coach

You'll be hard-pressed to find a more tournament-tested leader than Richardson. He led the Hogs to the 1994 national championship and a runner-up finish in '95. This is Richardson's 15th NCAA appearance and 13th with Arkansas. He's won twice as many NCAA Tournament games (26) as he's lost, and only one of his Arkansas teams has gone one-and-out in the tournament.

Considering this team's youth -- six freshmen, four sophomores, two juniors and only one senior -- and low season-opening expectations, this might be one of his best coaching jobs yet and most gratifying trip to the NCAAs.

The Bench

They are young but not inexperienced. To play the frantic style Richardson embraces, multiple substitutions are a must. Two of his current keys off the bench -- guards T.J. Cleveland and Brandon Dean -- have combined to start 29 games.

Another backup, Carl Baker, has started 14 times. In the 69-67 SEC Tournament semifinal upset of LSU that snapped the Tigers' 10-game winning streak, nearly half the Hogs' points (31) came from the bench.

Offense

The Hogs average fewer points than Richardson would like, but this team is slowly developing into the kind of high-scoring, run-and-gun outfit he enjoys to coach. Johnson is certainly the go-to guy, but Gipson, Walker and Dean are all capable of having big games.

Defense

Richardson favors man-to-man but will play zone, too, to help off-set the Hogs' lack of height. Big teams give the Hogs trouble inside but Arkansas compensates with quickness on the perimeter. Arkansas forced 93 turnovers in its four SEC Tournament games and is the only SEC team this season with more than 400 steals.