I’ve been thinking a lot about new beginnings, which makes sense. In the past year, I have moved across the country, started a new job and writing venture, adopted a new dog, and bought my first house.
That’s a lot of newness all at once.
Beginning anew is a complicated proposition. There’s excitement, sure. There’s also uncertainty. You’ve left steady footing and taken a giant leap into the unknown. The hope is that everything you have learned about yourself up to that point won’t shift too dramatically, and you’ll mesh the old you and this new world.
All this self-indulgence aside, the Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball team is in a similar boat with six games left in the regular season. Joe Lunardi’s most recent Bracketology has the Hogs as a declining nine seed.
How can the Razorbacks be experiencing a new beginning 25 games into the season?
Well, much like I didn’t do any of my list of new beginnings alone, neither will the Hogs. With Nick Smith, Jr. returning, Arkansas fans can see this squad at something close to the full strength as head coach Eric Musselman envisioned them when he constructed this roster.
On top of that, this team still has a ton to play for. Arkansas’s final six games look like this:
Tonight at TexasA&M (33rd in KenPom, 45th in RPI, Quad 1 win opportunity)
February 18th vs. Florida (50th in KenPom, 78th in RPI, Quad 3 win opportunity)
February 21st vs. Georgia (116th in KenPom, 130th in RPI, Quad 3 win opportunity)
February 25th at Alabama (2nd in KenPom, 1st in RPI, Quad 1 win opportunity)
February 28th at Tennessee (5th in KenPom, 17th in RPI, Quad 1 win opportunity)
March 4th vs. Kentucky (44th in KenPom, 62nd in RPI, Quad 2 win opportunity)
Having three Quad 1 win opportunities in the remaining six games is a big deal for an Arkansas team that is currently 2-5 in those contests. If Arkansas picks up two Quad 1 wins and cleanly sweeps the three other contests, they are heading into the SEC tournament with a much rosier glow.
If you needed a reason to stick with this team other than Smith’s return, that should be it.
When I used to work on a little podcast with my friends, we always jokingly asked the question, “Is Arkansas any good?” I can’t answer that question right now. We’re at that uncertainty piece of a new beginning.
We won’t be at the end of this six-game stretch, though. We’ll know if this Arkansas team is worth betting on for the rest of March or if we’re destined to end the season with the same disappointment we’ve carried through most of SEC play.
The new beginning for the Hogs starts tonight. I, for one, am excited to find out what the rest of the season holds.