Early Game = Easy Bet

Razorbacks' winless streak in games before 1 p.m. continues as staff unable to find solution for getting college kids to function when woken at decent hour

Kent Smith | Mar 12, 2022

If you're a betting man and you've been following this page, then you made the easiest money of all time betting against the Arkansas Razorbacks today.

As has been pointed out previously, the Hogs don't do mornings. For those who don't dig into low level analytics, Arkansas is now 0-5 in games starting before 1 p.m.

The Razorbacks' two largest losses, a 22-point loss to Oklahoma and Saturday's 18-point loss to Texas A&M both came before 1 p.m.

Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman has to be held back after losing his cool during an early-start blowout against Oklahoma.

While the trend is troubling considering the NCAA tournament starts with eight games before 1 p.m. on each day of the first round followed by two more on each day of the second round, what's more troubling is that a coaching staff known for breaking down every detail in preparation of a game can't solve college kids waking up at a decent hour.

To say the Razorbacks were lethargic against the Aggies is an understatement. They had all the classic signs of lack of sleep.

Arkansas Razorback guard J.D. Notae found himself in foul trouble early, causing head coach Eric Musselman to break his cardinal rule of not playing anyone in the first half with two fouls.

Beyond being physically sluggish, evidence of mental fatigue was everywhere.

Passes frequently went to where players would have been after 1 p.m., but with the early start, players were not only where they should have been, they were often not paying attention at all. Couple that with the glazed, empty looks shown in close-ups when players went to the bench and it becomes clear that early starts have a harsher effect on this particular team than most.

Arkansas guard Davonte Davis loses control of the ball while working against Texas A&M guard Quenton Jackson.

If Arkansas falls into a morning slot, fixing this problem has to become an obsession for not just the staff, but the players.

The obvious go-to is figuring out proper sleep, but everything has to be analyzed from what is eaten and drank before a game later in the day versus pre-1 p.m. starts to the atmospheric energy in the locker room for different times.

Three Arkansas Razorbacks stand by helplessly watching in frustration as Texas A&M guard Quenton Jackson executes one of several dunks the Hogs gave up down the stretch en route to an 82-64 loss.

However, if five games isn't enough for this team to learn from its previous mistakes in regard to early starts, then the discipline likely isn't there to make it happen for the tournament. Because of this, educated bettors will wager against the Hogs in the event of an early start.

Who can blame them. It's easy money.

Published Mar 12, 2022

KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments.