Let's Not Put Too Much Emotion or Guidance into Exhibition

With big crowd expected, Hogs probably not reading as much into Purdue as fans

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There is expected to be a large number of folks gathered at Bud Walton Arena on Saturday afternoon to watch an Arkansas practice against Purdue. They are also paying for the fun, but that's exactly what it will be when the two teams have a 3 p.m.

You would think it counted for March's seeding the way a lot of people are treating it. In the final analysis come tournament time at the end of the year, this game will mean absolutely nothing. We saw that last year when the Razorbacks were blown out at Texas and ended up in the Sweet 16.

Apparently, a lot of the talking heads in the Arkansas media haven't paid much attention to Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman or the players this week in the media briefing. This is clearly a developmental game to give everybody a dress rehearsal of what it's going to be like when they start counting on the schedule and give coaches a final assessment before that point.

"When we walk out of Bud Walton on Saturday at about 5:30 or 6, we’re going to know a lot more areas that we’ve got to get better leading into our first game," Musselman said Tuesday. "This early in the year, how do we stack up with a great rebounding team? How do we stack up with one of the top three premier teams in the country?"

It's great for the charity Hog fans are buying tickets for this game and the media is viewing it in a big-time manner. No, it's actually not. You will probably see combinations on the floor that may not happen again. It's essentially a practice, but there's going to be a lot of opportunity to see some dunks and maybe a big display of the 3-point shooting this team showed last week against UT-Tyler.

Musselman and the coaches are using it for coaching points they will use for as deep as they go into March and April. At some point, the competitive nature of Musselman will kick in and he'll have at least a dozen or so sideline meltdowns. If it's somehow close late he'll try to win it, but it's about getting things on tape he can use for teaching purposes.

"We understand internally Purdue is, just based on their returners, roles and understanding expectations. They’re probably way ahead of where we are not only today, but where we’ll be even two weeks from today. But it’s a great game for us, for sure."

It probably is just as big for Musselman and the players. Exactly what that means, though, might be directly opposite. The coaches see an educational opportunity. The fans, by and large, are just craving a win. After the football team kinda drained hope with a 2-6 start, the Hog fans are just wanting some kind of kind.