It's Time for Razorbacks to Rethink Holiday Strategy

Arkansas athletics could use PR push, avoid making Hogs' basketball look bad basically begging for fans

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas basketball team is basically begging people to come to tonight's game at Bud Walton against Abilene Christian.

In an effort to try to fill the building, Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman filmed a video of himself posting a sign at the ticket office for $10 student section tickets. Whether someone has to be a student or just anyone can walk up and buy a ticket at this price isn't entirely clear.

Thanks to a generous contribution from one of our partners, $10 student section seats will be available for tomorrow night’s game.

On sale at the BWA box office ONLY beginning at 4pm Thursday! pic.twitter.com/ZEytrT4JDl

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) December 20, 2023

It's understandable. Students have long since left campus and a lot of the usual crowd that is in town is either beginning holiday travel, out scrambling for last minute gifts or hitting the movie theater for the glut of movies that got dropped the last couple of days. It's just not a good time to have a home game in Fayetteville. 

Perhaps it's time to reconsider an old approach that did wonders for consolidating the state under one roof while ensuring the Razorbacks got to play in front of rabid, packed crowds at times that wouldn't happen in Northwest Arkansas. It's time for the holidays to include a run through not only Little Rock, but Pine Bluff also.

This used to be common. Perhaps the greatest regular season win in Arkansas basketball history took place in Pine Bluff when Eddie Sutton's Razorbacks took down No. 1 North Carolina and Michael Jordan in the Convention Center. An upset of No. 20 Ohio State there gave Hog fans a glimpse of what new head coach Nolan Richardson could do once he eventually got his feet under him.

Unlike Little Rock, Pine Bluff was a good luck charm for the Hogs. Arkansas went 28-2 while taking on the likes of Virginia, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Kansas State, Minnesota and San Diego State. 

When the games ended in 1992, it made sense. The Hogs were no longer playing in the tiny, outdated Barnhill Arena. Bud Walton Arena was coming online with a waiting list that far exceeded its capacity for tickets. Even the most putrid of opponents drew a packed house no matter when games were played.

However, times have changed. There's not the fervor there once was after years of bad to average basketball that followed Richardson sucked the spirit of Barnhill out of Bud Walton. Now, with the university in need of an image makeover with fans outside of Northwest Arkansas, there's no better time to bring back multiple Winter Break games in different areas of the state. 

It doesn't hurt recruiting like it does football. Musselman isn't getting the recruits he wants by dragging them to a half empty, mostly dead arena in late December. However, he's less likely to lose out on a future in-state recruit who gets to see the Hogs in person as a young child at the Pine Bluff Convention Center when he wouldn't normally get the opportunity. 

It's worth a thought. At the very least, Musselman wouldn't have to drive down to Pine Bluff to hang a $10 tickets sign like he's coaching at Ole Miss or Georgia.

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1977-1978
Miss St. @ LR W 94-61
Hofstra @ PB W 95-70

1978-79
So. Miss @ PB W 93-79
Memphis @ LR W 82-69
N. Texas @ LR W 96-71

1979-80
Ole Miss @ LR W 67-59
LSU @ LR L 56-55
Kansas State @ PB L 66-57
Northeast La. @ PB W 74-51

1980-81
Eastern Ky. @ LR W 80-74
So. Miss. @ PB W 76-68
Nebraska @ LR W 64-52
Alaska-Anchorage @ PB W 92-58

1981-82
San Diego St. @ PB W 85-68
Biscayne @ LR W 91-61
So. Miss. @ PB W 63-54
Kent St. @ LR W 91-49
#18 Wake Forest @ LR L 49-48

1982-83
SW Mo. St. @ LR W 87-66
So. Miss. @ PB W 64-62
Nebraska @ LR W 64-58
Mercer @ PB W 83-62

1983-84
North Texas @ PB W 93-64
St. Peter’s @ LR W 82-49
Austin Peay @ LR W 68-63
#1 No. Carolina @ PB W 65-64

1984-85
Central Fla. @ PB W 59-45
Tulsa @ LR W 70-66
UT San Antonio @ LR W 74-67
Minnesota @ PB W 56-46
Oral Roberts @ LR W 64-57

1985-86
Southern Ill. @ LR W 86-72
Southern Univ. @ PB W 76-75
#20 Ohio St. @ PB W 79-70 (OT)
Alabama St. @ LR W 87-69

1986-87
Grambling @ PB W 84-65
La. Tech @ LR W 90-64
Virginia @ PB L 78-66
North Texas @ LR W 99-96 (OT)

1987-88
Chicago St. @ PB W 78-68
N’Western (La.) St. @ LR W 77-55
Ole Miss @ PB W 79-40
Alabama @ LR W 80-55
Coastal Carolina @ LR W 81-59

1988-89
Texas So. @ LR W 97-79
Sam Houston St. @ LR W 97-79
South Ala. @ PB W 103-71
#14 Florida St. @ LR L 112-105 (OT)
Southern Utah @ PB W 109-76

1989-90
Samford @ PB W 97-67
Oregon @ LR W 102-75
Ole Miss @ PB W 90-76
VMI @ LR W 92-61
Delaware St. @ LR W 117-75

1990-91
Miss College @ PB W 96-57
La. Tech @ LR W 114-97
Jackson St. @ LR W 126-88
Northeast La. @ PB W 114-92

1991-92
Alabama St. @ PB W 96-80
Montevallo @ LR W 91-70
Jackson St. @ LR W 89-66
Quincy Coll. @ PB W 123-60

1992-93
SE Mo. St. @ PB W 96-72
Jackson St. @ PB W 123-76
Coastal Carolina @ LR W 93-74
Northeast La. @ LR L 87-78

HOGS FEED:

SAM PITTMAN ROBS DAVE VAN HORN'S PITCHING STAFF FOR LATEST ADDITION OF QUARTERBACK ROOM

NO NEED FOR HOG FANS TO BE MAD AT MISSOURI'S DRINKWITZ

SECONDARY COMPLETELY FLIPS FROM WEAKNESS TO STRENGTH OVER COURSE OF SINGLE YEAR

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