Home Blowout Trends Provide Hope Hogs Can Rebound

Tennessee face plant, Kentucky dip places one SEC team theoretically nearly 100 points better than Arkansas

Arkansas Razorbacks guard D.J. Wagner (21) drives against Tennessee Volunteers guard Chaz Lanier (2) during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. / Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When it happened during the first weekend of SEC play, it was written off as a first game anomaly. However, when Tennessee rolled into Gainesville and promptly put up 15 points in a single half of play while Kentucky took it in the teeth to start off its game against Georgia, it became clear the nation's toughest basketball league might have a trend forming.

Arkansas fans were so focused on their own tail kicking in Knoxville at the hands of the nation's No. 1 team that many may have failed to notice that every road team except Vanderbilt not only got beat, but most got curb-stomped. Like Brock Lesnar's infamous Suplex City squash match of John Cena at Summer Slam level crushing.

As Florida threatened to go up by 30 early in the second half Tuesday night, it became clear no one is going to want to go on the road in the SEC this year. The only question is whether Arkansas is going to be part of that equation.

Hogs head coach John Calipari certainly wants that to be so. His team has yet to experience the positive side of having a full house all loud and rowdy, ready to make life miserable for whomever dares enter the building in Fayetteville.

However, he doesn't know whether that will ever happen during his tenure at Arkansas. Nine games at Bud Walton have gone by without any indication of the intimidating atmosphere that once made the arena famous.

That's why he had his staff basically begging Razorbacks fans to show up for Ole Miss, which is something no one saw coming based on the buzz of his hiring this past spring. The shame fans should feel for forcing the world to see a coach so respected having to lower himself to that level should be intense.

"This to me has always been the loudest building in the league," assistant Chin Coleman said while subbing in for Calipari at the Hogs' most recent press conference. "I truly believe that. I need for that vibe. We need for that feel. We need for it to live up to what I’ve always thought. I’m expecting it for it to be the loudest building in the league."

However, even if Arkansas supporters don't show up, another part of the trend is players inexplicably performing well below standard. Adou Theiro, who has been virtually unstoppable all season, had only six points against Tennessee.

On the flip side, Chaz Lanier, who rang up 29 on the Hogs Saturday, couldn't have hit the ocean with water up to his knees in high tide against Florida. He started 1-of-10, including 1-of-9 from three. With six minutes left, Lanier was 3-of-16 as the Gators made a push to go up by 40 if Tennessee wasn't going to get its act together.

However, Lanier was hot, respectively. The entire team was 7-of-48 with under five minutes left.

That's just the kind of season it's going to be in the SEC. Losses on the road are almost going to be a guarantee barring key injuries in the league along the way.

It's the kind of once in a lifetime oddity that theoretically makes Florida 54 points better than Arkansas, Kentucky 60 points better, and Georgia a whopping 73-point superior. That's obviously not the case, but whether the game is played in Northwest Arkansas or elsewhere will play a huge factor in how close to those numbers reality actually is for a night.

HOGS FEED:

• Arkansas portal nab has more INTs against Alabama than Hogs past two years

• Razorbacks Better Hope This Year Has No Effect on Next Season

• Calipari, staff hoping Bud Walton crowds help Razorbacks

• Rebels will bring typical Beard team mentality to Bud Walton

• Calipari chose bigger lesson over closer game with Tennessee

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