Ask Mike: The Best Head Coach Who Never Was, BWA Seating Shake Up, & Are The Hogs Dancing?

Q. Our first question is from Lanny who asks: Is Arkansas in now with 19 wins and 8-10 in the SEC? Everybody is saying it but I don’t trust the selection committee. I could see them putting Texas and Oklahoma in and leaving us out even though our record is better.

A. The issue is, how many SEC teams will be selected? Most of the so called experts are saying 12. Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Georgia and Arkansas all finished 8-10 but Arkansas beat the other three which is why the Razorbacks are seeded 9th, ahead of them in the SEC Tournament. Texas and OU finished two games back of those four teams. The only way either of them gets in is if the SEC gets 13 bids. If so Oklahoma seems likely to make it as a play in team. I think Texas is out.

I keep reading that wins or losses in the SEC tournament could change things but I don’t see it unless Texas or OU wins the whole thing, becoming an automatic qualifier.

Q. Mousetown wants to know: What do you think about by Aidoo’s performance against MSU? To me it came out of the blue but you’ve been saying for a month that he could be a big scorer if they would just get the ball to him.

A. I think it happened at the right time. They don’t win without what he did. But look I wasn’t thinking 21 points, 10 boards and 4 assists when I said that stuff. I just believed that he was capable of more that 4 or 5 points a game. I don’t know what was said to him before that game but he shocked me. Hopefully he can keep it up because as I said last week he and Brazile can make this a completely different team.

Q. Marty Byrde’s proxy says: Trevon Brazile has really hit his stride. One assumes Cal at least had a hand in flipping the switch. What Razorback coach (any sport) was a master at turning an individual player around when needed?

A. The list would be long. Eddie Sutton, Nolan Richardson and Eric Musselman. In football, D.J. Williams, who played for both Houston Nutt and Bobby Petrino, two very different coaches, has always said that both coaches could get a player stuck off dead center and get him going. Norm DeBriyn and Dave Van Horn did it in baseball. Women’s basketball, how about Gary Blair? He was good at that. But the best was John McDonnell. It took a lot of guys stepping up and performing over their heads to win 40 national championships in Track.

Q. KyHog ask: How did our 5 star recruit react to the crowd on Saturday? He’s been to Kentucky. They’re always loud and fill up Rupp. I’m worried with what I saw on TV. The atmosphere in Walton Arena is not the same.

A. The crowds have been smaller and less energetic this whole season. Supposedly fans are turned off by the new seating plan that’s coming and by college sports becoming more like pro sports. Also an entirely new team and one that underperformed especially considering the money some of these players were getting. I’m not sure were were headed with all that.

Revenue sharing will help tone down bidding wars and player snatching. I also think we will see players saying longer. But the high price of tickets? That’s not going away. Revenue sharing is going to cost and live gate revenue is a big part of the answer. As for the recruit, Nate Ament, Arkansas fans will have to wait until late March or early April to see where he lands.

Q. Eddylynn says: I’m reading a lot of hype about the basketball Hogs’ improved offense. Cal should get a lot of credit for that but have you looked at the defense lately? Not good. Almost cost a win against MSU.

A. Not only is 92 points the most Arkansas has given up and still won this season, it’s the most scored against them this season period. So yes, I’ve seen the defensive issues. It’s mostly down low. Arkansas is giving up way too many layups and uncontested drives to the basket in transition. Cal pointed this out as far back as the Missouri win. He said teams will be trying to take advantage of his team inside and they have. Over the last five games Arkansas has given up an average of 81 points a game compared to the season average of 70.

Some of it is the absence of Adou Thiero. Yes, he was their scoring leader but he was also a good rim protector. If Arkansas hopes to win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament that problem needs to be corrected.

So not only do Jonas Aidoo and Trevon Brazile need to keep up their improved scoring, they need to play better defense. However, I will say this, there’s something to be said for the way these players keep finding a way to win no matter what problems they face.

Q. Hawgredneck asks: Any update on Thiero or Fland? We’ve survived without them but it would be nice to get them back for the NCAA’s.

A. Nothing official. Some fans posing as media have claimed to have a source within the team indicating that Fland will play in the NCAA Tournament. There’s been no indication at all about when or if Thiero will return.

Q. Hogdogger says: I would bet that Boogie Fland returns to the Razorbacks to play next season since his season was interrupted by injury. What say you?

A. I’m gonna say no but that’s a guess. Cal’s pretty good about telling his players to come out if he thinks they’re ready to go. He can get a good idea of where Fland would be drafted by having him participate in some pre draft workouts. The kid would then have a decision to make. He could put his name in and stay or withdraw before the deadline.

Q. With the last game of the season played at Bud Walton Arena some fans are giving up seats they’ve had for decades due to the athletic department’s new pricing policy. So who is to blame?

Rick B says: All you people blaming Hunter Yurachek need to just stop it. He is not the villain. If you want to blame someone, blame the new age of college sports.

Hawganonymous counters that with this: Wrong. When our reseat is gonna make us the highest tickets in the conference that’s an issue. He doesn’t care about the fans or winning. He cares about the money.

Finally joelovesroaches says: Money is what drives the program in recruiting and keeping players. People b**tch about crappy teams but don’t want to pay for NIL. Can’t have it both ways.

A. I certainly sympathize with those giving up their seats but anybody who thinks that Yurachek is doing this just to get money and that he doesn’t care about winning, is dead wrong. He’s raising the prices because it will take more money to win with revenue sharing on the way. It’s not like the money is going to him.

Q. WVHogfan wants to know: What are your thoughts about some teams canceling their Spring football games?

A. I hate it. Spring games give college football fans a brief fix before a long summer of nothing. It gets people on campus and gives fans a look at the new players. It also allows them see if some of the veterans have come back bigger, stronger and faster.

Sam Pittman agrees that spring games are important. He has no plans to cancel the red-White football game.

Q. Dr. Strangepork says: Some posters are disgruntled by the pre-conference schedule of the softball team yet, when I compare the non-conference schedule to the other SEC teams, the softball’s schedule is similar. Some gimmes, a few tough ones and several tournaments.

A. I think a lot of what is going on with the fans is that Arkansas is 20-3 with 15 run-rule wins but against the only ranked teams they’ve played so far they are 1-3 and got run-ruled in two of those games. This has some speculating that Arkansas’ schedule has been padded with softies. The Arkansas women are still ranked 10th nationally and after losing their first two SEC games on the road against Ole Miss they did come back on Sunday and run-rule the Rebels. In fact the score was 20-3.

The SEC is scary good in softball. Thirteen of the sixteen teams are ranked in the top 25 with five in the top 10. So we’ll find out really fast just how good the Arkansas women are.

Q. sglies says: I’m impressed with the Diamond Hogs so far. The pitching, hitting and defense is all really good but after what happened to softball I’m worried that SEC play is going to bring me back down to Earth in a hurry.

A. It’s interesting that the men also open SEC play against Ole Miss on the road. SEC baseball is also brutal with five top 10 teams and 12 of 16 in the top 25.

As far as Arkansas schedule, currently the Razorbacks have played one ranked team and they won that game which was against TCU. Arkansas has run-ruled seven opponents but has not come close to being run-ruled. In fact at 15-1 the Diamond Hogs only loss was by one run.

Looking at the schedule, Arkansas’ one loss was to Kansas State, 3-2. Number one LSU had to go to extra innings to beat Kansas State. Like Arkansas LSU has played just one ranked team and they won that game.

Number two Tennessee, which is undefeated at 16-0, has played no ranked teams. The Vols have 8 run-rule games but only two of their opponents have winning records.

Q. Pigsfeat asks: Which coach (any sport) do you think that Arkansas gave up on too quickly?

A. That’s easy. Joe Kines. He was the interim head football coach in ’92, Arkansas first season in the SEC. He replaced Jack Crowe who was fired one game into the season after losing to the Citadel. It was impossible situation. Arkansas won its first ever SEC game at South Carolina a few days after Kines took over. I was at that game. It was amazing what he got done that week. Still, the league was tough. Arkansas won just three games that season but one of them was an upset of No. 4 Tennessee on the road. They also beat LSU. No way was Frank Broyles going to give that job to Kines permanently because he’d never been a head coach but if Frank had been paying close attention to what was going on inside the team he would have hired Kines permanently. I’ve never seen a head coach who could relate to players better that Joe Kines. He spoke their language. He could recruit. He was a very good defensive coordinator and I’ve always said he was the best head coach I ever been around who never had a permanent head coaching job. I think he would have been amazing.