In Arkansas the term "small ball" has become synonymous with Coach Dave Van Horn and the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball program.
In special seasons like this, when Diamond Hogs become Omahogs, Arkansas is renowned for getting a guy on base, advancing the runner to scoring position, then punching him home.
Of course, this season, with the SEC Player of the Year Andrew Benintendi leading the way, there is not much small about the Razorbacks.
Benintendi showed that incredible bat speed in the fifth inning Saturday against Virginia when he turned on an inside pitch others might have fouled off and hit it out of TD Ameritrade Park to tie the game at 3-3.
Benintendi has been named national player of the year by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball, won the Howser Award, another national player of year honor, and was the seventh player selected in the first round, by the Boston Red Sox, in Monday's major-league baseball first-year draft.
But Virginia held off Arkansas 5-3 in a great college baseball game, and a Hogs team that was already facing a lack of pitching depth fell into the losers' bracket and must come back again on Monday afternoon.
The NBA's version of "small ball" moved to Cleveland this week for Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals.
The Golden State Warriors went with a smaller lineup, got the victory and tied the series at 2-2 heading into Game 5 tonight.
The "smaller" guy was 6-foot-6 Andre Iguodala, who got his first start of the season, replacing 7-0 center Andrew Bogut.
Bogut is bulky, mechanical and doesn't offer much on offense. It would be difficult to use the word quick in a sentence with Bogut's name.
Iguodala, who originally committed to the Razorbacks but switched to Arizona, is very athletic and scored 22 points to help the Warriors beat the Cavs 103-82.
Golden State Coach Steve Kerr admitted he wasn't truthful about his starting lineup in leading up to Game 4, claiming there would be no changes from Game No. 3.
No doubt, Iguodala created more space and gave Cleveland problems. Yet, going into the game experts were already questioning if the Cavs, somewhat depleted by injuries, could continue to play at the pace they had in the first three games, especially LeBron James.
If it were not enough that James is trying to prove he is the best player in the world -- he doesn't have to prove it or continue to allude to it, at this time he is the best -- by launching 38 shots in the opening game, 35 in the second game and 34 in the third, he was logging way too many minutes.
He has averaged 41.8 minutes in 18 playoff games. In the regular season he averaged 36.1.
Extra minutes might be taking an even greater toll on Cavs center Tristan Thompson, who averaged 26.8 minutes during the regular season but is averaging more than 40 minutes in the four games of the Finals.
The increased playing time of Matthew Dellavedova is another good illustration of how short-handed the Cavaliers are.
Dellavedova played nine minutes in the first game of the series before Kyrie Irving was lost to a knee injury. Dellavedova then logged more than 42 minutes and 38 minutes in Games 3 and 4 and had to be treated for dehydration.
Golden State has the luxury of using nine or 10 players, with each logging at least five minutes and Steph Curry the only one playing more than 40 minutes per game.
Depth appears to be more of a factor than height, but if you ever wondered how much of a big-man game it is, Dellavedova has become like that 6-foot walk-on everyone loves in college ball, except he's 6-4.
The Razorbacks aren't so much small ball, nor is the NBA Finals. It's about depth.
Sports on 06/14/2015