Hogs draw Pirates in 8 vs. 9 matchup

Head coach Mike Anderson and the Razorback basketball team call the hogs as their first NCAA Tournament site was chosen Sunday Mar. 12, 2017. The Hogs will play Seton Hall in Greenville S.C. on Friday.
Head coach Mike Anderson and the Razorback basketball team call the hogs as their first NCAA Tournament site was chosen Sunday Mar. 12, 2017. The Hogs will play Seton Hall in Greenville S.C. on Friday.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It took the Arkansas Razorbacks about three hours to put Sunday's 82-65 loss to No. 8-ranked Kentucky behind them.

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Arkansas' players, coaches, staff members, family and friends cheered and called the Hogs when the Razorbacks' NCAA Tournament draw was announced during a selection show watch party at an airport hotel.

The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (25-9) was seeded No. 8 in the South Regional and will play No. 9 seeded Seton Hall (21-11) Friday in Greenville, S.C.

The Kentucky loss seemed like a distant memory by the time the Hogs headed back to Fayetteville.

"I wish you could feel this good after every loss, have this selection show," Razorbacks senior guard Dusty Hannahs said. "It helps ease the pain of what just happened."

Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said at his news conference after the Kentucky loss he figured the Razorbacks would feel better once they got to eat and find out their NCAA Tournament destination.

"It was a tough loss our guys just had, so you can imagine the emotions," Anderson said. "We fed them first and they had a little smile.

"Then when you see your name come up on that TV screen, that's when it's real. So all the hard work these guys have put into it ... We paid a price, and I think it's worth it.

"Now we get a chance to play in the greatest tournament there is."

The Razorbacks are making their 31st NCAA Tournament appearance, but only their fifth in the past 16 seasons.

It is Arkansas' second NCAA Tournament appearance in the past three seasons, the best stretch for the program since three consecutive appearances from 2006-2008.

The Razorbacks went six consecutive seasons without playing in the NCAA Tournament until returning in 2015.

Arkansas is 8-2 in its past 10 games after a 1-3 stretch dropped the Razorbacks to 17-7 in Anderson's sixth season as coach.

"I feel like there was a lot of pressure on the team this year," Hannahs said. "We had a lot of adversity, and that we pulled together and were able to do this not only for ourselves but for our state is big.

"It's been a while since we strung some years together that we were dancing. To be back in the dance, we don't plan on being there for a game. We plan on being there for the long run."

Arkansas beat Wofford in its first NCAA Tournament game in 2015 before losing to North Carolina.

The Razorbacks haven't been to the Sweet 16 since 1996.

"I always talk about winning a national championship," said Anderson, an assistant to Coach Nolan Richardson when the Razorbacks won the NCAA title in 1994. "And the only way you can win a national championship is to be in the NCAA Tournament.

"Obviously this is the big goal. But we're not just going to the dance. We're going to dance, and we're not going to do one step or two steps."

The Arkansas-Seton Hall winner likely will face North Carolina, the South's No. 1 seed. The Tar Heels play 16th-seeded Texas Southern.

Arkansas' last two NCAA Tournament losses were to North Carolina in 2008 and 2015.

Anderson said he's not thinking about the challenge of trying to get past the Tar Heels.

"Right now I'm looking at who we're going to play and that's going to be Seton Hall," he said. "Because if you don't get past the first game, what's the use in speculating?"

Seton Hall went 11-8 in the Big East this season, including victories over No. 18 Butler and at Creighton. The Pirates lost to No. 2 Villanova in the Big East Tournament 55-53.

"If we're an 8 seed and they're a 9 seed, they've got to be a dang good team," Hannahs said. "I know they're going to have big-time players.

"If you make it into this dance, you're a big-time team. So we've just got to be ready."

Seton Hall junior guard Khadeen Carrington is averaging a team-high 16.9 points. Junior forward Desi Rodriguez is averaging 15.9 points and 5.1 rebounds and 6-10 junior Angel Delgado is averaging 15.3 points and 13.1 rebounds.

The Pirates played in the NCAA Tournament last season when they were a No. 6 seed and lost their opener to Gonzaga to finish 25-9.

"They're dynamite," Anderson said. "They have great guard play, inside play. I've had a chance to watch them play. They're an attacking team.

"It's going to be an up-and-down game."

South Carolina (22-10) is a No. 7 seed in Greenville despite losing its SEC Tournament opener to Alabama and losing at home to Arkansas this season. The Razorbacks and Gamecocks both have 12-6 conference records.

"It's interesting how all that takes place," Anderson said of South Carolina being seeded higher than Arkansas. "But at the end of the day, you know what? I think the most important thing is you want to hear your name called."

The Razorbacks were hoping to play close to home in Tulsa, but Hannahs said he's fine with Greenville as a site.

"We're still in the South," Hannahs said. "It'll be cool."

Anderson said Sunday's game with Kentucky should be good NCAA Tournament preparation for Arkansas.

"I thought we battled," he said. "We fought. You've got to remember, now, Kentucky is a top-10 team. They're like the teams we're going to play, so maybe it was learning curve for us learning how to deal with that.

"Now we move on. We've got a lot of depth, we've got a lot of balance.

"At the beginning of the season, I made the statement, I really, really like this team. I like them even more now, because they've become a team."

Sports on 03/13/2017

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