BASKETBALL
Arkansas men's SEC opponents set
FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas' opponents for the upcoming SEC men's basketball season were announced Wednesday.
The Razorbacks will play home and road games against LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas A&M, and home-only games against Kentucky, Auburn, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Ole Miss are Arkansas' road-only opponents.
Game times, dates and TV information will be announced at a later date.
The Razorbacks also have scheduled nonconference home games against Gardner-Webb on Nov. 13; Central Arkansas on Dec. 1; Elon on Dec. 21; and West Virginia on Jan. 29 as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
-- Scottie Bordelon
Sun Belt women announce schedule
A day after announcing its men's basketball slate, the Sun Belt Conference released its women's basketball schedule for the upcoming season Wednesday.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Arkansas State University will go back to being travel partners with the Sun Belt reverting to a 16-game, division-less season rather than the split format utilized in 2020-21.
UALR will begin its conference season Dec. 30 in Atlanta for a matchup with Georgia State while Arkansas State visits Georgia Southern.
Arkansas State will play at UALR on Feb. 12, and the sides will meet again in Jonesboro on Feb. 19.
With 11 opponents to be scheduled over 16 games, both the Trojans and Red Wolves will play Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Troy, South Alabama and the two Georgia schools just once. They'll have home-and-home series with Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana-Lafayette, Texas-Arlington, Texas State and one another.
The season will conclude with the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Pensacola, Fla., which begins March 2 and wraps up with the title game March 7.
Neither side has yet to release its complete nonconference schedule.
-- Mitchell Gladstone
Brown headed back to Murray State
Marcus Brown, who'd been the boys head coach at West Memphis since 2017, is set to return to his college alma mater.
Murray State announced on its website Wednesday that Brown would be joining the staff as an assistant to Coach Matt McMahon.
"I am absolutely thrilled to add Marcus Brown to our coaching staff," McMahon said in a news release. "Coach Brown knows how to build a championship culture, and he will be an incredible mentor for our players. He has a passion and pride for Murray State basketball that is unmatched."
Brown, who confirmed the news to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, was a two-time Ohio Valley Conference player of the year during his playing career at Murray State (1992-96). He is the Racers' third all-time leading scorer with 2,236 points and first in career steals with 232.
The 47-year-old, who was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2013, later played in the NBA for both Portland (1996-97) and Detroit (1999) as well as professionally overseas for 14 seasons before taking over for Larry Bray at West Memphis four years ago.
Brown and the Blue Devils shared the Class 5A state title with Jacksonville in 2020 after covid-19 forced the game to be canceled.
-- Erick Taylor
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Cossey resigns from Hamburg
Cecil Ray Cossey will not be roaming the sidelines as head coach for Hamburg when the 2021 season kicks off next month.
The 41-year-old recently announced on Facebook that he is resigning after spending seven seasons with the Lions. He confirmed his decision to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Wednesday.
Cossey, who is a 1998 Hamburg graduate, took over for Mike Cox in 2014 and compiled a 52-32 record during his time as coach. He also led Hamburg to the playoffs in each of his seven seasons.
-- Erick Taylor
MOTOR SPORTS
Hammer Hill Twinbill tonight at I-30
Little Rock's I-30 Speedway will host the Hammer Hill Twinbill tonight, featuring the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series late models and the Rockabilly 45, which will pay $5,000 to win. Also on the card will be a sprint car special event paying $2,000 to win.
Entering the event, Logan Martin of West Plains, Mo., leads CCSDS points standings by four points over Brian Rickman of Columbus, Miss., and 47 points over B.J. Robinson of Shreveport. Trumann's Kyle Beard is fourth and Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas, is fifth.
Gates open at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 7:30 p.m. Adult grandstand admission is $20 and there is a $5 discount with a ticket stub from last Saturday night at the track. Children aged 12 and under get in free. Pit passes are $35.
-- Steve Rogers