Archive for The Sports Advantage

BREAKING NEWS: BOBBY PETRINO OUT FOR HOGS

April 10, 2012 Featured, News, Sports, The Sports Advantage, Three and Out No comments
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Fayetteville, AR-  University of Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long announced at a press conference tonight that he has made a final decision concerning Head Football Coach Bobby Petrino.  Long said that he had to look beyond the accident and at the behavior of the former coach, “he [Petrino] jeopardized the integrity of the football program”.  Director Long discussed the findings of his investigation stating, “Coach Petrino knowingly mislead the University of Arkansas about things that happened with the accident”.  Long also said that Petrino’s relationship with Dorrell was not against University policy but that hiring her was a conflict of interest, saying that Dorrell was one of over 100 applicants for the position.  Director Long said Petrino “engaged in a pattern of manipulative and misleading behavior” that has “put his relationship with Dorrell in the national spotlight and consequently has been terminated”.  Long said he spoke with coaching staff and players encouraging them to continue with spring practices and their studies.  Long said he will begin searching for a new head coach immediately after the press conference convenes and that Tavern Johnson will take over as interim head coach until April 21.  Long said that Petrino was fired with cause — meaning he will not receive a multi-million dollar buyout — and that there were no discussions about ways to keep Petrino at Arkansas.

University of Arkansas Chancellor G. David Gearhart tonight issued the following statement in response to tonight’s announcement regarding Bobby Petrino.
“This is a sad day for the University of Arkansas and Razorback sports.  After a thorough review, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long has made his decision.
“Mr. Petrino’s contract establishes a process by which he may have his termination decision reviewed.  Under that process, the review would ultimately come to me for consideration and action.
“Given my role in the review process as Chancellor, I must decline further comment on today’s announcement.”
BREAKING NEWS- Athletic Director Jeff Long announced he will meet with the media at 7:15 pm.

It is expected he is discussing the future of Arkansas Head Coach Bobby Petrino.

Stay with www.uatvonline.net or follow our twitter @UATVSports for live updates.

Arkansas Tops Michigan

January 21, 2012 Featured, News, Sports, The Sports Advantage, Three and Out One comment
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Paced by B.J Young’s 15 points, the Arkansas Razorbacks defeated the #19 Michigan Wolverines 66-64 in front of a season high crowd of 19,050 on Saturday. The Hogs improve to 14-5 on the season, while remaining 2-2 in conference. Arkansas put on an offensive display in the first half, and managed to hold off Michigan’s second half comeback, with a little luck to stay a perfect 14-0 at home this season. Trey Burke’s game-winning 3 rattled out to extinguish any hope for Michigan to steal a win at Bud Walton. “I thought it was a great game,” said coach Mike Anderson. “It was a good win for our team and our program.”

Arkansas built a 46-33 halftime lead shooting an impressive 65% from the field, and starting the game 11-11, including 4-4 from 3 point range in that stretch, while holding Michigan to a meager 39% from the floor.

The 2nd half proved to be a game of survival for the Hogs as Michigan mounted an impressive comeback, getting within 2 of the Razorbacks late in the game, sparked by John Novak shooting 5-7 from 3 point range. With less than a minute to play, Young found fellow freshman Hunter Mickelson off a pick and roll with a tricky pass. Mickelson hit the tough shot giving Arkansas a 66-62 lead. Michigan would pull within 2 once again, and poor free throw shooting by the Hogs allowed Michigan to have one final chance at the end.

“I thought our young guys played really well, we really bounced back in a positive way,” said Anderson.

Arkansas sustained a couple of injuries on the day. Senior Marvell Waithe left the game after only playing 2 minutes and would not return after suffering a strained calf, while Young rose up for a dunk midway through the 2nd half, and was undercut by Novak, who was given a flagrant foul but not ejected. Young took an elbow to the face, and landed hard on the floor, but entered the game the very next play to help push the Hogs to the win.

Arkansas returns to Bud Walton Arena Wednesday to face the Auburn Tigers. Tip-off is set for 8pm, and can be seen on the SEC Network.

These are the highlights from the game this weekend.

 

This is Mike Anderson’s post game interview.

Texas A&M Joins the Sec

September 28, 2011 Featured, News, Sports, The Sports Advantage, Three and Out No comments
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After a humiliating loss to Alabama, Arkansas is prepping for the new S-E-C entrants, the Aggies of Texas A&M. UATV’s Paige Brown has more information on the new S-E-C opponent and what it means for the game that typically takes place in Dallas.

 

Off the Mat UFC 132 Staff Predictions

July 2, 2011 Sports, The Sports Advantage 2 comments
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Bernard Oliver Producer/Host:

So since I’m pressed for time this is going to be very short! I’m headed to the Haye v.Klitschko boxing match.

My Prelim bout must see: Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard vs Shane Roller

Guillard has one of the most magnificent records in the UFC. It may not be filled with what you would call star power but you know it is filled with? 45 wins and 9 losses according to UFC.com Since I began watching him in my first days as an MMA fan he’s done nothing short of dismantle opponents one by one. On the other hand we have Shane Roller, fighting out of Dallas, TX. Boy is it hard to go against someone in my place of residence! Roller is a WEC legend and has gone toe to toe with the best. BUT, the best being Ben Henderson & Anthony Pettis both of which beat him one by KO the other by third round submission. Both fighters NEED to win this match Guillard for his long awaited title shot, and Roller for much of the same but also say that he can roll with the big dogs. I’ve got Guillard by KO.

Siver v. Wiman

This is going to be a straight up brawl. Two guys with KO power standing! My favorite kind of match! I’m excited. As I said on the show to me this is Siver’s fight. His takedown defense spoke volumes in his fight with world renowned wrestler George Sotiropoulos. Ol’ Sotiro never did take Siver down at least not that I can remember. That is the difference maker if Wiman can’t take Siver down and use that awesome jiu jitsu, then the fight stays on the feet. And on the feet I’ve got Siver in either a KO or decison.

Carlos Condit vs Dong Hyun Kim

Again here I reference the record. Condit’s record is 26-5 with wins over Jake Ellenberger Dan Hardy and a slew of others. This former WEC champion has been on my radar for quite some time. Then we have Stun Gun Kim to speak on. One of the top three fighters from the eastern world of MMA. This man never ceases to amze and he promises that this fight will be much more entertaining than his last where he cranked out a win over one of my favorite fighters Nate Diaz. I’m going against my head here and taking Kim by submission.

Ryan Bader vs Tito Ortiz

Ryan Bader….I’m not even detailing this one. Ryan Bader by KO

Wanderlei Silva vs Chris Leben

The return of a legend in MMA is finally here. Wandy “The Axe Murderer” makes his comeback against Chris “The Crippler” Leben. That just sends chills up your spine right? Sounds like an old cheesy 60′s horror film. But nonetheless this fight is a MUST SEE! Leben is coming off of a loss to the rising star Brian Stann and Wandy is coming off of a year and five month break. This should prove to be a very exciting fight or a very boring one. There is bad blood between the two already and that usually brings about an emotion filled fight which can hurt or make the event. Wanderlei’s atom bomb hand versus Leben’s historic landmark chin. History doesn’t stand up too well to bombs but this landmark packs some great submissions in his basement. I have to take Wandy by KO

Main Even Bantamweight Championship Dominick Cruz (WEC/UFC Champion) vs. Urijah Faber

The Champion and former champion face off for their second meeting! Dom has gone on file as saying that Urijah handed him his only loss in his career and he wants that blemish rectified. Faber is looking for the belt one more time in this go around. Good thing Jose Aldo isn’t in the same class anymore…low blow I know. Dominick Cruz has some of the most elusive movements I’ve ever seen. When I saw him against Jorgenson in his last WEC fight ever I thought for sure Jorgenson was going to take his head off with all that crazy movement. But the man has much method to his madness. Pinpoint striking and great takedown defense coupled with his very unorthodox stand up stance make him near unstoppable. Urijah needs this battle to go to the ground, unfortunately the champ won’t get there easily. It may go to decision but I’ve got Cruz by KO no wait decision….yes decision.

 

 

Keith Helm AP/GFX/Sound: Keith decided to write an essay….yeah no bro lol (and this has deleted stuff lol)

For my prelim fight I’ve picked Anthony Njokuani vs Andre Winner. Why?  No reason I know nothing about these men, was it a good choice or are you judging me now for picking a lame fight because I don’t care.  For this I pick Njokuani, he’s got some pretty sweet tats and while I don’t know if Andre Winner’s last name is pronounced “winner” I do know it’s spelled “winner” and that’s pretty presumptuous to me so get off your high horse Winner I’m choosing Njokuani.  What if Njokuani  is Nigerian for “winner” though?  Too late doesn’t matter I’ve made my decision on to the future.
The first fight of the main card is Dennis Siver and Matt Wiman, Siver looks like the older less famous brother of Daniel Craig, who’s mother finally said “Dennis you get out and you get a job.”  And so he decided to punch people for a living, which doesn’t seem to be a very sound career choice.  Matt Wiman kinda looks like a guy I went to high school with so he’s my choice over James Bond’s older past his prime brother.
Carlos Condit and Dong Hyun Kim is an easy pick even for me.  I looked at his fight record and he’s undefeated professionally also outside of one fight in the ATL Kim has had every one of his fights on American soil in Las Vegas so no contest right I don’t even have to wiki Carlos Condit because unless it says something like he’s killed people with his eyes then he’s not going to win this one.
And if I thought the Condit/Kim fight was an easy decision then the Tito Ortiz Ryan Bader fight is like playing Final Fight II for the Super NES on easy with a game genie, I mean look at Tito Ortiz he’s like a 50 year old man or something with dyed hair looking like a silly old man the kind of guy at a bar everyone would be whispering and talking about behind his back.  Speaking of bars, Ryan Bader seems like a guy I could have some brews with and we’d chill out probably talk about some cool stuff and then make fun of the old guy in the corner trying to keep his youth alive while hitting on a sad looking ex-pornstar.  Now who am I to judge, maybe they’re happy together and that’s great, but they can go be walking billboards of “Hey, don’t abuse your body during your youth because you will be old one day and still have to walk around in public with it,” so for this I’m choosing Ryan Bader.

Silva vs Leben, Wanderlai Silva’s birthday is July 3rd so obviously he’s not going to want to have a loser birthday and rub his sores while blowing out his candles which means he has to win this one.

The main event, Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber, what can be said about them – a lot more than I will be able to that’s for sure – Cruz is younger and the current UFC Bantamweight Champion, though Cruz and Faber have faced each other once before and Faber defeated.  Faber handled him quickly with something called a Guillotine Choke and guillotine is one of my favorite words – I mean just say it out loud right now geh-ya-teen, now are you smiling, the answer is yes because you just said an awesome word.  Another interesting note, their last match was also in Las Vegas as this one is and Faber defeated Cruz in the first round to defend the WEC Featherweight Championship – which could be cool but the WEC doesn’t even exist any more so who cares.  That was in 2007 though and think about how different the world was four years ago.  Bush was still in the White House, the final Harry Potter book was released, and the Writer’s Guild of America strike happened. That was also when the whole Chris Benoit rampage on his family occurred, bringing this little article full circle. Could that have been a worse year, Jerry Falwell died too so I guess silver-lining and all that, but I digress.
So Faber carries that baggage with him, the baggage of a victory in a bad year, which means another victory this Saturday would act as a validation of the horrors of 2007 – not really, but what else am I going to write about, their fighting styles – so even though before I did any research – did you like that strange wikiholic form of research, real in-depth analysis I know – I decided I was going to go for Urijah Faber.  Now I’ve changed my mind Dominick Cruz must defend his belt, defend his honor in this rematch and fight to banish the injustice that was 2007 from our memories.
There it is, Njokuani over Winner for my prelim choice; Wiman over Siver, Kim over Condit, Bader over Ortiz, Silva over Leben and Cruz over Faber. There that wasn’t so hard.

Jon Urcuyo Analyst/Feared Beard:

Siver V Wilman

After returning to the UFC in 2009 Dennis Siver has shown the MMA world that he’s not messing up his second chance.  With two KO’s in his last two fights Siver is poised to continue the comeback he was destined for.  Dennis Siver has his work cut out for him with Matt Wilman who is currently on a 3 fight winning streak, but Siver takes this fight but decision.
Condit V Kim
Kim is one of the top 3 Eastern Fighters in the UFC and is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to ground grappling.  Although Condit is a legit fighter with definite ground capabilities I’m giving Dong Hyun Kim the victory via submission.
Ortiz V Bader
What can I say Ortiz hasn’t truly won a notable fight since Ken Shamrock in 06’( Forrest fight was a robbery)  Bader is too much for Tito, Bader will dominate KO victory.

Silva V Leben
Silva is a legend in MMA this will be his first ring appearance in over a year, Silva has a chance to add another notch to his legendary career.  I think Silva ends Leben in dramatic fashion.  KO!

Cruz V Faber
Definitely one of the toughest fights of the night two great athletes two great fighters.  I think the age factor is going be a big reason Cruz will be able to control this fight.  Cruz is a fast unorthodox fighter that will pepper Faber and retreat until time to capitalize.  Faber won’t be able to take down Cruz enough to be effective so I believe that Cruz will take down Faber by decision.

Sotiropoulos V Anjos
This is a setup fight for Sotiropoulos after his last loss at an Australia event but he has more on his plate than he realized.  This should be a great fight tough to pick a solid winner but when I’m unsure I realize that this is a setup fight for a reason, trust in Dana White and your usually fine.  I’m taking Sotiropoulos in this fight, definitely the prelim fight of the night.

 

Jeremy Hurtt – Analyst, Genius

Let’s do this.

Siver – Wiman

Wiman has an outstanding ground game, but he’s going to have to solve with the superior stand-up of Dennis Siver to have any chance of getting the fight into his world. I’ll take Siver by decision.

Condit – Kim

Condit is an experienced and rounded fighter, but I like athleticism and the ability to control and punish from top, and Kim has all of that. I got Kim by decision.

Ortiz – Bader

Lather, rinse, repeat. Bader is stronger, more explosive, and better at being Tito than Tito is. Bader by third round TKO.

Silva – Leben

Leben has to figure out a way to deal with a dynamic striker with power to burn – which hasn’t been his best matchup to date. I think we see Leben close the distance and work for a take-down and use his underrated guard to submit Wandy in the second, something that has never happened in Silva’s 45 fights. Either that, or Leben gets murdered in the first round.

Cruz – Faber

I expect an older and wiser Cruz to stand on the outside and use angles to punish Uriah’s legs, a la Aldo. I like Cruz by unanimous decision.

Simpson – Tavares

Simpson has fallen from grace after a great start, and I expect him to get back on track here with brutal groundwork on the way to a stoppage in the second.

 

 

That’s it for us here at Off the Mat

Clarke drops 25, Hogs blowout Tigers

February 12, 2011 Featured, Sports, The Sports Advantage No comments

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Junior Rotnei Clarke was on fire all night from the floor to have 25 points and five three-pointers to lead the Razorback men’s basketball team to a 80-61 win over the LSU Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena.
The Razorbacks (15-9, 5-6) not only shot 48 percent from the field, but had one of their best defensive efforts of the season, holding LSU (10-15, 2-8) to 43 percent shooting and causing 17 turnovers and six steals. 19 of Arkansas’ points were scored off turnovers.

“I thought the first half we did a good job of rebounding and defending,” said Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey. “We had a really important final two minutes to end the half and it was good to see guys go out and make baskets. I felt all night that the defense was pretty good and alert. I thought the guys stepped up and made shots and I’m proud of our guys. I thought they competed well in the first half and to finish the way we did was inspiring.”

Even though the buckets were not falling to start the game, the Hogs came out in the first half with a strong defensive pressure going from man-to-man off the tip and then transitioning into a full court press after each basket. Because of the strong defensive effort, the Hogs were able to cause 14 LSU turnovers in the first half and score 15 of their 40 first half points off of those turnovers.

It took almost a minute and a half before the Razorbacks got their first bucket of the game, courtesy of a three-pointer by junior Rotnei Clarke to give Arkansas an early 3-1 lead. After both teams traded bucket, Clarke knocked another through the nylon from three-point land to give the Razorbacks an early five point lead through the first four minutes of play. Clarke was hot from the field for the entire first 20 minutes as he went 3-for-4 from three and compiled up a team-high 15 points.

The LSU turnovers continued as the first half hit the 10 minute mark, but the Razorback defense was still holding the Tigers to a low percentage from the field (33%). With a four point lead and 7:49 to go in the first half, senior Marcus Britt got in on the three-point action to hit his first from deep. That play was followed by a steal by sophomore Marshawn Powell which then led to a Michael Sanchez lay-up in the paint, forcing LSU  head coach Trent Johnson to call a timeout. Those series of plays gave Arkansas a nine-point lead and the momentum shift they needed to finish out the half on the leading end.

Arkansas finished the final five minutes of the half on a 16-4 run, giving them the big 40-22 lead going into halftime. After Clarke, the Razorbacks were led by Powell, who finished the half with eight points and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. The Razorbacks continued to shoot well from the field throughout the first half, going into the locker room at 54 percent.

Coming out of halftime with the huge 18 point lead, the Razorbacks went right back to work. More specifically, Clarke went back to work as he knocked down the first five points for the Hogs to give them a 19 point lead. From there the Hogs would continue to work their lead to even larger proportions, eventually hitting the 29 point margin with five minutes to go in the game.

Looking a little deeper into the box score, junior Jeff Peterson finished the game with six points and seven assists in 24 minutes of playing time. Peterson was able to do a good job in the second half of driving and dishing to Clarke and Powell to match his career high in the assist category.

Throughout the entire game, the Hogs got to the free throw line frequently with their aggressive play, knocking down 25-of-29 of the freebies and continued to be on the better free throw shooting teams in the Southeastern Conference. Clarke and Powell would both finish the game a perfect 6-for-6.

The Razorbacks finished the game with two players in double figure scoring. Along with Clarke, Powell scored 14 points and was a force inside the paint. Senior Delvon Johnson rounded out the top three on the team with nine points and eight rebounds, nearly a double double.

Arkansas will return to the court next Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena to take on Florida A&M with the tip scheduled for 7 p.m. For all information regarding the Razorback men’s basketball team, log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARKANSAS MEDIA RELATIONS

Hogs can’t close out Dawgs in second half

February 3, 2011 Featured, Sports, The Sports Advantage No comments

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Sophomore Marshawn Powell scored 16 points to lead his team, but clutch free throw shooting by Georgia in the closing seconds would allow the Bulldogs to squeak by Arkansas with a 60-59 win at Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday night. Powell’s point total would make him the only Hog in double figure scoring, but it was Georgia, who would shoot a scorching 52 percent from the floor in the second half to earn the victory.

With the loss, Arkansas falls to 14-7 overall and 4-4 in conference play. The loss is also their first in Bud Walton Arena this season. On their home court they are now 12-1 this year. Coming in, it was their third best start at the arena since the year it opened in the 93-94 season. Georgia, on the other hand, improves to 15-6 overall and 4-4 in SEC play. This breaks a two-game losing streak for the Bulldogs.

“This was a hard fought game,” said Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey. “Both teams were competing very hard and we were fortunate to get (Trey) Thompkins into foul trouble in the first half, but we couldn’t take advantage of it. We didn’t rebound enough and the free throw line hurt us. Georgia is a good team and they outplayed us today.”

After taking a 25-22 lead at halftime, the Bulldogs would come out on a 14-5 run in the first seven plus minutes of the second half. Travis Leslie capped the run with a three-pointer and a layup to give the Bulldogs a 37-30 lead, their largest of the night. Arkansas would get the deficit to three and even two points on multiple occasions, but the Georgia offense would not allow the Hogs to take the momentum for the majority of the half and never relinquish the lead.

The game would become tied seven times in the second half alone, but Arkansas never seemed to be able to get over that hump and take the lead. In the final four minutes with the Bulldogs up by six, Arkansas would get a 6-0 run on the back of two layups by sophomore Julysses Nobles. Nobles would tie the game at 59 on spinning layup with 27 seconds to play. Georgia would play for the final shot on the other end and Trey Thompkins would be fouled with one second remaining and be sent to the free throw line. Thompkins would knock down the first and intentionally miss the second to give Arkansas no time to get up the court for a final shot.

From the field, Arkansas was very consistent, shooting 43 percent, while a second half explosion from Georgia would bump them up to 40 percent for the game. Sophomore Delvon Johnson had a near triple-double on the night as he had nine points, nine rebounds and seven blocks, one block short of his career high. Those seven blocks gives Johnson now 76 for the season.

As cold as it was outside Bud Walton Arena with the frigid temperatures, it was not much warmer inside as the Bulldogs and Hogs both struggled from the field early in the first half. At the first media timeout, both teams went a combined 2-for-12 from the field, but it was the Razorbacks who would be the owners of those two shots to take an early 4-0 lead.

Georgia would actually miss their first four shots from the field and most of that can be said because of the great defense that was played by the Razorbacks. Two blocks and two steals by the Hogs helped hold the Bulldogs to 18 percent shooting in the first seven minutes of play. For the entire first half, Arkansas would have six blocks and four steals. Four of those blocks would come from the hands of senior Delvon Johnson.

Later in the half, Arkansas would get a nine-point lead at the 6:45 mark after a three-pointer by junior Rotnei Clarke, his first of the night, but Georgia would then go on a mini 6-1 run to pull within two. Not long after a Jeremy Price layup made it 20-18 at the five minute mark, Arkansas would get a huge alley-oop from sophomore Glenn Bryant, courtesy of sophomore Julysses Nobles. The dunk would send the mostly student-filled arena into a frenzy. However, the dunk wouldn’t keep Georgia down for long as they kept the lead close and eventually would take a 25-22 Arkansas lead into the locker room.

The first half, overall, was very controlled inside the paint with very little offense outside the three point line. Arkansas would be led by sophomore Marshawn Powell in the point category as he had six, while Clarke and freshman Mardracus Wade each added five points. Both Georgia and Arkansas would barely scratch off 10 shots made from the field, but the Hogs would be the more selective of the two, going 10-for-23 and 2-of-4 from three point land.

The men’s basketball team will return to action this Saturday when they take on Ole Miss at Bud Walton Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN2. For all information regarding the Razorback men’s basketball team, log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARKANSAS MEDIA RELATIONS

Hogs stop road woes, win big against No. 22 Vanderbilt

January 29, 2011 Featured, Sports, The Sports Advantage No comments

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Razorback men’s basketball team got a huge boost from juniors Rotnei Clarke and Michael Sanchez, who each had season highs in points on Saturday night to help Arkansas to am 89-78 victory over the 22nd-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores. Clarke’s point total would not be a career high, but Sanchez would pass his career high number of 12 just four minutes into the second half.

Arkansas (14-6, 4-3) would knock down over 55 percent of their shots on the night and would also dominate Vanderbilt (15-5, 3-3) in the rebounding category, especially in the first half, 14-8, en route to their first conference road victory of the season. The win would also be the Hogs first against a ranked opponent on the road since they defeated 18th-ranked Ole Miss in Oxford last year by a score of 80-73.

“We obviously know how good Vanderbilt is,” said Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey. “In every game they have controlled the game and we knew it would be a tall order. We played well and got production from a lot of people. (Michael) Sanchez came in and was awesome, Rotnei (Clarke) was amazing. The rebounding was there and this is something to build off of.”

The Razorbacks, who had been slow first half starters in recent games came out in the first seven minutes matching the Commodores shot for shot, getting output from five different Hog players. Clarke, who had been held in check for the most part in his last few games, quickly got on the scoreboard in those first seven minutes, scoring six of Arkansas’ first 14 points.

With the Razorbacks’ big men of sophomore Marshawn Powell and senior Delvon Johnson getting in early foul trouble, the Hogs were forced to rely not only on Clarke, who had 16 first half points, but also on  Sanchez, who easily had his best game to date, 10 first half points and two rebounds. The Hogs would take the lead at the 13:27 mark in the first half after a free throw from freshman Mardracus Wade to make it 15-14 and from there would slowly begin to build their lead.

Vanderbilt would keep it within five with five minutes to go in the half, but the Hogs would force the Commodores to miss just enough shots and dominate the boards on the defensive end, which would help them take a 43-36 lead into the locker room. In the first half, Clarke would not only lead all scorers with 16 points, but he would steadily work inside the three-point line, going 6-for-8 with only one three pointer.

Early in the second half, Vanderbilt would pull within four after two straight three-pointers from John Jenkins, but Arkansas would continue to keep the momentum in their favor as they had for almost the entire game after Clarke responded with two three-pointers of his own at the 14:27 point to make it a 59-47 Razorback lead.

Those threes would force Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings to call a timeout, but it would not do much to slow down the Razorback offense. After Clarke was forced to score most of his first half points inside the three point line, he would move his game outside and get back to doing what all Hog fans have missed seeing from the junior guard. In the second half alone, Clarke would explode for five second half three-pointers and 20 points to add to his total of 36.

Even as Vanderbilt would pull within nine with three minutes left, the Hogs continued to knock down free throws down the stretch and keep a good distance from their opponents. In the entire game, the Razorbacks went 20-for-28 from the free throw line.

For the game, Arkansas would shoot a season-high field goal percentage (57.4%) and give Vanderbilt their first home loss of the season. Clarke and Sanchez would lead the Hogs in scoring, 36 and 20 points respectively, and combine for 20-for-28 from the field.

The basketball team will look to extend their winning streak next week when they return home to face Georgia on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at Bud Walton Arena. The game is slated to tip off at 8 p.m. and will be televised by CSS. For all information regarding the Razorback men’s basketball team, log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

Powell’s season high not enough for Hogs in overtime

January 19, 2011 Featured, Sports, The Sports Advantage No comments

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Sophomore Marshawn Powell scored a career high 21 points on Wednesday night, but it would not be enough to carry the Razorback men’s basketball team to victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks, dropping their second conference game of the season, 81-74 in overtime.

The Razorbacks (12-5, 2-2), who battled the entire game to take a late second half lead, were forced into overtime after a couple of big South Carolina (12-5, 3-1) shots in the final minutes and then struggled to find an offense in the extra period.

“We’re certainly disappointed and I hurt for those guys,” said Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey. “I thought we played better and fought hard, but we had some costly turnovers. We defended we tonight, but we need to rebound better.”

After being down five to start the second half, the Hogs seemed to not give South Carolina much hope for success as they would work quickly to tie the game on a Jeff Peterson three-pointer and then take their first lead of the game on a huge Julysses Nobles dunk, making it 41-39 with just under 17 minutes to play.

The Gamecocks would turn that score around and take the small lead back, but Arkansas would then go on the biggest run of the night. The Razorbacks would go on an 11-0 run for nearly three minutes and take a 10-point, 57-47 lead with 10:41 left to play. Seven of those points would come from the hands of sophomore Julysses Nobles. The Jackson, Miss. native would explode in the second half to score 12 points after going scoreless in the first half.

For the remainder of regulation, the Hogs would cling to their lead and still hold it with under three minutes to play, but Ramon Galloway would strike once again with another three-pointer to put the Gamecocks down two and then Malik Cooke would knock down two foul shots to send the game into overtime.

The Razorbacks, who already played two overtime games earlier this season, did not fare much better the third time around as they continued to struggle offensively in the extra period. South Carolina would score the first six points out of regulation and never look back, forcing the Hogs to miss their first three shots in the extra five minutes. Arkansas, for the game would shoot very efficiently from the field at an even 49 percent, but would allow the Gamecocks to win the rebounding battle, 41-36, with 19 coming on the offensive side. Those offensive boards would allow South Carolina to score 18 second chance points in the game.

The first half wasn’t the quickest of starts for either team as only nine points were scored altogether through the first five minutes of play, but Powell would score the first seven points for Arkansas. Powell, single-handedly kept the Razorbacks within striking distance of the Gamecocks for nearly the entire half as he went on to score 15 of the Hogs’ 30 first half points.

Even though Arkansas would never take the lead or tie the game in the first half, the Hogs would never trail by more than eight during the entire first 20 minutes. A big reason behind the close game would be the Razorbacks ability to get to the free throw line. As a team, Arkansas would go 9-12 from the charity stripe.

A see-saw battle would be the trending theme in the opening half as each team would go on various mini-runs to never take control of the game. The closest the Razorbacks would get is a one-point deficit after a Rotnei Clarke three-pointer to make it 17-18 with 9:56 to play. That shot from Clarke would be the only field goal of the night for him. Unfortunately, Galloway would score nine of his 11 first half points soon after that to help the Gamecocks take a 35-30 lead into the locker room.

After struggling to shoot from the floor in the last few games, Arkansas shot over 41 percent from the field at 10-for-24, but was only 1-for-5 from behind the three-point line. Powell would lead all scorers in the first half with his 15 points, while senior Delvon Johnson followed up with seven points and two blocks.

The men’s basketball team will remain on the road for their next conference matchup against Florida on Saturday, Jan. 22 with the tip scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Net. For all information regarding the Razorback men’s basketball team, log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARKANSAS MEDIA RELATIONS

Hoop Hogs win over Tide in final minutes

January 15, 2011 Featured, Sports, The Sports Advantage No comments

FAYETTEVILLE - Sophomore Marshawn Powell scored 17 points and was one of four Razorbacks to score in doubles figures on Saturday afternoon as the Razorback men’s basketball team defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide, 70-65, at Bud Walton Arena. The point total from Powell was his third straight double figure scoring effort and 28th of his career.
Arkansas (12-4, 2-1), who trailed nearly the entire game, came back late in the second half to take their first lead with two minutes to play. Alabama (10-7, 2-1) suffered two key turnovers in those final two minutes, which led to clutch free throw shooting by the Razorbacks in the final seconds.

“We’re very fortunate to win today,” said Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey. Alabama did a good job of controlling the game and they’re tough. But, we controlled late and we were fortunate to catch up at the end. The fans were phenomenal again today. I can’t say enough about them.”

After being down four at halftime and struggling from behind the arc, the Razorbacks were forced to come out in the second half and work a strong inside game. Senior Delvon Johnson and sophomore Marshawn Powell stepped up to that task to combine for over half of Arkansas’ second half offense. The Hogs, as a team, did recover from a poor shooting first half to go 13-of-24 from the field in the second half.

The final half actually was going much like the first half as Alabama continued to hold a solid five to seven point advantage through the first 10 minutes. However, the Hogs would go on a 12-5 run tie the game for the first time at 6:37 mark after a jumper by Powell. The Crimson Tide would build up another four point lead after that and it would last for the next four minutes of play.

Down three with 3:08 to play, the Hogs would go to the inside once again, getting a bucket in the paint from Johnson and a monster dunk from Powell, gave the Razorbacks their first lead of the day. The dunk would send the season high crowd at Bud Walton into an absolute frenzy.

“The number one thing today was the crowd,” said Powell. “It made me dig deeper than I ever thought I could.”

Alabama would take the lead back after two free throws from Trevor Releford, but a running jumper from junior Rotnei Clarke would give the Hogs a one point advantage that they would take to the end of the game. Alabama would be forced to foul with less than a minute left and Arkansas would knock down four of their final six free throws to grab the five point victory.

Both the Hogs and the Tide had a tough time finding the bucket early in the first half as it became a defensive battle with only nine points scored between both teams through the first four minutes. The Crimson Tide would jump out to six point lead after five minutes of play off three-pointers from Tony Mitchell and Chavez Davis, the team’s only threes of the half, but the Razorbacks would keep the deficit under 10 points for the entire half.

Even with the Hog’s struggles from the field, they were able to take advantage of multiple free throw opportunities in the first half, going 10-for-12 from the line as a team, eight of which came from Powell and sophomore Julysses Nobles. It was Noble’s dribble penetration and Powell’s inside presence that the team had to lean on in the first 20 minutes, shooting only 32 percent from the field.

With two minutes to go in the half, the Hogs found themselves down 10 for the second time in the game, but a quick 6-0 run by the Razorbacks to end the half, including a three-pointer by Clarke would put the them down only four points, 33-29, going into the locker room. The three-pointer by Clarke was the first and only three-pointer made by the Hogs in the first half. Powell and Nobles would lead all Arkansas scorers at the half with seven points, while Clarke followed up with five.

The Razorback men’s basketball team go back to the road for their next conference game against South Carolina on January 19th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised by the SEC Network and also available on ESPN3.com. The Hogs next home game is scheduled for January 25th against Auburn. That tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. For all information regarding the men’s basketball team, log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARKANSAS MEDIA RELATIONS

Hog defense steps up, edges TAMU 24-17

October 9, 2010 Featured, Sports, The Sports Advantage No comments

ARLINGTON, Texas – It was expected to be a big day for the Arkansas offense, which on paper, it was. The Razorback offense did rack up over 400 total yards, but it was the defense that came up big late in the game, giving the 11th-ranked Hogs a 24-17 victory over Texas A&M in the second annual Southwest Classic. The Razorback defense came up with four turnovers throughout the game, one interception and three fumbles, and had huge third and fourth down stops late in the fourth quarter to give Arkansas the victory. With the win, Arkansas moves to 4-1 on the season, while Texas A&M falls to 3-2.

The Hog offense had its ups and downs against the Aggies. 10 Razorback receivers caught at least one pass from Ryan Mallett, who ended up with 310 yards passing. He now has thrown for 300 or more yards in every game this season, which is a school record. However, there were numerous times the Razorbacks started their drive on the A&M side of the field and were forced to either punt or go for the field goal.

The first half was more to Arkansas fans liking as the Hogs scored two quick touchdowns on their first three possessions. The first coming on the coattails of a four minute drive that ended with a nine yard pass from Ryan Mallett to Joe Adams. The score was Adams only real highlight of the night as the TAMU defense clearly keyed in on Adams after his previous big weeks against Alabama and Louisiana-Monroe.

It was then that Arkansas saw a new name jump to the top of the list of receivers and deliver for the Hogs. After Texas A&M responded with a touchdown of their own, sophomore Cobi Hamilton made a huge 71 yard touchdown catch from Mallett on just their third possession of the game and Arkansas regained the lead late in the first quarter. A lead they would hold on to for the remainder of the game.

The high scoring first half continued for the Hogs after Mallett took his team down the field in barely a minute late in quarter number two and connected with tight end Ben Cleveland on a six yard pass to give the Razorbacks a 21-7 lead. The touchdown catch by Cleveland was his first since the 2008 season.

The Aggies, however, felt that having only 53 seconds until halftime was just enough time to drive 64 yards and respond right back to remain only seven points down after the first half. The touchdown came on a 31 yard pass from Jerrod Johnson to wide receiver, Jeff Fuller. Fuller had a career night with eight catches for 154 yards and one touchdown.

For the rest of the game, it became a story of defense and clock management. The Razorbacks were able to kick two field goals in the second half and continue to have a solid rushing attack from Knile Davis and Broderick Green. Both backs combined for 153 yards on the ground. Good for their best game of the season and it was that attack that kept the clock ticking and the A&M offense off the field. Coming into this game, Texas A&M had held their opponents to only 68 yards per game on the ground, but the Hogs surpassed that mark with barely a minute and a half left in the first quarter.

After this win, Arkansas now sets their sights on the now 8th-ranked Auburn Tigers for a tough away game at Auburn’s Jordan O’Hare Stadium. Auburn is coming off a close win at Kentucky and will remained ranked in the top 10 heading into next Saturday. Start time for the game has yet to be set. Be sure to tune in to UATV news all week for coverage leading up to next Saturday’s big matchup.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARKANSAS MEDIA RELATIONS

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