Perhaps no team in the SEC tournament is more eager to play a game than Arkansas, which desperately wants to make amends for what happened in its regular-season finale at Alabama.
The Razorbacks lost by 25 points Saturday because of a dreadful first half in which they made only four of 23 shots and committed 12 turnovers — a performance that contradicted the six-game winning streak Arkansas carried into the game.
“We weren’t mentally focused against Alabama, but that’s good (because) it humbled us,” guard Michael Qualls said Wednesday in the Georgia Dome. “It made us focus on the process. So we’re going to come out and play Arkansas basketball.”
Arkansas, the No. 5 seed, plays its tournament opener at 3:30 p.m. Thursday against the winner of Wednesday night’s Auburn-South Carolina game.
Also on Thursday’s schedule: Missouri vs. Texas A&M in a rematch of a game the Tigers won by one point at home last week; Alabama vs. LSU in a rematch of a game the Crimson Tide won by two points at home in January; and Ole Miss vs. the winner of Wednesday’s late game between Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.
In addition to trying to shake off the debacle at Alabama, Arkansas will seek its first win in an SEC tournament game since 2008. Improbably, the Razorbacks have lost their tournament opener each of the past five seasons — to Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU and Vanderbilt, respectively.
“It’s a different year, different season,” said Arkansas coach Mike Anderson, dismissing the Razorbacks’ recent tournament record. In fact, he said, “I really feel our team is made for the tournament. I think this particular team is certainly primed for the tournament.”
Part of the reason for that optimism is Anderson’s expectation that his team (21-10, 10-8 SEC) will return to the form of the six-game winning streak that preceded the loss at Alabama. The streak included an overtime victory at Kentucky and home wins over Georgia (by 12 points) and Ole Miss (by 30). The Razorbacks have won eight of their past 10.
“We feel like we have been playing some pretty good basketball,” Anderson said. “Our last game out, we got a bad taste in our mouth, but this is a new season. … We went into kind of a hornets’ nest, really, to tell you the truth. It was kind of like one of those trap games.”
Anderson also thinks the Razorbacks’ depth is a plus for postseason play.
“I always talk about having eight to nine starters; we play a lot of players,” he said. “I think as we get to this point in the season, a lot of teams have played six and seven guys. They can hit that wall, man.
“But the key is to get going in this tournament, get past that first game.”
Before traveling to Atlanta, the Razorbacks held a players-only meeting, imploring one another to ensure that what happened in the regular-season finale doesn’t recur.
“I called (the meeting) just to touch base with everybody and let them know that we move forward from that game,” senior forward Coty Clarke said. “It humbled us, like (Qualls) said. It’s a new season, like Coach said. I just wanted to get everybody on the same page and in the same mindset.”
