College baseball and softball seasons are here, and the PLINK! PLINK! PLINK! acoustics of such could not have arrived at a better moment in space and time for Razorback fans, since the men’s basketball team has continued to play bi-polar ball, at best, and the women’s team has had a most-forgettable year altogether.
The University of South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles rang up a career-high 35 points in front of a sparse home crowd at Colonial Life Arena in a 72-53 beatdown of the Hogs. Actually, Murray-Boyles outscored the entire Razorback team during the vast majority of Saturday afternoon’s contest.
Trailing by as many as 35 points, this drubbing did little to help Arkansas’ chances of receiving an at-large bid to NCAA’s March Madness. Following a productive February, during which the Hogs went 5-3, including victories over two ranked teams, Kentucky and Missouri, March came in as advertised – like a lion – and hopefully the lamb will show up and take its place before too long, or it’s gonna be a predominantly hoops-free month for Razorback fans.
Managing to tally only a meager 14 points in the entire first half (the lowest halftime total since a 12-point effort against the University of Nebraska in the 1987 NIT), while shooting an abysmal 12% from the field (making three measly field goals the entire initial 20 minutes), the Hogs were beat before you could say Woo Pig Sooie, and just like that, find themselves squarely behind the eight ball – a spot they’ve occupied most of this season.
So, if the first day of March was any indication as to how the rest of this month will play out; well, let’s just say it’s gonna be a disappointingly quiet 31 daze basketball-wise.
On the other hand, Coach Dave Van Horn’s #4-ranked swatters swept a three-game series with UNC-Charlotte, two of the games in dramatic fashion. Showing off his immense stable of arms, Van Horn threw 13 separate pitchers at the 49ers, while his batsmen collected 34 hits during the weekend series.
Wehiwa and Kuhio Aloy, brothers from the Big Island of Hawaii, led the offensive charge, along with Australian Brent Iredale and American Logan Maxwell. Once again, the Hogs’ lineup is fulla “light-tower power,” which pairs nicely with the vast number of quality pitchers it can bring to the bump each and every game.
But please don’t give up on Coach Cal and his crew just yet, cuz all it takes is one, good hot streak to cure all seasonal ills.
Woo Pig!