Hogs drop to 0-3 in SEC; told to 'get away' for day

BOB HOLT
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson had planned to practice his Razorbacks today, but he changed his mind.
Richardson said he figures the Razorbacks need a day off after they lost 81-64 to Vanderbilt on Saturday before 12,221 fans in Memorial Gymnasium.
Arkansas (9-6, 0-3) has lost its first three SEC games for the first time since joining the conference 10 years ago.
"We were supposed to work out [today] and I told them, 'I think y'all need to just get away,' " Richardson said. "We've been working and working and trying to get things accomplished, and sometimes it's best to just get away from it."
Arkansas junior guard T.J. Cleveland said he hopes all of his teammates will use their off day to attend church.
"To me, the only thing that can turn it around now is the Lord," said Cleveland, who had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. "I just hope our whole team goes to church, because we need to pray and do some soul-searching.
"We can't give up. That's the main thing."
Arkansas is off to the worst start by a Richardson-coached team in conference play in 16 seasons, since his first Razorbacks team opened 0-5 in the Southwest Conference during the 1985-86 season.
"How do I feel?" Richardson said. "Like s***.
"It's an ugly feeling. Losing is ugly to me.
"Right now I think Nolan Richardson is stinking up the god**** SEC."
The Razorbacks played without sophomore guard Joe Johnson, their leading scorer (13.6 points per game) and rebounder (6.4), who dressed out but didn't get in the game because of a sprained left wrist he suffered against Ole Miss on Wednesday night. Arkansas sophomore forward Carl Baker missed his fourth consecutive game because of a back sprain.
"Any time somebody doesn't play, you miss them," Cleveland said. "We missed Joe and Carl tremendously, but that's the way basketball goes.
"Other people have to step up, and we didn't do it."
Arkansas jumped ahead 12-5, but the Commodores (12-3, 2-1) took the lead for good at 16-14 on freshman guard Brendan Plavich's three-point basket with 11:54 left in the first half.
Vanderbilt pushed its lead to 31-21 at halftime and was ahead by as many as 20 points, 67-47, with 6:43 left in the game after a three-point play by senior forward Anthony Williams.
Arkansas didn't pull closer than 11 points in the second half, the last time at 74-63 with 1:57 left after junior guard Jannero Pargo, who had a team-high 20 points, hit 3 three-pointers in a row.
"Somehow, we stayed in the position of the aggressor," Vanderbilt Coach Kevin Stallings said. "That's very difficult against a team like Arkansas."
It doesn't seem so tough against the Razorbacks lately as the team continues to struggle.
"They made a lot of shots and were more aggressive than we were," Cleveland said. "That's the way it's been going the whole season."
Vanderbilt, led by Williams' 16 points and 14 rebounds, outrebounded the Razorbacks 47-37, had fewer turnovers (15 to 17) and shot 44.3 percent from the field -- including hitting 12 of 25 three-pointers -- while Arkansas shot 37.3 percent.
The Razorbacks, especially junior forward Dionisio Gomez, did a good job defending Vanderbilt 6-10 senior center Greg LaPointe, who had eight points after scoring 17 in each of the Commodores' first two SEC games.
But LaPointe was able to find open teammates and had six assists. Vanderbilt freshman point guard Russell Lakey had 14 points, and junior guards Chuck Moore and Sam Howard added 13 points each.
"Vandy played good basketball," Richardson said. "They kicked our butt. Simple. They shot the ball well, they rebounded well, they took care of the ball."
Richardson said the Razorbacks' lack of production from their inside players was "the story of the game."
Gomez and sophomore forwards Alonzo Lane and Larry Satchell were a combined 4 of 18 from the field.
"How many chippies did they miss?" Richardson said. "It would have been a totally different game if those shots fall."
Richardson also noted that Williams, who was 4 of 8 from the free throw line, attempted as many free throws as the Razorbacks.
Vanderbilt hit 15 of 28 free throws compared to 4 of 8 by Arkansas.
"When we went the basket, there were no fouls," Richardson said. "Every time they went to the basket, there was a foul."
But Richardson hastened to add he wasn't blaming the loss on officiating.
"I don't think it's an official's deal," he said. "I think it's ourselves. We're not finishing."
Cleveland said it's hard to pinpoint the Razorbacks' problems because there are so many.
"You name something, it's a major problem for us right now," Cleveland said. "It's just ridiculous the way we're playing right now.
"Our record speaks for itself. It's terrible."
Richardson said as upset as he is by Arkansas' record, he will keep working hard to try and get the team turned around.
"I'll leave out of here, and I'll be an angry guy," Richardson said. "And I'll be angry all night, and I'll be angry [today].
"But then I'll look up and there's something up there that says, 'It's over, it's another day, life is too short, go back to work.' And I'm ready to go to work."
But not today. Richardson figures the Razorbacks could use a day off.

This article was published on Sunday, January 14, 2001

RETURN to main page

Copyright and permissions
Copyright © 2001, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved.
This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.