Arkansas picks up 11th seed, date with Miami in Nashville

MARTY COOK
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- After the whirlwind ride Arkansas had in the SEC Tournament, how bad can a Hurricane be?
Arkansas' reward for winning the SEC Tournament is an 11th seed in the South Regional of the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks' first-round opponent will be 23rd-ranked and sixth-seeded Miami (21-10), which made it to the Big East Tournament semifinals before losing to eventual champion St. John's.
Arkansas (19-14) plays Miami on Friday in Nashville, Tenn. Game times will be announced today. If the Razorbacks defeat Miami, they would play the winner of the first-round game between No. 3 seed Ohio State and No. 13 seed Appalachian State on Sunday.
"Miami is very good," Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson said. "They've won some big games this year. We will have our work cut out for us."
The Razorbacks capped an improbable postseason run with a 75-67 victory against Auburn in the SEC championship game. The Razorbacks won four games in four days in Atlanta to earn the automatic bid, the only way Arkansas could have made the 64-team NCAA field.
"It's just good to be in the tournament," Arkansas guard Chris Walker said. "We don't care about seeds. We think we are a very good tournament team. We are dangerous right now."
While Arkansas is a surprise entrant in the tournament, Miami is not, although Coach Leonard Hamilton expressed some question about the Hurricanes' sixth seed. Miami was the Big East regular-season co-champions and entered the Big East tournament with six consecutive conference road victories.
"We like our chances; I've liked them all along," Hamilton told the Miami Herald. "I'm not sure whether to be happy with the sixth seed or disappointed. There are some teams out there we think we're as good as, but what difference does that make?"
The South Regional is loaded with distinguished programs from top conferences. Stanford is the No. 1 seed, followed by Cincinnati, Ohio State, Tennessee and defending national champion Connecticut. The regional also features North Carolina, Missouri and UNLV.
"We just won five basketball games in eight days, and four were against ranked opponents," Richardson said. "We won't meet anything tougher that that. We may play some teams that are better, but it was incredible to win those five in a row."
The Hurricanes are led by 6-5 guard Johnny Helmsley, who is averaging 18 points a game. Miami is a not a big team and relies on defense, forcing more than 18 turnovers a game.
"It doesn't matter who we play," said SEC Tournament MVP Brandon Dean. "We're on an emotional high right now and are confident we can beat anyone in the country."

This article was published on Monday, March 13, 2000

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