Line dance keeps Hogs in it early

Free throws have been Arkansas' nemesis most of the season.
But they were what kept the Razorbacks from being blown out in the first half.
Miami committed 13 first-half fouls that afforded Arkansas 18 free throws. The Hogs made 13, and that accounted for just under half of their 27 first-half points.
The 18 free throws were more than Arkansas has attempted in 14 games this season.

PASSING TIME
Shot clock awareness was not Arkansas' strength Friday night.
On several occasions, the shot clock would be running down and players did not seem to notice. They rarely found Joe Johnson, their go-to scorer, when time was dwindling and Johnson passed the ball several times with the shot clock under 10 seconds.
On one possession, freshman forward Carl Baker tried to penetrate and was called for carrying the ball. Another time, T.J. Cleveland was surrounded on the block and passed the ball out to Dionisio Gomez as the shot clock expired.

AIRING IT OUT
How tight were the Razorbacks in a herky-jerky first half? They shot five air balls, including Blake Eddins' uncontested three-point whiff to open the game. The last two air balls by Brandon Dean and Chris Walker happened because Miami defenders altered the shots.

WHICH WAS IT?
Miami forward John Salmons was called for double dribble late in the game and both coaches complained. Hurricanes Coach Leonard Hamilton was yelling, "He didn't dribble!" at the same time Arkansas' Nolan Richardson was yelling, "He was carrying the ball!"

WARM RECEPTION
You couldn't have blamed Nashville folks if they had offered a harmless smattering of boos when Arkansas was introduced before the game. It was the Razorbacks who bumped local favorite Vanderbilt out of an NCAA Tournament bid by winning the SEC Tournament. But Arkansas was met with nothing but cheers, which is what happens when about half the crowd appears to be Hogs fans. Only a fraction were Miami fans and the rest were local residents or fans of other teams in the regional.

500 VICTORIES IN SIGHT
Arkansas' late-season flurry of victories puts Coach Nolan Richardson in position to shoot for career victory No. 500. To reach half a grand, Richardson's 2000-2001 team would need to win 25 games. He has a 475-181 record in 20 seasons as a head coach. He's 356-144 in 15 seasons at Arkansas.

SECOND SHOTS
Alonzo Lane went the previous five games without blocking a shot, but he blocked three on one defensive series Friday night. ... The buzz going around the media work room Friday night was that President Clinton might attend the Sunday game against Ohio State if Arkansas won its first-round game. But there was no confirmation of the First Fan's plans.

This article was published on Saturday, March 18, 2000

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