On one hand, the Razorbacks are having a pretty dismal season this year, and were only 1-12 in the SEC coming in to their matchup with Georgia Bulldogs today.
On the other hand, the Hogs doubled their conference win total today, as they improved to 2-12 beating Georgia 89-67.
19,724 were in attendance for the game tonight because the 1993-94 National Championship team was being honored at halftime of the game, and Nolan Richardson was on hand in Bud Walton Arena attending his first game since he was last coached at Arkansas in 2002. The Razorbacks might consider giving Nolan a permanent court-side seat if they can play as well with Nolan in attendance as they did today.
Five Razorbacks were in double figures, led by Rotnei Clark’s 19 points. Michael Washington had 17 points for the Hogs, and Stefan Welsh, Courtney Fortson, and Jason Henry all contributed 14 points.
There is really no comparing the ’94 championship team with the ’09 team, but today’s Hogs did win in the way Nolan’s teams used to today; with their defense.
The Hogs forced 21 Georgia turnovers today, resulting in 27 points.
The Return of Nolan: When Nolan Richardson took the mic after the announcement of the ’94 national championships, he did not spend his time in the spotlight reliving the old glories of his coaching days. After a brief thank you for the support of his players, Nolan praised the fans, and then asked them to support today’s Razorbacks in the second half.
“Let’s get the spirit up.” Nolan said. “This team needs your support.”
If you ask us, Nolan still rules. Kudos to Jeff Long, and the current university administration for honoring the ’94 team, and for bringing Nolan back into the Razorback family. He was responsible for most of the things we think of when we think of Razorback basketball, and it was awesome to see him back in Bud Walton today.
Player of the game: Courtney Fortson. When Courtney Fortson plays well, the Razorbacks usually play well. Courtney had 14 points today, but he also contributed 8 assists. When Courtney has a lot of assists, we win.
Step up player of the game: Jason Henry. Watch out, dudes. Jason Henry is getting better every game, and he’s going to be a star for the Razorbacks in the very near future.
[Photo by Wesley Hitt]
