Arkansas makes NCAA Tournament for first time in seven years

The basketball gods smiled down upon the Arkansas Razorbacks during the 2014-2015 season giving Hog fans a taste of something missing since 2008, a NCAA Tournament berth.

Arkansas (26-8) opens play in the 2015 NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed taking on the Wofford Terriers (28-6).

Wofford won the Southern Conference Tournament earning an out-right bid as part of an eight-game winning streak carried into the Big Dance. The 2015 selection is the fourth time in six years the Terriers have made the tournament.

The Razorbacks finished second in the SEC during the regular season and finished as the SEC Tournament runner-up losing to No. 1 Kentucky 78-63 in Sunday’s final.

The Terriers are led by Karl Cochran. Cochran leads the team in scoring averaging 14.6 points per game, assists (2.7), blocks (1.1), and steals (1.8). The Marietta area native is second in rebounding with 5.8 boards per game behind Lee Skinner’s 6.0 average.

Wofford as a starting five comprised primarily of upperclassmen with two seniors, two juniors, and one sophomore.

The Terriers have not faired well against tough non-conference opponents losing 74-59 to Stanford, 77-44 to West Virginia, 84-55 to Duke. Wofford’s other loses include a 66-62 defeat to William & Mary and a 69-66 letdown against Citadel. The team’s big win was a 55-54 win over N.C. State on December 14.

Arkansas is led by a one-two punch of Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls. Portis, a 6’11”, center/power forward, was named the SEC Player of the Year after averaging 17.5 points per game along with 8.6 rebounds. Portis was hard to stop down low hitting 55 percent of his shots from the floor including 46 percent from behind the arc.

Qualls is the super athletic small forward taking up numerous spots on nightly highlight reels with his acrobatic dunks. The junior from Shreveport, Louisiana was second on the team in points scored averaging 15.5 per contest and second in rebounds with 5.3 per game.

Arkansas has quality wins over Wake Forest 83-53, SMU 78-72, Dayton 69-55, Georgia 79-75, and Ole Miss 71-70.

The Terriers prefer a slow paced game only allowing 59.8 points per game, 26th in the country, while the Hogs like to get up and down the court averaging 78.5 points per game, 12th in the nation. Wofford averages 67.0 points per game, 183rd in the nation,while the Hogs allow 70.1 points per game, 267th in the nation.

Despite playing in the West Region of the bracket, the Hogs will travel to Jacksonville, Florida for first round action. Should the Razorbacks make it to the Sweet 16, regional semifinals will be held in Los Angeles at the Staples Center starting on March 26.

 

Photo credit: wholehogsports.com; No. 10 Bobby Portis (left) celebrates with No. 00 Rashad Madden vs. LSU.