2008 Arkansas Basketball Predictions & Season Preview
Written October 17, 2008 by Luke Knight
The Arkansas Razorbacks went 23-12 and 9-7 in the SEC last season on their way to an NCAA tournament that saw them defeat Indiana before falling to North Carolina. Second year coach John Pelphrey then watched as six key seniors, who racked up 70% of the team’s scoring and 63% of its rebounds and assists last season, were lost to graduation. Patrick Beverley also left the team in August for undisclosed reasons. Pelphrey brings in six freshmen and a junior JuCo transfer to replace the seniors. Guard Stefan Welsh and big man Michael Washington are the only players with major playing time. The key for the Razorbacks is to overachieve and bring their youngsters along fast enough to be ready for SEC conference play. Check out BetUS where Arkansas is at +750 odds to win the SEC West. This will be a team to keep an eye on, because the potential to overachieve is there and no one is expecting much out of them so the NCAA basketball odds should be favorable for them.
Michael Washington will return to lead the frontcourt for the Razorbacks. He was 5th on the team in rebounds last season with 3.9 per game. Washington will get plenty of time to increase his productivity and had flashes of brilliance last season, including a 16-point showing against Oklahoma. Washington showed that he is an instinctive offensive rebounder, but he needs to add some muscle and gain some consistency. He shot only 41.3% from the field and only 25.9% from beyond the arc. Freshman Michael Sanchez and Andre Clark should play significant roles this season. Sanchez was a redshirt last season and Clark enrolled in January and practiced with the team. Brandon Moore, a freshman from New Orleans, should get some minutes off the bench.
Rookie point guard Courtney Fortson will be expected to step right in and handle the playmaking for this team. Fortson has Devan Downey-like height and tendencies. Fortson, a former Mr. Basketball in Alabama, showed the ability to be a prolific scorer and creator, a capable rebounder, and a pesky defender. Junior college transfer Montrell McDonald will replace Sonny Weems’ spot on the wing. McDonald has the frame of Weems’ but must show he can score like Weems. Stefan Welsh will have to be more consistent and score more effectively inside the arc. Rotnei Clarke, a freshman out of Oklahoma, had more than 30 scholarship offers and averaged more than 30 points per game for three years at Verdigris High. He also averaged 40.9 points his senior season, including 159 3-pointers. The loss of Patrick Beverley in August will really hurt this team. He was the leading Razorback rebounder last season, and should have led them again this season. It will be difficult to fill this void with the young talent.
Final Analysis
The SEC West is going through an upheaval so the Razorbacks challenging for the title is not out of the question. The Razorbacks will have to mesh well with Pelphrey’s preferred up-and-down style of play in quick order and the locker room must gain more unity. Pelphrey will have to spend a lot of time teaching this season, and they have a lot of talent to replace. The loss of Beverley in August may be the biggest blow since at least the rest of the departures were expected. Arkansas will really have to bring their youngsters along quick to be competitive. We expect Arkansas to finish near the bottom of the SEC West. We also don’t expect them to make the postseason in what looks to be a rebuilding year for the Razorbacks. At BetUS, the Razorbacks are +10000 odds of winning the NCAA Championship.
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