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Arkansas Basketball Keeps Losing Close Games

By Barrett Pfeiffer

Jan 23, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Anton Beard (31) looks to shoot against Georgia Bulldogs forward Kenny Paul Geno (25) during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Arkansas 76-73 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Anton Beard (31) looks to shoot against Georgia Bulldogs forward Kenny Paul Geno (25) during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Arkansas 76-73 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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"The Arkansas Basketball squad lost yet another close game, this time to Georgia on Saturday. This loss extends Arkansas’ losing streak to three."

Geez, I feel like I’m watching early-Bielema-era Arkansas Football again.

After coming off of a blowout 94-61 victory against the Missouri Tigers, our Hogs were on a three game win streak and giving confidence to those fans that seriously doubted them coming into the 2016 season. I mean why not start to gain hope? The Razorbacks were on a three game win streak, that’s freaking awesome. Our players were proving something, earning our respect by beating “quality” SEC teams. Maybe this year was going to be something special, one that we would remember forever.

Welp…

That kind of went out the window in the past week or so. Since the blowout win in Columbia, Arkansas took their three game win streak and magically turned it into a three game losing streak. We traveled to Baton Rouge to face off against the LSU Tigers, and thus weren’t able to hold it together as we let Ben Simmons get the best of us, losing 76-74.

Jan 23, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Moses Kingsley (33) and Georgia Bulldogs forward Houston Kessler (24) fight for the ball during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Arkansas 76-73 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Moses Kingsley (33) and Georgia Bulldogs forward Houston Kessler (24) fight for the ball during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Arkansas 76-73 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

The next opponent was the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky, usually being the powerhouse of the SEC, was coming off of an embarrassing loss to an unranked Auburn team. Now knowing Arkansas can beat “quality” SEC teams, this gave fans hope that we could beat the Wildcats at Bud Walton.

Welp…

That didn’t really go well. Kentucky kinda sorta stomped us, making Arkansas go 2-12 in three point shooting and forcing fans to turn for the door yet again. With the Hogs desperately needing a dub, a road trip to Athens was just around the corner. I mean it’s not like Georgia has been the flashiest team this year; Texas A&M held them to just 45 points, and they only beat Missouri by three. And let’s not forget the fact that we know how to win on the road now. There is no way we can’t beat this team.

Welp…

G0YYDXE
G0YYDXE /

At this point it’s kind of hopeless again. We just can’t pull together a win to save our lives. It really sucks today because we had that game won. With less than a minute left, we had the two point lead. With Georgia at the free throw line, all we needed was a miss and we had the game.

And they missed it. But for some reason that doesn’t mean we won the game. No, in fact, that means that the exact opposite. Dusty Hannahs came down with the rebound after the missed free throw, but came down to the ground and got a traveling violation called. This gave Georgia the ball back and gave me my impending mental breakdown. Georgia tied the game 64-64 and sent the game into overtime after another Razorback turnover.

Jan 23, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Dusty Hannahs (3) shoots over Georgia Bulldogs guard J.J. Frazier (30) and forward Houston Kessler (24) during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Arkansas 76-73 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Dusty Hannahs (3) shoots over Georgia Bulldogs guard J.J. Frazier (30) and forward Houston Kessler (24) during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia defeated Arkansas 76-73 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Arkansas lost the game in overtime 76-73, and now Arkansas’ losing streak is at three. The Hogs are now down in the dumps again, and still haven’t figured out how to make a freaking buzzer beater properly (First Anton’s airball and now a lousy foul-desperate thirty footer? C’mon Hogs you’re better than than…I think).

It just doesn’t make any sense to me. Are we a decent basketball team or are we terrible? I can’t answer that question. Maybe we are indeed terrible and I just don’t want myself to realize it. I’m just a kid, my mind can’t handle yet another terrible Arkansas team. I’ve lived a life without a single national championship won, so each year it gets harder and harder to come up with a plausible excuse for why the Razorbacks can’t win a shiny trophy.

But it doesn’t look like our basketball team will give me a shiny trophy this year, unless you’d consider Dusty Hannahs a shiny trophy, which I do. I just hope that by the end of the season I will be able to look at the Arkansas Razorback basketball season with a different opinion.

I still have hope, because you can’t ever give up on your Razorbacks.

More razorbacks: Razorback News You May Have Missed This Week

This Arkansas schedule doesn’t get any easier though. Arkansas’ next matchup is against the team that has embarrassed them the most in 2016, #10 in the nation Texas A&M. Hopefully the Hogs can get lucky with some Bud Walton magic and shock the Aggies. Because at this point the Hogs need to turn things around (again) desperately. If they don’t, this season is going to be a hellish ride.

Woo Pig.

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