Big Blue Nation thanks you for hosting ESPN gameday college basketball for the first time at Bud Walton Arena. As I understand it, it was a smashing success ! Selling out games for Kentucky, creating a circus like atmosphere, for what is undoubtedly, every S.E.C. team's Super bowl basketball event EVERY time Kentucky comes to town, has been a hallmark of this conference ever since I started following Kentucky basketball almost 50 years ago. So this thread is in tribute to YOU, Hog Fans ! A HUGE THANK YOU !
Now, I know Arkansas has had a tough season, and losing to Kentucky was no moral victory, as your coach so eloquently alluded to. I understand it takes some of the excitement away from the days' festivities to lose these games, so better luck next time. And I feel compelled to mention that when the gameday cameras were showing the lovely Kentucky - clad baby girl, that the boos were loud and boisterous, and when the cameras came back to show her once again, Hog fans doubled down to rain boos upon the pretty blue bow wearing baby girl. Perhaps it was karmic that the Hogs went on to lose the game ? Maybe it can filed away for future reference ? I'll let you decide.
Nevertheless, such a spectacle reminds me of the time way back in the 70's when me and my father went to games at Stokely Athletic Center in Knoxville, when Coach Mears had the Tennessee team led out onto the court with his player riding a unicycle to kick off that circus way back in the day. Flash forward to the 80's and 90's, LSU became well known for lowering their mascot TIGER from the rafters. Of course, in this day and age, Kentucky fans look forward to T-Shirts being distributed in the appropriate school colors ( did Arkansas have them printed up this time ?) and I imagine this is why so many Kentucky fans find a way to get inside the building for these long sold out events, just to nab a tshirt to commemorate another Kentucky road game, usually ending in a win.
Arkansas overall record drops to 14 - 35 against Kentucky. That's a fair bit better than most other schools, so there's always that.
Congratulations on another road circus, your super bowl is now over. It's unfortunate your team dropped to 10 - 10.
Good luck the rest of the way.