Ten Games Against NCAA Tourney Teams Highlight Razorbacks Hoops Schedule
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Based on last season’s results, Arkansas has a formidable basketball schedule in 2006-07, which was released on Thursday, that features 22 televised games.
The Razorbacks have games against the defending national champion, two against another Final Four participant, another against a team reaching the Elite Eight, a potential date against another to reach the Sweet 16, four other games against teams advancing to the second round with the possibility of one more, two others against NCAA Tournament qualifiers, one against the defending NIT champion and two others against NIT clubs with a possible third.
Overall, head coach Stan Heath’s club has a guaranteed 10 games against NCAA Tournament teams from last year with the possibility of facing two others, and three games against NIT teams with the possibility for a fourth.
UA plays at defending national champion Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 9, in a 6:05 contest nationally televised by ESPN. Arkansas plays host to Final Four participant LSU on Saturday, Jan. 20, in a 2:45 game nationally televised by CBS, and faces the Tigers in Baton Rouge on Feb. 10 in a 12:05 p.m. tilt televised by Lincoln Financial Sports, formerly Jefferson-Pilot Sports.
After opening at home against Southeast Missouri State on Nov. 10 and Stephen F. Austin State (17-12) on Nov. 18, the Razorbacks go to Orlando, Fla., for the Old Spice Classic and in the first round face their first post-season team of the year with an 11 a.m. date against Southern Illinois (NCAA) on Nov. 23. In the second round, UA plays either Minnesota (NIT) or Marist (19-10), and could also eventually play NCAA Tournament participants West Virginia (Sweet 16) and Montana (second round). The remainder of the field includes Virginia Tech and Western Michigan. Every game of the tournament is televised by either ESPN2 or ESPNU.
On Nov. 30, Arkansas travels to Missouri for an 8 p.m. matchup nationally televised by ESPN2. Following home games against Missouri-Kansas City (Dec. 2), Central Michigan (Dec. 5) and Oakland University (Dec. 14), UA faces Texas Tech in Alltel Arena at North Little Rock on Dec. 16. The CMU, Oakland and Texas Tech games are being televised by ARSN.
Arkansas travels to Texas (Elite Eight) for an 8 p.m. game nationally televised by ESPN2 on Dec. 20.
Oral Roberts, which won the Mid-Continent Conference and earned an NCAA bid, and Louisiana Tech, which earned a spot in the NIT, visit Bud Walton Arena on Dec. 22 and Dec. 30, respectively, before the Hogs close their non-conference season with a Jan. 2 home game against Tulsa. All three of those games are being televised by ARSN.
UA opens league play at home on Jan. 6 with a 1:05 p.m. game on Lincoln Financial Sports against Alabama (NCAA second round). UA follows with the trip to Florida and a game at Ole Miss, which is televised by Fox Sports Net, before playing host to Georgia on Jan. 17 and LSU on Jan. 20. A trip to NIT champion South Carolina on Jan. 24 and Alabama on Jan. 27 is followed by a home game against Kentucky (NCAA second round) with a 12:05 p.m. tip-off on LFS on Feb. 3.
Auburn visits Fayetteville for a 7:05 p.m. televised start on LFS on Feb. 7 before trips to LSU on Feb. 10 and Mississippi State on Feb. 14. FSN is televising the 4 p.m. home game with Ole Miss on Feb. 17 before the return trip to Auburn on Feb. 21.
Tennessee (NCAA second round) and Mississippi State close out the home schedule with TV games on LFS at 12:05 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. on Feb. 24 and Feb. 28, respectively, before Arkansas wraps up the regular season at Vanderbilt (NIT) on March 3. The SEC Tournament is March 8-11 in the Georgia Dome at Atlanta.
Heath’s top returnees for 2007 are junior center Steven Hill (3.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 blocked shots), junior forward Charles Thomas (9.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, .520 field goal percentage) and junior forward Darian Townes (9.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .500 field goal percentage). Other returnees include junior forward Vincent Hunter (3.7 ppg), sophomore guard Sean McCurdy (40 assists, 18 turnovers), sophomore forward Cyrus McGowan, and junior guards Preston Cranford and Sammy Munsey.
The incoming recruiting class, which is ranked No. 15 in the nation by Rivals.com, includes point guard Gary Ervin, a transfer from Mississippi State who sat out 2006 after averaging 7.4 points and 4.7 assists for MSU in 2005; junior wing Sonny Weems from UA-Fort Smith, who is rated one of the top junior college players in the nation; freshman guard Patrick Beverley, who led the Chicago area in scoring as a senior (34.0 ppg); and freshman guard Stefan Welsh and freshman forward Michael Washington.
The Razorbacks were 22-10 last year and earned their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2001. The Hogs recorded wins over the eventual NCAA (Florida) and NIT (South Carolina) champions, beat two top 10-ranked teams in the same season (Florida and Tennessee) for the first time since 2002, beat a top 10 team on the road (Tennessee) for the first time since 1994 and led the SEC with a 15-1 home record.
2006-07 ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
Date Opponent TV LocationTime
Friday, Oct. 20 Red-White Game Fayetteville, Ark. 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 31 Xavier-New Orleans (Exh.) Fayetteville, Ark.7:05 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 6 California University (Pa.) (Exh.) Fayetteville, Ark.7:05 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 10 Southeast Missouri St.Fayetteville, Ark.7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 18 Stephen F. Austin St.Fayetteville, Ark.2:05 p.m.
Thur.-Sun. Nov. 23-26 Old Spice Classic Orlando, Fla.TBA
(Arkansas, Marist, Minnesota, Montana, Southern Illinois, Virginia Tech,
West Virginia, Western Michigan)
Thursday, Nov. 23 vs. Southern Illinois ESPN2 Orlando, Fla.11 a.m.
Friday, Nov. 24 vs. Minnesota or Marist ESPN2 Orlando, Fla.TBA
Sunday, Nov. 26 vs. TBA ESPN2/U Orlando, Fla.TBA
Thursday, Nov. 30 at Missouri ESPN2Columbia, Mo.8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 2 Missouri-Kansas CityFayetteville, Ark.TBA
Tuesday, Dec. 5 Central Michigan ARSNFayetteville, Ark.7:05 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 14 Oakland ARSNFayetteville, Ark.7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 16 #vs. Texas Tech ARSNN. Little Rock, Ark.TBA
Wednesday, Dec. 20 at Texas ESPN2Austin, Texas8 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 22 Oral Roberts ARSNFayetteville, Ark.7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 30 Louisiana Tech ARSNFayetteville, Ark.TBA
Tuesday, Jan. 2 Tulsa ARSNFayetteville, Ark.7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 6 *Alabama LFSFayetteville, Ark.1:05 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 9 *at Florida ESPNGainesville, Fla.6:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 13 *at Ole Miss FSNOxford, Miss.4 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 17 *GeorgiaFayetteville, Ark.7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 20 *LSU CBSFayetteville, Ark.2:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 24 *at South Carolina Columbia, S.C.6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 27 *at Alabama LFSTuscaloosa, Ala.2:05 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 3 *Kentucky LFSFayetteville, Ark.12:05 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 7 *Auburn LFSFayetteville, Ark.7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 10 *at LSU LFSBaton Rouge, La.12:05 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 14 *at Mississippi St.Starkville, Miss.7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 17 *Ole Miss FSNFayetteville, Ark.4 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 21 *at AuburnAuburn, Ala.7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 24 *Tennessee LFSFayetteville, Ark.12:05 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 28 *Mississippi St. LFSFayetteville, Ark.7:05 p.m.
Saturday, March 3 *at VanderbiltNashville, Tenn.TBA
Thur.-Sun., M. 8-11 SEC TournamentAtlanta, Ga.TBA
Fayetteville games in bold
ARSN- Arkansas Razorback Sports Network
# – game played in Alltel Arena
LFS – Lincoln Financial, formerly Jefferson-Pilot Sports
* – Southeastern Conference games
FSN – Fox Sports Network
All times central and subject to change
