Madness begins

Hogs, Hannahs get started today against Pirates in S.C.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Tempo was the No. 1 subject of the Arkansas and Seton Hall news conferences.

The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville wants to shove the ball down the Pirates’ throat. The Razorbacks want to get into the legs of all seven Seton Hall players who get significant playing time. They want to run off rebounds, make baskets if the Pirates hesitate to get back on defense and definitely after turnovers.

Run it until the Pirates become cowards from fatigue.

Seton Hall wants to run on occasion, but mostly it wants to keep the game in the half court and go inside out with its power forward, Angel Delgado, getting more touches than a shiny Christmas present.

Delgado leads the nation in rebounds, averaging 13.1 per game. He also scores 15.3 points per game and averages 2.2 assists per game. He’s got great vision, sees the whole court and has “soft hands,” as Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson said.

He’s the kind of player you guard by committee, Anderson said, not with just one guy.

The first line of defense, though, will be Moses Kingsley. Both go 6-10, but Delgado’s 10 extra pounds are all muscle. He runs the court quickly and efficiently and always seems to be under control and patient, something Kingsley will need to do or he’s going to get very frustrated very early and on both ends of the court.

Both teams seem to have peaked at the right time and rode winning streaks into their conference tournament championship.

Seton Hall had won five consecutive — three over teams that made the NCAA Tournament field — but was beaten by Villanova, the No. 1 seed in March Madness this season and the defending national champions, 55-53.

A year ago Seton Hall knocked off Villanova in the Big East Championship and was seeded No. 6 in the NCAA Tournament but immediately was knocked off by Gonzaga, another of this year’s No. 1 seeds.

That shock and hurt has not been forgotten.

Arkansas rode a threegame victory streak into the SEC Tournament Championship, where it lost to Kentucky 82-65.

Thursday the Hogs seemed to have put that game out of their minds. Anderson sent five players to the podium, only three are required, and they were laughing and teasing with each other.

Seton Hall’s NCAA experience might help early. The Pirates also played a difficult schedule. The Big East got seven teams in the NCAA Tournament and only Villanova swept them.

Seton Hall beat South Carolina and lost to Florida in nonconference play, two more teams in March Madness.

Arkansas played all four of the other SEC teams that made the field of 68, was swept by Florida and Kentucky and went 2-1 against Vanderbilt and 1-0 vs South Carolina. The Hogs beat Mount St. Mary’s and lost to Minnesota, their nonconference opponents who are in the Big Dance.

Both teams play tenacious defense and the Pirates are 8-1 when they hold opponents under 40 percent shooting.

Of course they average more rebounds, but not blocked shots or steals; in fact they average more than 13 turnovers a game.

Arkansas drops the rock from behind the arc better and appears to have a slight edge defensively, but that brings us back to the No. 1 subject Thursday: tempo.

Seton Hall will defend the perimeter against Arkansas’ three-point shooters, and Delgado will put his big body on Kingsley like they are cousins.

The Razorbacks cannot afford to take any time off on defense because the Pirates, who start one senior, three juniors and a sophomore, have three starters who average at least 15.3 points per game.

Both teams have weapons, but the Hogs have the depth to run all day.