Long-shot Hogs still have NCAA path

Saturday’s loss to Georgia, with its mediocre record and NCAA NET ranking of 83, body-slammed the University of Arkansas off the NCAA Tournament bubble.

The 99-89 score doesn’t reveal how close it was before Mason Jones had to leave late in the game, but 99 still was 23 points more than the Bulldogs averaged.

For the season, Georgia has two guys averaging in double-figure scoring. Against Arkansas, the Bulldogs had six score in double figures.

As Eric Musselman said, it wasn’t a good defensive effort.

Musselman also said the tournament he is worried about is the SEC Tournament, and how the Razorbacks can keep from playing a play-in game March 11.

There are four teams in position for the No. 10 seed, which means avoiding the play-in game.

The Hogs are one, and they close with LSU and at Texas A&M.

Missouri, who is currently tied with the Hogs for 10th at 6-10, holds the tiebreaker over the Hogs by virtue of its victory over second-place Auburn.

The tiebreaker in the SEC is first head-to-head competition. If the teams split (like Missouri and Arkansas this year), then it is how they did against the No. 1 seed, then the No. 2 seed and so forth.

The other teams in the hunt are 5-11 Ole Miss and 5-11 Georgia. Arkansas owns the tiebreaker over the Rebels because it beat them, but the Hogs don’t own anything against the Bulldogs after Saturday.

Missouri finishes at Ole Miss and hosting Alabama.

Georgia hosts Florida and goes to LSU.

Ole Miss has the Tigers and is at Mississippi State.

It is critical to win out and secure the No. 10 seed, which would set up a battle with the No. 7 seed on March 12.

Teams have won four games in four days twice in the SEC Tournament to earn the NCAA Tournament automatic berth — Arkansas in 2000 and Georgia in 2008 when the Bulldogs beat the Hogs in the finals. No team has won five games in five days.

That’s why Musselman is concerned.

Right now, the Hogs are penciled into the NIT. They are a long shot for the NCAA Tournament unless they can win four games, starting with the final two regulation games.

Two wins this week and two wins in the SEC Tournament put the Hogs at 22-12. No guarantee, but four victories likely would jump the Razorbacks’ NET ranking from 47 to the 30s, which might be good enough.

But past performances don’t indicate this team can win four SEC games in a row. The Razorbacks’ longest conference winning streak is two, and they have done that just twice.

No doubt Musselman is well aware of that. He does everything he can to get his team ready for games.

The Razorbacks cannot afford any more slow starts. And they have to play defense like they mean it.

The Hogs are a long shot for March Madness, but being a long shot is better than having no shot at all.

By Wednesday when LSU rolls into town, the Razorbacks will know every nuance about the Tigers.

They should have beat them in Baton Rouge despite being outrebounded 53-24.

The final was 79-77 because the Razorbacks forced 13 turnovers, including 8 steals, that they converted into 15 points.

They also made 17 of 18 free throws. Those are free points.

It is a tough road ahead for the Hogs if they are going to have any chance at making the NCAA Tournament, but they put themselves in this position with some slow starts.

If they don’t make it, the NIT would be a pretty good accomplishment in Musselman’s first season.