Arkansas enters another tricky road test. If the Hogs can figure this one out, they will take a big step forward as a team.
Arkansas gets a second chance to make things right and prove it has learned how to handle the rigors of life on the road in the SEC.
We wrote last week about the challenge facing Arkansas basketball when it went to Auburn, a mediocre team but a wounded one as well:
"Of course Arkansas is the better team, but Auburn is a wounded dog at home in what amounts to a must-win game, or something really close to it. Auburn will be desperate, and that's a very dangerous situation for Arkansas to walk into. Elite teams -- teams which win SEC basketball regular-season championships -- win this game. It's a proving-ground moment for UA, Calipari, Acuff, and the supporting cast. Every game is, because the SEC title is very attainable, more than it has been in a very long time for the Razorback program.
"Arkansas does play Vanderbilt later this month, and there's no question that game will loom very large in the SEC championship chase. However, the path to a title also runs through these kinds of games. Finding the ability to beat a mid-level SEC opponent on the road, if done often enough, can offset one head-to-head loss against an SEC contender. Stacking these wins will give Arkansas a cushion if it does happen to lose to Vanderbilt. UA is already one game ahead of Alabama in the conference standings, so winning this game puts even more pressure on the Crimson Tide to keep up with the Hogs."
Take everything we said about the Auburn game and now apply it to Saturday (January 17) at Georgia. The Dawgs are wounded, coming off a wrenching home-court loss to Ole Miss in a game they allowed to slip away. Georgia, much like Auburn, is talented but inconsistent and ultimately not as good as Arkansas. Yet, at home and with a lot of anger and motivation, the Dawgs figure to give Arkansas their best effort.
It's up to the Razorbacks to withstand a fierce opponent's first punch on the road, punch back, and ultimately display superior quality and strength down the stretch. Nothing about this game figures to be easy. Arkansas has won on the road at Ole Miss, but that's a relatively low bar. The Hogs need to win on the road against the upper tier of the SEC (Ole Miss isn't yet part of it -- that could change, but it isn't true now) if they want both a conference championship and a No. 3 seed (their likely ceiling) for the NCAA Tournament.
Did Arkansas learn from the Auburn loss? It came out focused at home against South Carolina, but that's also a low bar. Winning at Georgia would offer strong and compelling evidence the Hogs have figured things out. It's time to see where John Calipari's team truly stands in the middle of January.