Finally, we get some clarity.
The SEC schedule drops, Isaiah Joe changes his mind, and football in the time of COVID becomes a bit more clear
Hello there! Welcome to the second edition of Pig Tales. The level of support this little newsletter has gotten in such a short amount of time has been overwhelming, and I can’t thank you enough. In case you missed it, the first 150 subscribers to Pig Tales will be entered to win a $150 Hog Heaven gift card, so if you haven’t already, please take this moment to subscribe:
If you’re a Nike fan, you can buy yourself some of the new Arkansas Pegasus shoes with that gift card, and still have something left. Just a thought!
Now, let’s talk about the Hogs, because there’s plenty to discuss.
Say It Ain’t So, Joe
Unfortunately we began the week with a bummer:
Due to fact that the fate of college athletics is in limbo (whether commissioners want to admit it or not), Isaiah Joe has decided that he will indeed be forgoing the rest of his college eligibility, despite earlier stating that he would be returning for the 2020 season.
Frankly, I have a really hard time blaming him. When guys who get paid millions of dollars to govern the sport can’t make a decision on whether or not a season can safely happen, it’s incredibly unfair to ask unpaid college kids to jeopardize a shot at the NBA by playing a waiting game that may never have a resolution.
Obviously, I wanted to see him play with all the new pieces that came in during the offseason, but with so much left to doubt, there’s little wonder why Joe has decided to begin his professional journey.
I feel like most Arkansas fans were understanding, but the decision led to one of the worst bits of Discourse™️ I’ve ever experienced on twitter— and that’s saying something. It all started off when Northwest Arkansas’ own Josh Bertaccini decided to gift us with this wisdom:
Folks, I didn’t have to do much research to be able to tell you what an asinine comment this is, but I did the research anyway, just for fun. If you weren’t paying attention over the past couple of basketball seasons, you may have missed on one of the best shooters to ever play in Razorback Red.
In the 2018-19 season, Isaiah Joe made the SEC All-Freshman Team, set the Arkansas records for three pointers made in a season (113), three pointers attempted in a season (273), and three pointers made versus SEC teams (60). He set an SEC record for three pointers made per game (3.32), tied the SEC record for three pointers made as a freshman (again… 113), and finished 4th in NCAA history for threes made as a freshman as well. Despite all of his attempts, he finished as just the fourth freshman in SEC history to lead the league in three point percentage (.414). If that wasn’t enough, he also led the team in steals.
In the 2019-20 season, under a new head coach, and despite missing five games due to injury, he made 94 three pointers, which was good for sixth best in school history. He finished 4th in the NCAA and once again first in the SEC for threes made per game (3.62). He also improved from the free throw line, making his final 34 attempts to set an Arkansas record for free throw percentage in an SEC season (95.6%).
I’m not sure what more JB wants to cement a legacy. Joe’s name is all over the Arkansas record book, as well as the SEC record book and the NCAA record book. If Arkansas didn’t have such a storied basketball tradition, we might be talking about one of the greats— and the only reason we didn’t get one more year is because there was a global pandemic. That’s a dang good legacy in my book.
The SEC Schedule Dates Drop, and Arkansas Gets Some Love(?)
The biggest news in the conference this week came with the bloated three hour release of the SEC schedule, as we finally got some dates for football. We knew the schedule was going to be pretty brutal, as it has been pretty much every year in recent memory, but I actually think we could’ve ended up in worse shape.
Obviously this all comes with the stipulation that a season happens, but behold:
Sure, adding the three most talented SEC East teams to a schedule that already includes the bloodbath of the SEC West isn’t ideal, but the way the games fell actually gives me some hope.
Starting with Georgia is a rough roll of the dice, but at least we get them at home. The added intrigue will of course come from the fact that Sam Pittman will begin his tenure at Arkansas against his former team. Do I think it’s interesting that “the SEC put arguably its four best rosters/staffs/programs (Bama, LSU, Florida, UGA) against four new HCs with still-uninstalled schemes?” Well… Let’s just say that I certainly think it’s convenient for what could be a one game season.
However, with all that considered, I think the stretch from Mississippi State to Florida features several great opportunities to surprise some people (shout out to Laura Rutledge?) and steal a win. The Mississippi schools both have new coaches, Jimbo Fisher will be on the hot seat at A&M, and Tennessee looked shaky at times last year. We very well could see another winless conference season, but I think we have a chance to give a couple of teams a run for their money. As for the stretch from Florida to Alabama, perhaps we should take solace in the words of Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp: “If we can do it, wonderful. If not, then fail in the most beautiful way!” At least Missouri has a new Sun Belt coach who is playing chess while everyone is playing checkers.
Pandemic Precautions
The last bit of big news to come out this week is the release of actual, honest to god protocols for games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium this year. Rather than trying to socially distance 78,000 of our closest friends, Arkansas has decided to do the smart(ish?) thing and limit capacity to 17,000. This will involve socially distanced lines, mask requirements for all fans, staff, and employees, and the introduction of contactless transactions for concessions.
Tailgating will be banned, as it should be, and as it has been everywhere except for Tallahassee, where presumably, drunk fans are at their most trustworthy. My concerns come from the usual problem in these situations: how do you police this? I personally think it will be next to impossible to monitor every concourse and every seat, and while I want to have faith in my fellow Hog fans, I’ve gone to my local Walmart during this pandemic, and well…
The biggest loss in my mind though comes during the game, as the band will not be allowed in the stands, and no one will be able to run through The A. I suppose this will eliminate the traditional “Go Hogs” spell out as well. John George, you have my condolences.
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I look forward to bringing you more Arkansas content, and to keep you coming back for more. There are some exciting things happening behind the scenes with some cool interviews and maybe even a podcast— stay tuned for those. Until then, stay safe and go Hogs!