Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

1/17/2012 at 9:30am

Image by Mark Wagner

Freshman BJ Young is looking forward to tonight's 8 p.m. game at No. 2 Kentucky.

Hiring Mike Anderson was seen as a start to getting Arkansas basketball headed toward the national limelight. Anderson has a track record for winning and has been able to get high-profile former players back to Bud Walton Arena, things that make outsiders take notice.

Another sign the Razorbacks are beginning to remind the country they play basketball? Arkansas (13-4, 2-1) at No. 2 Kentucky (17-1, 3-0) was picked months ago as part of ESPN’s “Super Tuesday” package.

Tonight’s game will tip at 8 p.m. and is the first for Arkansas in this slot — regarded as prime basketball broadcast time nationally — since the 2007-08 season. That’s three-plus years worth of Arkansas games that, for the most part, escaped national attention.

There have been other TV games. There have been other nationally broadcast contests. But Anderson sees this slot as a sign of progress, proof that he and the program are making strides. Consider that Kentucky is making four appearances as part of ESPN's "Super Tuesday."

While the Wildcats are no doubt the major draw in tonight's game, Anderson sees tonight as a step in the right direction.

“Arkansas is getting back in the nation’s eye. We want our program to be known around the world, around the country,” Anderson said. “The more exposure you get the better it is for your program.”

Naturally, exposure is key because recruits notice the teams getting media mentions. Better recruits tend to help with better results on the floor. Better results on the floor tend to lead to more national attention. And so it goes.

Arkansas’ last “Super Tuesday” game was March 4, 2008. That contest featured the Razorbacks and Ole Miss, a pair of teams that were looking for win No. 20 and a chance to make the NCAA Tournament.

Though Arkansas lost at Ole Miss, that team did go on to make the NCAA Tournament. As it turns out, 2008 is also the last year for the Razorbacks to make the postseason.

Since then, national relevance has been scarce for Arkansas. Interest is higher because of Anderson and it helps that he helped secure a highly regarded recruiting class put together by the previous staff.

Getting selected for a national game broadcast is just the start, of course. Arkansas could really improve its standing with a victory at Rupp Arena, a place where the Wildcats have won 44 consecutive games.

It’s not just getting one of the top programs in hoops at home that makes this difficult. Road games have not been kind to the Razorbacks in years, including this season with the team 0-4 away from Walton Arena.

Arkansas’ talented freshmen and improving upperclassmen are a week removed from a 71-63 loss at Ole Miss where they shot poorly and were whipped on the boards. Kentucky is far superior to the Rebels and will have 20,000 strong at Rupp.

So is going to Rupp a challenge? Of course. Intimidating? Sure doesn’t sound that way if you’re talking to freshman guard BJ Young, who enters the game averaging 15.0 points, including 19.0 in SEC games.

“This is a game I’ve been looking forward to for a while. I think my teammates have, too,” Young said. “I’m really ready to go get this — we’re ready to get this as a team.”

Get a win at Kentucky on “Super Tuesday” and there is no doubt more folks will take notice of these Razorbacks.

Tagged: John Calipari, BJ Young, Mike Anderson, Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, ESPN, ESPN Super Tuesday