Three months before [autotag]Scotty Thurman[/autotag]’s iconic shot went in against Duke to secure the Razorbacks’ 1994 national championship, I was born.
In fact, my mom was holding me while Thurman’s shot went in and jumped up in celebration – nearly dropping me in the process. I think that’s probably what secured my Arkansas fandom for life.
Unfortunately, the only way I ever got to truly enjoy those legendary 1990s Arkansas teams were through the 1994 and 1995 commemorative VHS tapes titled Hog Heaven: From Walton Arena to Number One and Heart Stopping Hogs: The Battle to Seattle. I wore out those VHS tapes as a kid, watching them at my grandparent’s house over and over and over again.
My first true memories of Arkansas basketball were in 2000, the year [autotag]Nolan Richardson[/autotag] won his first [autotag]SEC Tournament[/autotag] championship. Then, it was two decades of mediocracy as I – along with every other Razorback fan – craved to see Arkansas play meaningful basketball deep into March once again.
Watching Stan Heath’s teams, the 24 hours of Dana Altman and then John Pelphrey’s teams all underachieve was what defined my childhood Razorback fandom. I was envious of those who grew up watching those almost-mythical “40 Minutes of Hell” teams in the 1990s.
The [autotag]Mike Anderson[/autotag] years were fun at times, but the deep postseason NCAA Tournament runs were absent and the thirst for national relevancy was never quite quenched.
Along comes [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag] in 2019 and the 2020-2021 season happens. Not only do the Hogs make it to the second weekend, but they make it all the way to the Elite Eight. Last year, we see the same thing happen. Back-to-back Elite Eights for the first time since those legendary 1994 and 1995 teams.
Making it to the second weekend of the [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag] once could be considered a fluke. Back-to-back? An impressive coincidence, maybe. Back-to-back-to-back? There’s no way to dismiss that kind of accomplishment.
That brings us to this season.
The hype, excitement and anticipation all rivaled anything that I have experienced as an Arkansas basketball fan. The Hogs had three five-star freshmen to pair with a highly-touted crop of transfers. [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamani Johnson[/autotag] also returned from last season’s Elite Eight team.
It felt like the stars had aligned, but that feeling quickly diminished as injuries derailed what most thought would be a special regular season. The team struggled to find their groove for the majority of conference play, and limped into the NCAA Tournament having lost four of their last five games.
A win over Illinois in the first round was one thing, but beating the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks in the second round was a totally different beast. There’s no way THIS Arkansas team can do that, right?
Wrong.
Arkansas, once again, shocked the world.
Eric Musselman lost his shirt, Devo Davis broke down in the postgame interview and Razorback legend [autotag]Darrell Hawkins[/autotag] gave a postgame speech for the ages.
Darrell Hawkins made a Final Four with Coach Richardson in 1990. If his postgame speech doesn't give you chills, you need to check your pulse. pic.twitter.com/v3pWncakDI
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) March 19, 2023
Was it a Final Four or national championship? No. But as I said earlier, back-to-back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances can’t be dismissed.
On my social media feeds, I saw celebrations from family members, friends, former high school and college classmates, former teachers and co-workers, complete strangers and everyone in-between. People from all walks of life and every corner of the state were celebrating and brought together by Arkansas basketball.
I was immediately brought back to watching old Razorback games at my grandparents house, desperately wanting to experience those special moments in real time as a kid. If you were to ask around, I guarantee that you’d find similar experiences to mine.
It took nearly 30 years, but the magic of Razorback basketball has returned.
Enjoying and cherishing the moment shouldn’t be hard for Arkansas fans. The journey isn’t over, there are still games to be played and milestones to be reached, but the pride and enthusiasm from fans across the state – and far beyond – is back to where it was over two decades ago.
Whatever happens next can’t take that away.
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