Andy katz's talks about the hogs

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Andy Katz, ESPN.com


The Hogs have earned their way into the Dance after winning three straight -- vs. Florida and Alabama, and at Tennessee. That's about as impressive a run as any team in the SEC has had this season.

Now that the Hogs are on a roll, it makes more sense to look back at their losses. They fell to Mississippi State by two early in the season in Starkville. They lost by three at Alabama. They fell by two at Kentucky after holding a significant lead. They lost by one at LSU. And they were beaten by only three at Ole Miss. OK, the last one -- right before this three-game spurt -- might sting a bit, but it shows how close this team was to breaking through.

The 19-8 record shows Stan Heath has improved each of the last four seasons. After Saturday's game, Heath went into the locker room and told the team that this was the win they needed to get into the Dance. He's savvy enough to know that winning at Tennessee was a headline grabber for the selection committee in late February.

The Razorbacks could help their tournament seeding by beating Mississippi State and Georgia, but they're likely to get a bid regardless of the outcome of those games. Arkansas already has a win over Kansas, and its strength of schedule was helped by playing Connecticut and Maryland. Five Hogs are in double figures, proving that this team has balance.

This is the time of year when teams emerge to earn bids and end up causing fits in the NCAAs. Arkansas fits the profile of those squads