Jim Harris: Bob Knight's Comments Telling About Hogs

Bob Knight, the former Indiana and Texas Tech head coach, may be an acquired taste for most basketball fans as he eases into a regular analyst role on ESPN after dishing out most of his recent critiques from the studio.

He was courtside for Arkansas' 96-66 loss to Louisville on Tuesday night in St. Louis' Scottrade Center, carried by ESPN2 as part of some all-day national hoopfest for the TV-addicted fan. UALR and Tulsa were part of the 24-hour marathon, tipping off just after lunchtime. The Razorbacks and Cardinals, in prime time, were entertaining for about 30 on-court minutes (or an hour and a half in real time), and then Louisville's depth and talent completely wore out the undermanned Hogs.

Knight, who won three national titles at Indiana, offered accolades and caustic comments toward everybody in equal doses. It was anti-Dick Vitale; there was no over-the-top praise and no "PTPers." He realized the outcome quite early, noting that if Louisville would be patient and continue to attack Arkansas inside, it would win easily.

It was also spelled out plainly in the coverage that the Hogs had six scholarship players available along with some walk-ons, with five players suspended - the leading one being point guard Courtney Fortson - and Arkansas would find it difficult to match Louisville's frantic pace for 40 minutes.

It's hard to imagine the game being a whole lot closer, though, had the indefinitely suspended Fortson been in the lineup. It's hard to imagine Rotnei Clarke would have gotten even 10 looks at shots had the also-indefinitely-suspended guard Stefan Welsh suited and played. The other three players missing would have been bodies and not much else.

Only the most positive of Hog fans would have expected Arkansas to stay close to the end. Louisville is firmly reestablished now as a national power under Rick Pitino and can count on deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, such as reaching last year's Elite Eight. Most Cardinals fans last March expected a Final Four appearance and a shot at North Carolina, which had eliminated Louisville in the 2008 tournament. Michigan State got in the way and stopped the Big East Tournament champs.

Louisville treated Arkansas  the way Nolan Richardson's better Razorback teams dispatched outmanned foes back in the 40-minutes-of-Hell days. The waves of players scrambling and fouling and not worrying about it eventually wore out the lesser foe with few offensive weapons. Even though Louisville lost some parts from last year's highly ranked squad, the key backcourt cogs are back again. Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith seem like they've been around at Louisville since Richardson was coaching at Arkansas.

Knight at least said that Arkansas might be a team to be reckoned with later in the season as it grew up. But Knight pointed out some deficiencies in the short-handed Razorbacks' game Tuesday night that he'd obviously change if he were in charge.

Foremost was his surprise that Arkansas wasn't running any screens to get Rotnei Clarke open against Louisville's man-to-man. Clarke was mostly sprinting around the court, running the baseline occasionally, and hoping to get open for a pass and look. After his 51-point outburst Friday against Alcorn State, where he hit 13 of 17 3-pointers, Clarke had 16 against Louisville, which devoted several players the job of staying close to him.

That was expected. Arkansas coach John Pelphrey joked before the game, and repeated it afterward, that he figured Louisville would meet Clarke at the airport upon the Hogs' arrival in St. Louis.