FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach John Pelphrey toed the company line Tuesday, maintaining nothing had changed in regard to suspended sophomore point guard Courtney Fortson.
But when asked specifically, the coach wouldn’t rule out Fortson’s return for tonight’s game against Baylor in North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena.
“I can’t comment on that; I don’t know,” Pelphrey said of Fortson’s status against the Bears. “When he plays (you’ll) know.”
Fortson has been indefinitely suspended since the start of Arkansas’ regular season on Nov. 13 and has missed all 12 games.
While his comments were brief Tuesday, Pelphrey offered up a little more on the situation during his weekly radio show Monday night. “The plan is still in place,” Pelphrey said. “We have one or two more things to accomplish.
“We have made some progress in certain areas, but we still have a few things that we have got to finish off and hopefully we will do that.”
Arkansas (7-5) enters the annual game in North Little Rock on a five-game win streak. That will be tested against a talented Baylor team boasting a 9-1 record and a five-game win streak of its own.
“They’re a really quality team,” Arkansas guard Rotnei Clarke said. “From what we’ve seen on film they’ve got some pros on their team. They’ve got it all — shooters and frontcourt guys.”
The Bears are the second-tallest team in the nation, averaging 6-foot-6 and starting three players of 6-foot-10 or taller. That, coupled with a good zone defense, could disrupt Arkansas’ offensive flow.
“Length will always impact a little bit,” Clarke said. “They play a lot of zone and being able to get hands up can alter shots and certain things you’ve got going on offense. We’ve been prepared for certain situations, though, so I think we’ll be ready.”
The Razorbacks beat previously undefeated Missouri State 66-62 in overtime in Bud Walton Arena on Dec. 22. The eight-day layoff is the second of eight days or longer this season for Arkansas, something Pelphrey said is concerning.
“Whether it’s going into finals or Thanksgiving, or Christmas, you always worry about coming out,” Pelphrey said. “We haven’t played for several days. Practice and everything is one thing, but games are another. There’s some concern there because this is going to be our biggest challenge to this point in the season. Baylor is a really, really good basketball team.
“We liked the way we went into the break. Now we’ve got to see if we like the way we come out of the break.”
The game against the Bears is the first of a three-game stretch in seven nights against opponents with a combined record of 32-2.
“The last two opponents were good but it just keeps getting harder and harder,” said Pelphrey, whose team hosts No. 24 UAB on Saturday and No. 2 Texas next Tuesday. “By the same token it’s an opportunity for us if we play well to get some rewards on our side of it.”