FAYETTEVILLE — Promotions to get people in the door. Paid halftime show.
Times have changed since Kentucky and Arkansas squared off on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon in front of sold-out crowds that were outrageously loud and loyal.
The crowd came Wednesday night, and they were loud, even though there were plenty of seats available.
They got a solid reminder of the days when no one wanted to play the Razorbacks in Bud Walton Arena.
One thing that won’t change - and the reason so many were on hand - was the ’Cats were in town and outside of the Commonwealth of Kentucky they are the most disliked and envied basketball program in the SEC.
Of course, when the Razorbacks joined the SEC they were part of the pride of the SEC, too, for a while.
So it was no surprise the teams went after each other like mortal enemies in an overtime thriller.
The Hogs bolted to a 17-9 lead as the Wildcats missed wide-open looks, mostly from three-land.
Kentucky scored first in overtime, but Arkansas took the lead on a three by Julysses Nobles. The Wildcats answered, but with the game on the line, Marcus Britt caused a steal and got the score for a 77-76 lead with 16 seconds to play.
Kentucky missed twice but got the ball out of bounds with 1.8 seconds to play. A three point attempt was long and the Hogs stormed the court. It was a high in a season of ups and downs.
Rotnei Clarke and Marshawn “No Comment” Powell combined for 24 first half points - they would finish with 48 - and the Hogs went into halftime leading 34-32. The teams looked even, but it was far from the glory days when they owned the SEC Tournament.
Kentucky opened the second half hitting the boards and running its offense, jumping to a 43-37 lead before Clarke began his streak of seven consecutive free throws.
The Hogs were 1 of 7 from the field when Clarke drew a foul on a three-point attempt that he shoved with his left hand to make it a shooting foul.
He made all three, and after a steal and foul, Andre Liggins was hit with a technical foul. Clarke made four more free throws. Powell got a basket-and-1 to make it 47-43 Arkansas, and Bud Walton was as close to rocking as it has been all season.
John Calipari was upset with the officials, but Kentucky’s storied program is a long way from the NCAA Tournament with work to do in a short time.
Of course, John Pelphrey is fighting for his job, and there is no more desperate situation when it comes to coaching.
The Hogs led 47-45 with 11:31 to play, but they had missed six shots in a row. The Wildcats missed another, and Jeff Peterson went coast to coast for a three-point play that had Calipari up wiping sweat and calling for a high percentage shot.
Kentucky got two field goals, but at that point no one was rushing or panicking. It was a battle.
The lead changed hands on almost every possession, and the reckless abandon they showed was the like the old days, when they ruled the SEC. They are average basketball teams in a great football conference now.
Clarke got his first field goal of the second half with 3:41 to play in regulation, a three-pointer, and drew a foul for another free throw and a 64-61 lead.
It was 68-68 with 1:59 to play. Powell’s shot was blocked, so was a shot by Terrence Jones, but Brandon Knight hit a 12- footer to give Kentucky the lead. Nobles missed but came up with the loose ball and tied it with 38 seconds to play. The Wildcats missed three shots to send it to overtime.
Sports, Pages 19 on 02/24/2011