FAYETTEVILLE - One maddening aspect of March Madness is its retrospective dwarfing of all preceding it.
The last March Madness, inevitably at some finale point remembered with March Sadness for all NCAA 68 Tournament entrants save the championship game winner, too often defines a season fallen short for teams that have accomplished so much.
Like Arkansas for instance. Especially if Coach Eric Musselman's Razorbacks complete a home and home sweep today in their regular SEC season finale at Tennessee.
Even if today in Knoxville the Razorbacks don't again beat the 13th ranked Volunteers they defeated, 58-48 in Fayetteville, what Arkansas accomplished this season should be appreciated set apart from whatever the Razorbacks do or don't accomplish in the NCAA Tournament postseason.
Given where they staggered Jan. 8, these are remarkable Razorbacks winning 14 of their last 15 standing 24-6 overall and a tied for SEC second 13-4 with the nationally No. 7 Kentucky and No. 13 Tennessee teams they've beaten at Walton Arena. They lodge just one game behind 14-3 SEC leading No. 5 Auburn.
Auburn's Tigers ranked No. 1 when Arkansas beat them, 80-76 in overtime Feb. 8 at Walton.
LSU's Tigers ranked AP 12th nationally when Arkansas beat them 65-58 on Jan. 15 in Baton Rouge, La. Though 20-10 overall, and 8-9 in the SEC inferior to Arkansas' 24-6, 13-4, LSU in the bizarre NET rankings used by the Selection Committee determining NCAA Tournament seedings, remains ahead. LSU ranks 17th to Arkansas' down a NET notch No. 22 from 21 despite eclipsing LSU, 77-76 rematched last Wednesday at Walton.
Seems Razorbacks fans best savor what Arkansas accomplishes since what's net in the NET apparently does not.
Perhaps the NET requires enlightening that these no longer are the reeling Razorbacks, Jan. 8 0-3 in the SEC and losing 5 of 6 overall.
Nonconference among the 5 of 6 losses came a balloon busting 88-66 loss to Oklahoma in Tulsa after Arkansas won its first nine followed by the 89-81 embarrassment losing to Hofstra Dec. 18 at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock.
The 0-3 SEC start included no heavyweights. Losing on the road to Mississippi State and Texas A&M, both now an ordinary SEC 8-9, and most galling at home to Vanderbilt, now 6-11 in the SEC, boded ill.
"We made a U-turn on January 9th," Musselman said Thursday. "Even at Alabama, the game that we didn't win, we fought back. I just think it's a team right now that has belief, finds a way, is able to adjust."
Adjust when the shots aren't falling or the officials' whistles are blowing or even while nailed on the boards like LSU outboarded them Wednesday at Walton.
"I think we just try and find a way," graduate transfer forward Stanley Umude said post Wednesday's win. "That's been our motto. We got outrebounded crazy tonight but we still came up with the W. That's all that matters."