the nearly all-black Arkansas Razorbacks have posted back-to-back losses in their last two outings, which is nothing new. however, what is new is that Rotnei Clarke has looked stellar in both games. until the past two defeats, Arkansas had only lost once all season when the sharp-shooting Clarke went for 15 or more points, but in the two recent games Clarke has gone for 24 and 26 points respectively, shot a sparkling 50% from the floor (and 50% from 3-point range), and combined for 8 assists to just 2 turnovers. not bad numbers for an "over-achieving gym rat."
his playmaking off the dribble has dramatically improved this season, and it looks like Pelphrey's forgotten vow to try Clarke at the point guard spot this year has proven to be a HUGE error. hopefully "Big Shot" Rot will continue to prove all his doubters wrong.
in other news, the oft-overlooked Brad Tinsley has been playing outstanding basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. yesterday, he once again showed he is more than an excellent passer ... as he dunked on (one of my five All-Americans) Chandler Parsons, who was terribly late rotating on the weakside and looked completely surprised that Tinsley is also ahigh-riser. the dunk was #1 on Sportscenter's Top 10.
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXK4Y1wI9qU[/tube]
sadly, Duke's big men struggled mightily in their loss to North Carolina. Singler (3-14 on the night) couldn't hit the floor if he dropped the ball, nor could Ryan Kelly. Mason Plumlee couldn't stay on the floor without getting called for a foul, and brother Miles looked reluctant to attack the rim on offense ... although he did rebound very well.
conversely, UNC's Tyler Zeller looked incredibly comfortable in the rivalry game. he started off UNC's scoring with two MASSIVE dunks off the dribble. he wasn't looked to very often in UNC's set offense (no surprise there), but he made the most of his opportunities and once again had a big impact with few touches.
