8 Is Enough: Hogs Win Big With Historic Night From Clarke

All the worries were unfounded, the Hogs are fine and all is well...not quite.  However, tonight was a great night in light of the circumstances surrounding the Arkansas Razorback program.  Going into the game, no one really knew how the Hogs would respond to the suspensions, which left only eight players available to the team as they faced Alcorn State.  No one . . . except Rotnei "I've never met a three point shot I didn't like" Clarke. 

On this night, he was firing on all cylinders.  Clarke connected on his first 7 three pointers en route to not only an Arkansas record but an SEC record of 13 three-pointers as Arkansas won 130-68.  The man was in a hypnotic zone rivaled only by Joey Chestnut in a hotdog eating contest. 

In addition to setting the aforementioned record, Clarke also decided he would take it upon himself to set the Arkansas record for most points scored in a single game with 51.  Yes, it was quite the night for Mr. Clarke and his magical, mystical jump shot.  Clarke finished 15 of 21 from the field and 13 of 17 from three-point range. He scored 31 of his record setting 51 points in the first half.

In addition to the high scoring, the Hogs displayed some pretty good defensive prowess as they held Alcorn State to just 29.7% from the floor and 27.3% from three-point range.  As for the Hogs, they shot 55.1% from the field and, with a little help from the Sultan of Swish, 53.3% from three-point range.

The newcomers for Arkansas also contributed nicely.  Jemal Farmer (transfer junior from Chicago, IL) threw in 28 points and 12 rebounds, and highly touted freshman Marshawn Powell had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

All in all, it was a great way to begin even if it was just Alcorn State.  Considering the suspensions and turmoil off the court, I think Coach John Pelphrey summed it up well:

"I think everybody had fun . . . Good for those young men that show up every day early, ready to work, encourage each other, serious about going to school. Good for them."