FAYETTEVILLE — Mike Anderson had plenty of good will with Arkansas fans when he was hired in 2011, thanks to his time as an assistant coach during the school's glory days.
Those 17 years next to former coach Nolan Richardson, including the 1994 national championship, never seemed as far away as they did during last season when Arkansas finished 16-16.
That's why, in an attempt to reclaim some of that good will lost over the course of five seasons with only one NCAA Tournament appearance, Anderson brought in an influx of top junior-college talent this year to go along with Southeastern Conference preseason Player of the Year Moses Kingsley .