INDIANAPOLIS – The long, tortured revival of Arkansas to the forefront of college basketball took more than a quarter century. The Razorbacks parted ways with a Hall of Fame coach, churned through three forgettable tenures and wandered through long stretches of irrelevancy.
Arkansas hasn’t played in the Final Four since reaching back-to-back national title games in 1994 and 1995, a time when the school’s famous "Calling the Hogs" provided a soundtrack for the sport. Well, that nostalgic serenade bounced through the upper decks of Bankers Life FieldHouse on Thursday.
There’s a unique yearning that comes with the revival of an old power, a clash of fresh desires and old entitlement that only spikes the stakes.