Mike Anderson is a good basketball coach.  But is a guy who’s reached two Sweet Sixteens in nine seasons really worth this much trouble?

From a quick check of some Missouri blogs, it looks like a few Tiger fans are starting to ask that very question about their current — for right this second — coach.

Various reports since last night have claimed:


1.  Anderson has a two-year extension and a $500,000 raise on the table in Columbia.

2.  Arkansas is ready to give Anderson an offer but it “first must get permission” from Missouri AD Mike Alden to speak with him.  (In other words, UA has been dealing with Jimmy Sexton, has the deal in place, and now just needs to officially shake hands with Anderson.)

3.  Anderson is “extremely close” to accepting the UA job.

4.  Also, The Baxter Bulletin is running with a story that states: “Sources close to college basketball, and sources close to Arkansas said Tuesday night they anticipate Missouri coach Mike Anderson becoming the Arkansas Razorbacks’ next head coach.”

5.  Rivals site HawgSports.com is pointing out this morning that reports from Missouri and across the nation have Anderson sticking with the Tigers.  The reports of him landing at Arkansas all seem to come from people in Arkansas.  They also report that AD Jeff Long might turn to UCLA head coach Ben Howland if Anderson decides to stay put.


This much is clear:


1.  Anderson’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, has been negotiating an extension and raise with Missouri since before the Tigers’ tourney run ended.  Some MU boosters say a deal has been in the works for months.

2.  Sexton also appears to have been dealing with Arkansas officials.

3.  Anderson has stated his desire to “retire” in Columbia.  He has turned down more lucrative offers from Georgia and Oregon the past two years.  So it’s possible that Sexton is simply using Arkansas as leverage in his dealings with Mizzou.

4.  But Missouri officials have let it be known that they will only go so far to retain their coach and that appears to be as far as a two-year extension and a bump to $2 million per season. 

5.  Just our take: It’s possible Missouri is trying to call Anderson and Sexton’s bluff and that’s leading to delays… because Anderson truly wants to stay at Mizzou as he’s said.  That’s just a theory, but it’s a theory that wasn’t shot down when I spoke to a source in the Natural State yesterday.


If Anderson does stay at Missouri, he’d better do some serious winning.  You can’t toy with the affection of the hometown fans year after year after year and expect them to like it when you lose to Kansas, finish fifth in your conference and fail to win your first NCAA Tournament game. 

Heck, at this point, Anderson might be better off heading to Fayetteville where Hog fans will rejoice in his arrival.  It sounds like his latest money-grab is rubbing a few Tiger fans the wrong way in Missouri.

1. Is Arkansas close with Mike Anderson? The coach was in Columbia, Missouri and Hutchinson, Kansas on Saturday.

2. Bruce Pearl awaits his review.

3. David Climer:  ”Those close to Pearl say he is expecting the worst.”

4. If Pearl goes, expect Tobias Harris to leave as well.

5. Mike Strange:  ”When I got back to my desk Saturday from the debacle in Charlotte, I had eight voice messages waiting. All eight were the same: Keep Bruce Pearl. Fire Mike Hamilton.”

6. Florida 73 – UCLA 65.  Erving Walker scores 10 of his 21 points in the last four minutes.

7. Mike Bianchi: “The Florida Gators own the most storied program in all of college basketball.”

8. Kenny Boynton not expected to miss time with his ankle injury which is a good thing because he faces off against Jimmer Fredette and BYU Thursday in New Orleans.

9. Kentucky 71 – West Virginia 63.  Career-high thirty points for Brandon Knight.

10. Yet UK’s MVP may have been DeAndre Liggins.

11. Josh Harrellson - Kentucky’s steadiest player.

12. John Clay: The pressure’s off.

13. Expect a new-look Georgia Bulldogs team in 2012.

14. And a post-mortem on the 2011 edition.

15. Auburn coach Tony Barbee to his team - improve or else.

16. Kevin Scarbinsky: “Abolish the divisions. Make SEC basketball one big, unruly family again.”

17. Today’s tournament schedule.

SEC Football

18. Spencer Ware is a two-sport athlete and a potential star running back for LSU.

19. A “partial scrimmage” for the Tigers on Saturday.

20. Several early commitments for Alabama.

21. The five questions facing the Tide as spring practice begins.

22. Questions about some pictures of Auburn players.

23. Couple of Ole Miss players will miss spring practice.

24.  Stephen Garcia rejoins the Gamecocks after a three practice suspension.

Extra

25. One-legged wrestler wins NCAA championship.

SEC Basketball

1. Washington 68 – Georgia 65.  Bulldogs led by as many as seven points in first half, but fade in second.

2. Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie – NBA bound?

3. Mark Bradley: “There’s a chance we might have watched one of the most talented Bulldog assemblages come and go without registering even one NCAA tournament win.”

4. Michigan 75 – Tennessee 45.  Worst ever loss in an 8-9 tournament game – worst loss in Bruce Pearl’s six seasons at Tennessee.

5. Jon Solomon: “This can’t be stated enough: Tennessee lost by 30 in an 8-9 game.”

6. Blowout took place on Bruce Pearl’s birthday.

7. So what happens now? Focus turns to Pearl’s future.

8. Pearl: “My goal and my desire is to be the basketball coach at Tennessee next year and for a long time.”

9. Kentucky vs. West Virginia today.  John Calipari 1-8 against Bob Huggins teams.

10. Huggins: “We’ve just been lucky, that’s all.”

11. Terrence Jones is feeling better.

12. Florida vs. UCLA today.  Sure, there’s a history between these two teams but it’s just that – history.

13. Keep your eye on UCLA center Joshua Smith – listed at 6’10″ and 305 pounds – “The accuracy of both is in question.”

14. Kentucky plays at noon – Florida at 2:45.  Here’s today’s entire tournament TV schedule. And previews from Tampa.

15. MrSEC.com flashback: Kentucky and Florida best SEC bets for long tourney run.

16. Do Kentucky fans like Billy Donovan more than John Calipari?

17. With Arkansas searching for a new basketball coach, what happens to the Razorbacks signing class?

18. Mike Anderson and the Arkansas rumors that won’t go away.

19. With Vandy the victim of another first-round NCAA Tournament upset, there are many things the Commodores can do to improve next year.

SEC Football

20. Georgia’s A.J. Green bombs his Wonderlic test but Jeff Schultz still thinks the wide receiver will be one of the first six off the board at the NFL draft.

21. Greg McElroy reportedly got a 43 - Cam Newton a 21. The average for an NFL quarterback – 24.

22. Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins accepts a plea deal on a marijuana charge.

23. Some challenges along the Gators offensive line.

24. Vandy is fired up for spring practice.  So is new head coach James Franklin.

25. A big focus for Alabama this spring – the battle at the QB position.

A few coaches are now available to chat with Arkansas AD Jeff Long following their dismissals from the NCAA Tournament yesterday.

At the top of the list — Missouri’s Mike Anderson.  The Tigers’ coach is the dream candidate for many a Hog fan.  The former Nolan Richardson assistant has said that he wants to retire at Mizzou and he’s turned down big offers from Georgia and Oregon in recent years.  But if Arkansas is going to chase him and bag him, that process can now begin following the Tigers’ 78-63 loss to Cincinnati last night.  (Sidenote, my partner at MrSEC is a Mizzou grad and I’m sure he found last night’s game to be “40 minutes of Hell” for all the wrong reasons.)

According to Richardson, his former aide hasn’t said anything to him about the UA job.  He also told ArkansasNews.com that Anderson wasn’t happy when he didn’t get a shot at the Hogs’ top job when Richardson was fired in 2002.  “When Mike left he was pretty upset and I don’t blame him.”  Is he over it?  Will he leave Columbia?  We’ll know soon enough.


Also available to talk is Louisville’s Rick Pitino.  We’ve had more than one Razorback fan/alum/booster tells us that Pitino is the “surprise” candidate who’ll eventually land the job.  And after his Cardinals’ 62-61 loss to cross-state foe Morehead State yesterday, Pitino is free to chat.

But after last night’s game, Pitino said, “This is as tough a loss as I’ve had in coaching, and I’ve been coaching a long time, after tonight maybe too long.”  That, of course, could just be the sound of a shocked, disappointed man.  But Pitino has been through a lot in the last year — on and off the court.

“My window is closing in coaching,” Pitino also said.  “I said I could leave this year and be a happy man. … You always want to coach a team like this in your last years that you coach the game.”  He then clarified his comments to point out that he said last years, plural.  But would he want to start all over again somewhere else at age 58?

Bottom line: Pitino won’t go to work for a school that just fired his former player John Pelphrey.  We won’t buy that one until Pitino’s wearing a plastic hog on his head (with his white suit) and actually calling the Hogs.


Another former Kentucky coach — Billy Gillispie — is reportedly on the verge of signing a deal with Texas Tech.  We never believed for a second that Arkansas would move in Billy Clyde’s direction, but his name did appear on a few lists of candidates.  Don’t worry, Hog fans.  Looks like he’ll be a Red Raider instead.


One more ex-Wildcat coach to throw out there — Tubby Smith.  Smith is working on an extension with Minnesota.  He said he hasn’t been contacted by Arkansas (but what about that rumored face-to-face meeting with UA reps?) and he doesn’t like all the rumors.  But The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that he also said he’d listen if the Hogs did call him.  Way to quiet the rumors, Tubby.

In reality, Smith might be using Arkansas as leverage to get a new practice facility built for the Gophers.


Steve Lavin’s name has also popped up in connection with the Arkansas job, but we don’t see that one happening, either.  St. John’s rescued Lavin from the TV business and gave him a second-chance after his dismissal from UCLA back in 2003.  It would be surprising for him to leave the Johnnies after just one season.

Still, he is available to talk after last night’s 86-71 loss to Gonzaga.


As for guys still alive in the NCAAs, Frank Martin’s Kansas State club held on to knock off Utah State last night and Mick Cronin’s Cincinnati team was responsible for Missouri’s exit.  Might Cronin have helped his case by topping Anderson head-to-head?


Two other potential Razorback candidates will hit the floor with their teams tonight:

Buzz Williams and Marquette will face Xavier at 7:27pm ET.

Mark Turgeon and Texas A&M will face Florida State at 4:10pm ET.


One last note: Oklahoma’s State’s Travis Ford isn’t popping up on any lists, but he and Long have a history.  Long hired him at Eastern Kentucky.  Earlier this month, Ford said Long is “one of my best friends.”  Just sayin’.

(UPDATE — A kind reader reminded us that Ford and Pelphrey were roomates at UK, something that this writer had forgotten.  So that’s why he’s not on any lists!  In the words of Gilda Radner: “Nevermind.”)

Kentucky co-defensive coordinator Steve Brown may soon land as the new D-coordinator at UCLA.  But I’m not sure he’s any closer to the job today than he was a week ago.

On February 10th, The Orange County Register reported that Brown had interviewed for the job on Rick Neuheisel’s staff.  That report led to Chip Patterson of CBSSportsline.com posting the rumor later that day.  At that point, the UCLA blog BruinsNation.com picked up the story two days later.  BleedBlueKentucky.com posted a link to BruinsNation yesterday.  And John Clay of The Lexington Herald-Leader posted a link to BleedBlueKentucky’s post today.

Got all that?

The Orange County Register posted a story on February 10th.  That story went through the blog cycle and now pops up five days later at The Lexington Herald-Leader’s site under the link: “Steve Brown to UCLA picking up steam.”

Whether or not Brown’s candidacy is picking up steam in the real life or just on the internet remains to be seen.

1. Kentucky assistant football coach Steve Brown interviewed at UCLA this week for the defensive coordinator position.

2. Former Florida QB coach Scott Loeffler is the new offensive coordinator at Temple.

3. Phil Simms “is sorry” about his confrontation with Desmond Howard.

4. Stranded in Mississippi.  Both the LSU and Arkansas basketball teams are stuck thanks to bad weather.  About two feet of snow on the ground in Fayetteville and enough snow on the ground in Tuscaloosa to make a Nick Saban snowman.

5. The LSU spring football game will be on ESPN.

6. The 2011 “Recruiter of the Year” – here’s Alabama linebackers coach Sal Sunseri in action.

7.  Arkansas’s linebacker coach is looking forward to working with the three linebackers in the Razorbacks 2011 recruiting class.

Defensive end Jermauria Rasco from Evangelical Christian School in Shreveport, La., has decided to take official visit to Arkansas this weekend and Florida on Jan. 28, according to 247sports.com.

He has also taken official visits to Florida State and UCLA. He received an in-home visit from Tennessee earlier this week, according to the 247sports report.

Rasco is considered the fifth-best prospect in the state of Louisiana and No. 46 overall prospect in the nation by 247sports.

Content provided by John Clay’s Sidelines.

The ACC-Big 10 challenge highlights this week’s action. We get Virginia vs. Tubby Smith’s Minnesota tonight. North Carolina-Illinois is the headliner on Tuesday. Michigan State-Duke is a powerhouse game Wednesday night. UCLA-Kansas would be a good game Thursday except for the fact that UCLA is still not yet back to being UCLA.

It’s been four years, but the Kentucky Wildcats found their way back to Maui for the prestigious EA Sports Maui Invitational. The last time UK appeared on the island, they posted a 1-2 record which included a win over DePaul and losses to No. 5 UCLA and the John Calipari-coached Memphis Tigers in the 2006 Maui Invitational.
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Defensive end Sam Tai from Liberty High School in Henderson, N.V., has committed to UCLA.

Tai chose the Bruins over Arkansas. Tai plans to graduate from high school in December and enroll at UCLA in January.