The hopes Arkansas raised with early non-conference wins over Oklahoma and Texas quickly faded once SEC play began, and the Razorbacks settled to the bottom of the SEC's Western Division.

But with everybody slated to return in 2009-10, the Hogs have reason for optimism.

"Well, certainly we're very excited about the future," coach John Pelphrey said after the Hogs' season ended with a loss to Florida in the SEC tournament.

With the early success—a 12-1 record over the first two months that included the upsets of the Sooners and Longhorns—it's easy to forget this was an Arkansas team that started the season with only two players who had significant collegiate experience.

The leading returning scorer from 2007-08, Patrick Beverley, was declared...]]> Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:00:30 PDT ncaab urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,sportsxchange:20080101:ncaab,article,teamreports-2009-ncaab-aas:1 Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:00:30 PDT