pionship, never seemed as far away as they did during last season when Arkansas finished 16-16.Thats why, in an attempt to reclaim some of that good will lost over the course of five seasons with on

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- 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 schools 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.Thats 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 .Whether the additions of guards Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon, along with forward Arlando Cook, are enough to return the Razorbacks to their 27-win level of two seasons ago is unclear. But its a start.The thing that excites me is weve got more pieces now, Anderson said. Pieces to the puzzle that fit what we want to do.Arkansas spent much of last season unable to recover from the early departures of former SEC Player of the Year Bobby Portis and All-SEC performer Michael Qualls.This season, the Razorbacks hope to mesh quickly around Kingsley, who considered leaving for the NBA before deciding to come back for his final season.The 6-foot-10 Nigerian center emerged from Portis shadow last season to average 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and he had an early glimpse of his new teammates during a 10-day, four-game team trip to Spain over the summer. He liked what he saw, just as Arkansas fans hope the same in Andersons sixth season.I feel like the team has help now, Kingsley said.Some other things to watch as Arkansas attempts to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing it last season:HOT-SHOOTING HANNAHSKingsley isnt the only top returner for the Razorbacks, with sharp-shooter Dusty Hannahs also back after leading the team with 16.5 points per game last season. The senior was fifth in the SEC in 3-point percentage last season, hitting 43.3 percent from behind the arc, and said he absolutely expects Arkansas to return to the NCAA Tournament this season.DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTThe Razorbacks were 247th in the country last season while allowing opponents to average 74.7 points per game. Not surprisingly, defensive improvement has been a point of emphasis for Anderson -- who is counting on better perimeter defense with Barford and Macon, along with junior Anton Beard. We have to make teams uncomfortable with the basketball, Anderson said.POINT DUTYFormer Arkansas point guard Jabril Durham graduated after leading the Razorbacks with an average of 6.4 assists per game last season, and Anderson expects the 6-foot-3 Barford to try and take over that position of lead playmaker. Barford averaged a national-best 26.3 points per game in junior college last season, but he also averaged 5.1 assists per game two years ago and has good passing ability.BEARDS RETURNBeard played in 23 games last season, but he never appeared fully comfortable after missing the first semester following his arrest on forgery charges. The junior has stayed out of troubles way this year, and Anderson is counting on the guard to return to his All-SEC freshman form of two years ago -- when he averaged 5.8 points per game.THOMAS DEBUTThe power forward position was a prime weakness for Arkansas last season, and Anderson hopes 6-foot-8 Colorado transfer Dustin Thomas can help fill that void. Thomas averaged 4.4 points per game as a sophomore with the Buffaloes two seasons ago, and he was second on the Razorbacks in rebounding during their four games in Spain this summer. Cheap Jordans Free Shipping . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. Cheap Jordans Usa .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. 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On Tuesday, the Big 12 authorized commissioner Bob Bowlsby to start exploring expansion candidates.Bowlsby and Oklahoma president and Big 12 board chairman David Boren said the factors the league would consider would include strength of football program, fan base, media market, reputation and academic standing.Through that prism, heres how potential expansion candidates stack up:NOTE: In each section, teams are listed in order of likeliness of being invited to join the league.The favoritesBYU: With the strongest football program of any available non-Power 5 program, the Cougars have been at the top of the list from the very beginning. Along with Houston, BYU topped an ESPN poll of the leagues football coaches, presumably for that very reason. BYU has defeated Big 12 flagships Texas and Oklahoma in the past seven years, and dating back to 1980, only Nebraska, Florida State, Ohio State, Miami, Florida and the Sooners have won more games than BYU. Through the Mormon Church, the Cougars have a national following, with an average home attendance (58,000) that wouldve ranked fourth in the Big 12 last year. Though the campus is roughly 2,000 miles away from Big 12 member West Virginia, BYU would give the conference a presence in the Mountain Time Zone, creating interesting TV opportunities for the league, while, perhaps, bolstering the Big 12s revenue distribution potential down the line. BYU not playing on Sundays would create issues in Olympic sports scheduling, notably baseball, softball and womens soccer; that obstacle and the schools proximity to the rest of the league is why a football-only option could be on the table for the Cougars. That, however, is not preferable for the Big 12.Cincinnati: For the reason BYUs geographys might work against it, Cincinnatis location is one of the schools biggest assets in Big 12 expansion. Whether the Big 12 chose to expand by two or four, Cincinnati could be logically paired with virtually any expansion candidate. West Virginias leadership has been a proponent of Big 12 expansion, provided that through expansion the Mountaineers wind up with a travel partner, like Cincinnati, that makes sense. School president Santa Ono has been working furiously behind the scenes to get the school into the Big 12, though hell be leaving for the University of British Columbia in August. Cincinnati recently renovated Nippert Stadium, plays in a top-40 TV market and has big businesses, notably Cincinnati-based Kroger and Macys, behind its candidacy.The other hopefulsHouston:?UH is all-in on Big 12 expansion, with both president Renu Khator and athletic director Hunter Yurachek issuing statements Wednesday touting the university. I am thrilled to have this opportunity, Khator said, to showcase the University of Houston. Billionaire and UH regents chairman Tilman Fertitta told ESPN Wednesday that, We feel like we have a lot to offer. The Cougars have enjoyed a football resurgence at an opportune time, with Tom Herman delivering a 13-1 record last year. UH also has a massive enrollment and plays in the fourth-biggest city in the country. UH will be making the case that the SEC has begun to take over the city of Houston, and that only the Cougars can deliver it back to the Big 12.Connecticut: The Huskies are situated among several major markets in the Northeast and could help the Big 12 find footing in the region, the way Rutgers opened up New York City to the Big Ten, which might help in future TV negotiations. The question is whether that, along with UConns solid academics and terrific basketball programs, would outweigh the proximity problem and UConns mediocre football.UCF: Central Florida boasts the largest undergraduate enrollment inn the country and operates out of the 19th-largest TV market.ddddddddddddThose are both major positives. There ought to be a home for us in the Big 12, UCF president John Hitt said Wednesday. Theres a sense among some that UCF has tremendous upside and would thrive playing in a major conference, especially with so much in-state high school talent and an up-and-coming coach in Scott Frost. On the other hand, UCF has virtually no football tradition, going 0-12 last year. Its also difficult to envision the fans in Norman and Austin getting fired up to go watch the Sooners and Longhorns take on the Knights.Memphis: FedEx has been dangling millions of advertising dollars in front of the Big 12 in exchange for a Memphis invite to the Big 12. On top of that, in a letter to West Virginia president Gordon Gee, Memphis president David Rudd said that the schools partnership with FedEx would uniquely position [Memphis] to request only a portion of new revenue for several years until renegotiation of the conference media [rights] agreement occurs. In other words, Memphis, conceivably, would be willing to accept partial distribution of conference revenue all the way until 2024-25. That would be worth millions to current Big 12 members and should, at the least, command the leagues attention.Colorado State: If the Big 12 focuses west in expansion with BYU, Colorado State would make sense as a second (or fourth) school. CSU claims the Denver market and could re-expand (after Colorados departure in 2011) the Big 12 footprint into Colorado in a way that doesnt create a logistical nightmare. Rams athletic director Joe Parker has close ties to the conference, having worked at Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas, which, as one Big 12 administrator pointed out, is a real advantage for CSU. The Rams are also building a $200 million on-campus stadium that would be ready by the time CSU would join the Big 12.The long shotsTulane: Conference chairman?Boren noted that academic standing would be a component in expansion exploration. That makes Tulane, with its terrific academic profile, a true dark horse. The city of New Orleans could also entice the Big 12 from a market and recruiting point. If the Big 12 expanded by two, Tulane would probably have no chance, but if the league expanded by four, Tulane just might become a factor.Boise State: Boise State has won 10 or more games 13 times since 1999, and the football appeal of the Broncos to the Big 12 fan bases would be stronger than most candidates out there. But would that alone capture the Big 12s attention? Boise doesnt have much else to offer.USF: The Bulls picked an awfully bad time to have an academic fraud scandal. USF was already a long-shot candidate. This latest development could be a dagger to their candidacy.The you-never-knowUCLA: Former UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel caused a stir Wednesday when he said on Sirius XM College Sports that he wouldnt be surprised if the Bruins gave a move to the Big 12 serious thought. Before you ask why UCLA would consider leaving the comforts of the Pac-12 for the Big 12, remember this: Kansas State generated three times more Tier 3 revenue through K-StateHD.TV than UCLA received from the struggling Pac-12 Network. The Pac-12 grant of rights is up before the Big 12s, and as one industry insider put it, if Pac-12 commish Larry Scott can flirt with Texas and Oklahoma, whats stopping Bob Bowlsby from doing the same with the Bruins? Who knows -- UCLA could be tempted to make a brand-defining break from USC in the same vein of Texas A&Ms SEC move away from Texas. ' ' '