Early in the SEC season, the Arkansas Razorbacks dropped back-to-back games to South Carolina and Georgia and all hope seemed lost for John Pelphrey’s first year as the Hogs’ head coach.

Obviously, that was an extreme overreaction to two losses, but Pelphrey and the Razorbacks did use those defeats to rally themselves to a four-game winning streak.

Of course, after enduring a two-game road swing through Knoxville, Tenn., and Starkville, Miss., last week, the Razorbacks are right back where they were three weeks ago.

However, the Hogs’ situation is much different today than it was back in January. Two losses are two losses no matter how you look at it, but there is a big difference in falling to No. 2 Tennessee and Mississippi State on the road and getting upset by South Carolina and Georgia anywhere.

Tennessee is playing as well as any team in the nation right now and is a legitimate contender to bring another national title to the SEC this year.

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And while the Bulldogs aren’t up to the Vols’ standards, Mississippi State is still a physical, talented squad that could make some noise this March.

What impressed me most about the Hogs on Saturday is that they came to play against the Bulldogs even after being blasted by Tennessee.

Furthermore, the Razorbacks absorbed MSU’s best shot in the first half of a game that was very personal to State forward Charles Rhodes and guard Jamont Gordon, and were still standing.

The Razorbacks rolled to a 19-2 run in the second half to take a lead and the game was a see-saw battle from there on.

Though on a much less grand scale, the game reminded me of the type of games Arkansas played against Kentucky during the Nolan Richardson and Rick Pitino hey days in the early and mid-1990 s.

Generally, the home team won those games with the electricity generated by their fan base making the difference in an evenly matched game.

Arkansas lost last Saturday, but they didn’t roll over and die. The Bulldogs were thrilled to win that game and they knew they were in a struggle.

Personally, I hope the Hogs and Bulldogs run into each other again in the SEC Tournament. I’d like to see a rubber match on a neutral floor.

I think there is still a lot of fight left in these Hogs. Razorbacks senior guard Gary Ervin said as much on Monday.

“ We took two hard punches, ” Ervin said. “ Now we have to punch back. ”

They key, though, is for the Razorbacks to keep playing for each other rather than themselves.

Since their two-game skid in January, the Razorbacks have done that for the most part.

“ Neither one of those games last week was lost from a lack of effort or competing, ” Pelphrey said.

While the Hogs aren’t where they would like to be at this point in the season, they are in a better position than they have been in years.

The past two seasons, the Razorbacks performed minor miracles to win their way into the NCAA Tournament by winning five consecutive games against long odds.

Like every other team in the nation, the Hogs can’t afford to take anything for granted with six games to play, but as of yet their backs aren’t against the wall for the NCAA Tourney.

Most prognosticators have them in the field of 65, but to stay there the Razorbacks need to win. The more they win, the better their seed. And the lower their seed, the better their opportunity to advance.

Good basketball teams always crank their level of play up a notch at this time of year for the stretch run in conference play. Very good teams are able to do it once again for a solid stay in the NCAA Tournament. Great teams will their way into the Final Four.

Right now, the Hogs are flirting on the edge of being a good basketball team. But how they play in their final six regular-season games, starting with tonight’s matchup with LSU, will write the story on how these Razorbacks will be remembered.

Terry J. Wood is the sports editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times.