It’s hard to believe, I know, but Arkansas basketball tips off preseason practice tomorrow night.

Most of the talk this week has centered on Arkansas playing top-ranked Florida in Gainesville on Saturday, but there is hoops news to share, mainly because we haven’t been able to talk at length to players and coaches for quite some time. John Pelphrey, Rotnei Clark, Courtney Fortson and Michael Washington were all available today. Here were some of the highlights:

• Off-the-court issues have been a big topic and Pelphrey addressed them somewhat today. He wouldn’t specify which players have been suspended for which games, saying that will be addressed later. He hopes players understand and have learned from their mistakes.

“Since I’ve been here, I find a value to doing the right things,” Pelphrey said. “Being a disciplined basketball team on the court, off the court. And if you don’t do the right thing we’ll be swift to take action. Thought out, of a response to that. I feel like there’s a standard to which we need to live up to in terms of representing this school and this state.”

• Point guard Courtney Fortson was asked about his insensitive comment on Twitter, which was posted while his teammates were being investigated for an alleged rape. Fortson said he regretted the Tweet and added “you live and you learn and you move on.” As noted earlier, Pelphrey wouldn’t comment on the discipline Fortson faces, but said it should be a lesson to everyone.

“I think all those guys need to be mindful, whether it’s Facebook, e-mail, Twitter, texting, there’s a standard there, too,” Pelphrey said. “It’s not just you it could affect. There’s a lot of people out there that may hold you accountable for your words.”

• Michael Washington spoke about his decision to return to the team after testing the NBA waters. Washington said he didn’t get too deep into the process, but did learn what he needs to work on. Interestingly, he said it was a family decision. His family decided Washington needed to come back to school, so that’s what he did. Pelphrey and the Razorbacks are counting on him to perform this season.

“We need Mike to do it again,” Pelphrey said. “The jump that he made was big. I think if he can somehow duplicate that, that would be better than what he did last year because he’s going to be the first name on the board. We’ve got to stop this guy. So if he duplicates that, he’s had a pretty succesful year and that would be phenomenal.”

• The golfer, also known as Stephen Cox, is back on the team. Pelphrey said he went to Arkansas golf coach Brad McMakin and asked if he could get Cox back for the season. Why? Well, Pelphrey said Cox is valuable to what the Razorbacks do.

“I think we’ve got a lot of people that are a huge part of our program that probably don’t start and score a lot of points and do those types of things,” Cox said. “But as you know, I find a value to Stephen. He helps us.”

• The status of another walk-on, Nick Mason, is not quite clear. Mason was involved in the fraternity house incident in late August. Pelphrey said he’ll address Mason’s situation later as well. However, he was asked if Mason would practice tomorrow and responded with:

“Nick will be a part of the team on some limited basis, yes.”

• Like I said above, Arkansas will practice for the first time Friday at 5 p.m. They will practice twice on Saturday and Sunday. There won’t be much time until they’ll take to the floor, too. The Red-White game is scheduled for Oct. 23 at 5:30 p.m.

That’s all regarding the hoops team for now, but there’s much, much more to share. Look for more blogs and stories over the next several days.

I spent the all day working at Pinnacle Country Club at the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship. Specifically, my job was to follow Stacy Lewis through her first round at the tournament. So checking e-mail and blogging were a little difficult.

So I know this is late, but there is something I want to post tonight.

We know that Arkansas point guard Courtney Fortson is facing disciplinary action because of something he posted on Twitter, the social networking Web site, earlier this week. But why can Fortson be punished? And what type of punishment could he face?

The answers lie in the athletic department’s social networking guidelines, which were put in place this fall.

Clearly, Fortson’s tweet could be a benchmark case for the athletic department. I’m not aware of any other athlete who has been punished under these new social networking guidelines to this point. So this situation could go a long way to showing how serious the Razorbacks are about policing its athletes in the things they say or post online.

Anyway, below is the policy. Make sure to read the part in bold:

Student-athletes should be concerned with any behavior that might embarrass themselves, their families, their
teams, and/or the University of Arkansas. This includes any activities conducted online. As a student-athlete participating in intercollegiate sports at the University of Arkansas, you are a representative of the university and are
always in the public eye. Potential employers, internship supervisors, graduate programs, and scholarship committees now search these sites to screen candidates and applications. Please keep the following guidelines in mind as
you participate on social networking web sites:

Before participating in any online community, understand that anything posted online is available to anyone in
the world. Any text or photo placed online is completely out of your control the moment it is placed online – even
if you limit access to your site.

You should not post information, photos, or other items online that could embarrass you, your family, your team,
the athletic department, or the University of Arkansas. This includes information about team activities and teammates.

You cannot post any information that is proprietary to the Athletic Department which is not public information such as tentative or future schedules, or information that is sensitive or personal in nature, such as travel plans and itineraries. You are responsible for knowing the department’s Confidential and Proprietary Information Policy.

You are personally liable for any copyright violations committed, such as posting photographs, audio, or video that is not your personal property. This includes the use of the trademarks of the University of Arkansas.

You are personally liable for any violations of other students or student-athletes’ privacy rights, especially those that fall under federal privacy laws (FERPA or HIPPA) or that violate University of Arkansas student codes of conduct or codes of computing practices.

You should not post your home address, local address, social security number, phone numbers (s), birth date, or
other personal information such as your whereabouts or your plans. You could be opening up yourself to predators.

Coaches and athletic department administrators can and do monitor these web sites.

The malicious use of online social networks such as derogatory language about any member of the University of
Arkansas community, demeaning statements about or threats to any third party, and incriminating photos or statements depicting hazing, sexual harassment, vandalism, stalking, underage drinking, illegal drug use or other inappropriate behavior will be subject to disciplinary action by the head coach and/or director of athletics if they gain knowledge of such violations. Sanctions may include written notification requiring the unacceptable content be removed, temporary suspension from the team, dismissal from the team and loss of athletic aid, if applicable.

I understand and agree that I am required to know, understand and follow the standards in the University of Arkansas Department of Athletics Social Networking Guidelines for Student-Athletes, and grant permission for the monitoring the Department of Athletics.

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey picked up a commitment late Tuesday night, giving him four players now in his 2009-10 recruiting class.

The player is Julysses Nobles, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound point guard from Callaway High in Jackson, Miss. Nobles was one of three finalists for the Mr. Basketball award in Mississippi after leading Callaway to the Class 4A state championship.

Nobles committed late Tuesday night on a Jackson TV newscast, picking the Razorbacks over Iowa, Wichita State, UAB, Tulane and Georgia State, according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. He averaged 21 points, six assists and five rebounds this past season.

He figures to give Arkansas a much-needed true point guard as a backup to sophomore-to-be Courtney Fortson, who logged too many minutes this season.

Nobles joins West Memphis center Anthony Borden (7-0, 230), power forward Marshawn Powell (6-8, 250) of The Miller (Va.) School and Cloud County (Kan.) Community College wing Jemal Farmer (6-5, 215) in the 09-10 class.

The Southeastern Conference unveiled its coaches’ postseason basketball awards on Tuesday morning, and Arkansas’ Michael Washington and Courtney Fortson each earned a distinction.

Washington, a 6-9 junior forward, was named second-team all-SEC, and Fortson, a 5-11 freshman point guard, was put on the conference’s all-freshman team. Washington ranks 10th in the league with 15.5 points per game and second with 9.5 rebounds. Fortson trails only Florida’s Nick Calathes in SEC assists.

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said a few minutes ago that freshman point guard Courtney Fortson would practice today. He also stated that if Fortson “does the correct things” between now and Wednesday night’s game against LSU, the 5-foot-11 floor general would start against the Tigers.

Pelphrey didn’t minizmize the impact of a potential Fortson return, saying it’d mean Arkansas would get back “the guy who’s first or second on our team in every category.”

Fortson, who Pelphrey suspended for Saturday’s loss to Kentucky because of a personal decision, not because of a violation of team rules, ranks first on Arkansas in assists (6.5), second in assists (6.5) and second in rebounds (5.0).

“I fully anticipate (Courtney) coming (to practice Monday) and having a phenomenal attitude,” Pelphrey said. “And again, Courtney’s been great 90 percent of the time, and that’s no different from the rest of (the players). I could make the same case about all of them.”

Pelphrey said Fortson needed to realize that he’d be help to a higher standard as Arkansas’ point guard and de-facto on-court leader.

“With whom much is given, much is to be expected, too,” Pelphrey said. “Needless to say, we treat all these guys fairly. We don’t treat them all the same. I don’t do that with my children.”

Throughout this whole ordeal, though Pelphrey having to punish his point guard for attitude issues, his feelings for Fortson haven’t changed.

“I love Courtney Fortson,” Pelphrey said. “There’s not another guard in the country I want leading our program from the point guard spot. Everything he has, we like. I guess when my kids screw up, I don’t get rid of them. They’re mine. (It’s the same) with him.”

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey will meet with the media here in Bud Walton Arena in about half-an-hour. As I walked by the Razorbacks’ weight room, I noticed freshman point guard Courtney Fortson in there doing some squats with assistant strength coach Kelly Lambert.

Still no clue as to whether Fortson, who was suspended for Saturday’s game against Kentucky, will return to practice. But that sure was a good sign.

OK, I’ll update you here on his status after we talk to Pelphrey.

For an audio preview of tonight’s contest, click here to hear the Gameday Insider with Morning News sports writers Nathan Allen and Ryan Malashock.

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Arkansas looks to win for only the second time since Jan. 6.

Kentucky (17-7, 6-3) at Arkansas (13-9, 1-8)
When: 12:05 p.m.
Where: Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville
TV: CBS (Cox channel 5, Cox HD channel 710)
Radio: 107.9-FM, 92.1-FM, 105.3-FM, 1290-AM for those in our readership area
Line: Kentucky by 4.5
Series: Kentucky leads 22-7 (Tied 4-4 in Fayetteville)
Last Meeting: Kentucky beat Arkansas 63-58 on Feb. 23, 2008, in Lexington, Ky.

About Kentucky

The Wildcats snapped a three-game losing streak Tuesday night with their thrilling 68-65 victory over Florida. Junior guard Jodie Meeks drained an NBA range 3-pointer in the final seconds to clinch the win. In that game, however, 6-9 sophomore forward Patrick Patterson — a preseason all-American pick by some — rolled his right ankle. He is questionable for today’s matchup.

Players To Watch

Arkansas
Marcus Britt, 6-3, 198-pound sophomore guard

With freshman point guard Courtney Fortson suspended, Britt’s minutes will likely increase more than any other player’s. Britt has struggled recently, going scoreless in his last three games and tallying more than two points only once in his last six.

Kentucky
Perry Stevenson, 6-9, 207-pound junior forward

The Wildcats’ ideal role player has produced consistently all season, and his role today becomes even more important with Patterson’s status in doubt. Stevenson has grabbed at least seven rebounds in each of his last six games.

Gameday Links

• Here’s my story in today’s Morning News on the meaning of Arkansas-Kentucky. Robbie Neiswanger has the scouting report on Meeks, and here are my keys to Arkansas victory.

• Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald Leader writes that Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie has refused to rule out Patterson for today’s contest.

• The Wildcats didn’t exactly struggle without Patterson, though, as Brett Dawson of the Louisville Courier Journal points out.

Since the Razorback Central Web site likes to bury the biggest stories (I really don’t know how that happens) I figure I need to post our Courtney Fortson story on the blog.

Ryan Malashock and I teamed up to put this together. Ryan was able to get in touch with Fortson’s mom tonight and got a few more details regarding coach John Pelphrey’s decision to suspend Fortson indefinitely.

Anyway, here is the story in full:

Fortson’s mother, Lorraine, provided a few more details when contacted by The Morning News on Thursday.

She attended the Auburn game and said Pelphrey told her afterward he was considering “disciplining” her son because of some recent attitude issues. Fortson called and told her of the suspension early Thursday.

Lorraine Fortson said her son doesn’t think he should be suspended, but believes he will remain positive and benefit from it. She hopes it will last for just one game and is confident the relationship between Pelphrey and her son won’t be strained because of the suspension.

“This right here is what might make him a better player, definitely as far as his attitude on the floor,” Lorraine Fortson said. “He’ll never stop trying to pump up his teammates and be a leader, but he sees he needs to change some things. He understands that.

“Everyone needs to remember, he’s just a freshman. He’s under a lot of pressure. He came in as the starting point guard right away, as one of the team’s leaders, so that’s a whole lot of pressure to have on you as a young player.”

She said she’d be shocked if her son reacted in a negative way to the suspension, even if he doesn’t totally agree with or understand Pelphrey’s reasoning.

“I think he might have needed this done to him so he could get a reality check,” Fortson said. “Sometimes kids need a reality check. But I guarantee you he’ll come out of this a warrior. He’ll learn from this.”

It’s clear Fortson has been Arkansas’ most valuable player as a freshman. He recorded just the second triple-double in school history in December and was the catalyst of Arkansas’ upset wins against Oklahoma and Texas.

Without him, Arkansas is down to eight scholarship players. The Razorbacks will count on Stefan Welsh, Rotnei Clarke and Marcus Britt in the backcourt. All three will likely share point guard duties Saturday.

“It’s going to be hard (without Fortson),” forward Michael Sanchez said. “I just think that we’ve got some guys who are going to need to pick up the slack. … We have more than enough to win (Saturday). We’ve had more than enough this past year. We’ve just got to finish it out.”

The Razorbacks began preparation for the Wildcats on Thursday, and Fortson didn’t practice.

When asked what it will take for Fortson to earn his way back, Pelphrey listed his expectations for everyone.

“I expect the Razorbacks to get out there and play hard,” he said. “I expect the Razorbacks to have an unbelievable attitude, to encourage teammates, to understand what it’s all about to be part of a team. To do your job and to handle adversity. I think we should act a certain way whether we’re winning or whether we’re losing.

“Do I understand there’s going to be some challenges with that? I certainly do. I’m not perfect and neither are the young men I coach. But that doesn’t mean we can’t work at it very, very hard and do the best we can.”

Arkansas will have to work even harder now to end its four-game losing streak and eight-game losing skid against the Wildcats. Pelphrey acknowledged it Thursday, but said the decision to suspend Fortson was necessary.

Pelphrey also believes his team is capable of upsetting Kentucky even without its point guard.

“You never like to be without one of your better players,” Pelphrey said. “I think with this basketball team, (being) without any one of them is not good.

“But I still believe that when we line up on Saturday, there’s going to be an opportunity for us to win.”

For an audio preview of tonight’s contest, click here to hear the Gameday Insider with Morning News sports writers Nathan Allen and Ryan Malashock.

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Maybe a trip to The Hump is just what the Arkansas Razorbacks need right now. That might sound a tad crazy to you, because, yes, the Razorbacks haven’t won in Starkville, Miss., since 2000. But little else has worked for the Hogs lately, who enter today’s contest at Mississippi State at 1-6 in the SEC, good for last place in the Western Division.

So maybe a step far out of their comfort zone will somehow benefit John Pelphrey’s Razorbacks. I still contend that Arkansas matches up with Mississippi State better than perhaps any other team in the West. The Hogs are at only a very minor size disadvantage, and their main problem recently has been erratic rebounding.

The Bulldogs ranks last in the SEC in rebounding margin.

If the Razorbacks can neutralize Jarvis Varnado, guard the 3-point shot, make a few of their own and have Courtney Fortson outplay State’s Dee Bost for the first time this season, they have a chance.

Far easier said than done, especially for such a young, inexperienced team.

Arkansas (13-7, 1-6) at Mississippi State (15-7, 5-2)
When: 2:05 p.m.
Where: Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, Miss.
TV: Raycom/KHOG (Cox channel 7, Cox HD channel 707)
Radio: 107.9-FM, 92.1-FM, 105.3-FM, 1290-AM for those in our readership area
Line: Mississippi State by 7
Series: Arkansas leads 26-20 (Mississippi State leads 15-5 in Starkville)
Last Meeting: Mississippi State beat Arkansas 70-56 on Jan. 10 in Fayetteville

About Mississippi State

There may not be a more surprising team in the SEC this season, other than maybe South Carolina over in the Eastern Division. Rick Stansbury will draw serious league coach of the year consideration if Mississippi State keeps this up.

Despite being less-tested than most teams around the country, the Bulldogs have won five of their first seven conference games, including contests at Arkansas, Georgia and Kentucky. Their 70-56 victory at Arkansas on Jan. 10 — the conference-opener for both teams — sparked the hot streak (and sent the Razorbacks spiraling).

The only true blemish on State’s league slate is a surprising home loss to Ole Miss. Varnado, a 6-foot-9 junior, leads the country in blocked shots (4.8 per game), and the Bulldogs play four guards around him, as Arkansas will do today around 6-9 junior Michael Washington.

State nailed 11 3-pointers against the Hogs in Bud Walton Arena and connected on 14 in its upset win Tuesday at Kentucky.

Players To Watch

Arkansas

Courtney Fortson, 5-11, 180-pound freshman point guard

For some reason, it feels like it’s about that time for Fortson to carry Arkansas to a road win. That’s what great point guards do, and Fortson acts like he wants to be put in that category. Fortson has scored in double figures in five of his last six games and has 24 assists and only 10 turnovers in his last three.

Mississippi State

Ravern Johnson, 6-7, 175-pound guard/forward

As one of four State guards in Stansbury’s starting lineup, Johnson is averaging 19.3 points in his past three games. In those three contests, he has made 14 of 24 shots from 3-point range.

Gameday Links

• Here’s my story in today’s Morning News on just how inexperienced the rosters of Arkansas and Mississippi State are. Robbie Neiswanger has the scouting report on Bost, the Bulldogs’ freshman point guard, and here are my keys to Arkansas victory.

• Kyle Veazey of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger writes about the toughness 6-3 Phil Turner brings to the “power forward” position for State. Also, here’s a link to Kyle’s blog.

• The Bulldogs’ recent 3-point binge is the topic of Brad Locke’s story today in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

  Hopefully, everyone either has electricity or is in the process of getting it restored after several days without it. (I was ecstatic to pull into my neighborhood after covering Arkansas’ win over Alabama last night to see that the other houses had their lights on again.)

  For those lucky enough to have electricity, check out the coverage of Arkansas’ first SEC win on The Morning News’ Web site. Because of early deadlines brought on by the ice, none of the articles made the newspaper, but they did make nwaonline.net.

  To make  things easier after several days of bad luck and bad weather, here are the articles from last night’s win over Alabama. Check out Ryan Malashock’s game story, which addresses the fact that it had been too long since the Razorbacks last won a game.

  Robbie Neiswanger’s sidebar focuses on Arkansas guard Rotnei Clarke, who broke out of his recent shooting slump in a big way. And there is my lengthy notebook, which starts off with the last-minute changes Arkansas officials made prior to tip-off because of the ice storm. And of course, I couldn’t leave out the Courtney Fortson wigs that fans wore.

  After several days of this mess, I hope everyone is safe and again has heat and electricity in their homes. As for Arkansas, it finally has an SEC win.