Ad Disclosure
Arkansas grinds out upset win over Kansas to advance in NCAA Tournament
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Arkansas has knocked off Kansas to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 10-seed Razorbacks knocked off the 7-used Jayhawks in a thriller, 79-72. The teams delivered on the hype surrounding the coaching matchup of familiar foes John Calipari and Bill Self.
In the 2nd half, it looked like a coaching decision by Self might decide the game. Self had Kansas switch to zone defense, and the Arkansas offense stalled for a lengthy stretch. What was a 55-44 Arkansas lead with 17:12 to go evaporated as Kansas pulled ahead 65-64 at the 5:43 mark.
The Jayhawks, though, followed with a cold stretch of their own offensively. Add in some costly turnovers, and the Razorbacks were able to go on a key run that helped swing the game back to Arkansas. After trailing 67-64 with 4:55 left in the game, Arkansas closed it out on a 15-5 run for the victory.
Jonas Aidoo was the game’s high scorer with 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Aidoo did most of his damage in the 1st half, scoring 16. Johnell Davis led the Hogs in the 2nd half with 10 points, finishing with 18 for the game. Trevon Brazile had a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. D.J. Wagner also finished in double figures with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting, playing all 40 minutes.
Both teams shot 43% from the field. The Razorbacks took 7 more field-goal attempts, making 3 of them. The Jayhawks were the better 3-point shooting team, making 8-of-7 while the Hogs were just 6-of-24 from beyond the arc.
Arkansas was out-rebounded 38-34, but scored more second-chance points (16-9) and was more productive in the pain (34-28). The Razorbacks grabbed 11 steals on the night. KU star big man Hunter Dickinson was held scoreless in the 2nd half, finishing with 11 points in the game.
There were 10 lead changes and 8 ties in the game. Kansas never led for 10:22 of game time, but never by more than 3 points.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
