Arkansas, ranked tenth and cultivated third, cut a two-digit deficit to four (64-60) with 7:3 left, but couldn’t close the gap in an 81-72 loss to favourite and third-placed Baylor in the NCAA Elite 8 on Monday night on Unity Court at Lucas Oil Arena. After a sluggish start to the game, the Razorbacks are in an 18-point hole midway through the first half. The Razorbacks used one of the group’s strengths to claw back into the game and trail 46-38 at halftime. The Hogs’ hot start was aided by the fact that they shot 62.5 percent from the field, including 3 for four from 3-point range. In any case, the groups had the most significant influence in the final section. Despite this, Baylor shot 4 of 8 from 3-point range in the period, while Arkansas shot 0 of 7 from the long field. Arkansas closed within four points (62-58) on a Moses Moody basket with a little more than nine minutes left in the game. The Razorbacks went straight to the eight minutes without a field objective (0 of 12), but they stayed in the game thanks to four Jalen Tate free throws. Baylor’s MaCio Teague hit a 3-pointer to put the Bears up nine with just under four minutes left. A Mark Vital hint in dunk put the game out of reach a few moments later.
Davonte Davis and JD Notae had 14 focuses as they powered four Razorbacks in double digits. Notae’s 14 points came despite fouling out right away in the second half; he scored 12 in the first half on 4 of 5 shooting from the bench. Moses Moody had 11 points, and Justin Smith had ten for a six-point comeback. Teague had 22 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead all scorers. Arkansas finishes Head Coach Eric Musselman’s second season at Arkansas 25-7, with the program’s most unimaginable disagreement dating back to the NCAA Tournament in 1966.
Even though Arkansas never drove in the game after Baylor’s early torrent proved impossible, it had a couple of big runs and didn’t go unnoticed by the Bears. The closest it came in the last phase was four focuses (two times), but Teague and Mitchell reacted to the ensuing assets on the two occasions to construct Baylor’s pad, which was suitable. The following are a few essential takeaways from Baylor’s victory on Monday.
Arkansas played with fire one too many times.
Arkansas has been entertaining this season and the tournament because it is rarely truly out of a game. In the first round, it was defeated by a score of 14 and then went to win by a score of 17. It subsequently defeated Oral Roberts by a score of 12 and went on to win by two. In any event, by the time you’re 18 and the group you’re trailing is Baylor, the slope is essentially too high to try climbing. “We could’ve looked down whenever we went down,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said after the loss. “We worked extremely hard, but we missed the mark on scoring on occasion, and they hit a few outrageous shots on us defensively.”
Let’s appreciate Scott Drew’s rebuild.
Following the Dave Bliss era in 2003, mentor Scott Drew assumed command of the Baylor program in an emergency. He had a combined 21-53 record in his first three seasons. Four of his first five seasons ended in defeat. Drew, on the other hand, continued to manufacture. In 2008, they qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The Elite Eight was then formed in 2010 and 2012. They’re in the Final Four right now, and it’s all thanks to him.
The Davion Mitchell show
After Baylor monitor Davion Mitchell went to the bench with three fouls, Arkansas cut its first-half deficit to single digits before halftime, completely changing the game’s complexion. In any case, Mitchell’s comeback in the final part was far more effective. He may be found on either of the two finishes. Richard Sherman’s portrayal of a pick-six suffering substantial alteration, in which he sprinted to the band for a simple lay-in, was his most great play.
FIRST HALF: Arkansas 38 – Baylor 46
- Baylor scored the first seven points of the game and raced out to a 13-2 lead at 16:18 to keep Arkansas at bay.
- At the 11:01 mark, the Bears had an 18-point advantage (29-11).
- Arkansas won 38-25 after making five straight containers, three of which were made by JD Notae (6:42).
- JD Notae hit a deep 3-pointer to draw the Hogs back within ten points (44-34). At 2:39, Davis got a take and a basket to score 44-36.
- Arkansas cut the deficit to six (44-38) on a Desi Sills dunk, but Baylor converted free throws with 54 seconds left to make the halftime score 46-38.
- Arkansas outshot Baylor 62.5 percent to 56.3 percent in the second half, tying the game at 13-13. In any case, Arkansas had ten turnovers compared to Baylor’s six.
- With 12 first-half focuses, JD Notae led the Hogs.
SECOND HALF: Arkansas 34 – Baylor 35
- Arkansas led Baylor 8-7 at the start of the final quarter, and Arkansas led by seven (53-46) at the leading media break (15:46). Coming out of the holiday, Davonte Davis made two free throws to make it a five-point game (53-28).
- The Bears were outscored 12-5 in the first nine minutes of the second half, but the two teams combined for 16 field goals for a 62-54 Baylor advantage with 10:54 remaining.
- With 9:34 left, Davonte Davis and Moses Moody made consecutive layups to make it a four-point game (62-58).
- After a Macio Teague 3-pointer at 4:48, Baylor rallied to take a nine-point lead (69-60).
- After a Justin Smith layup with 1:19 left, the Razorbacks were down eight points when Adam Flagler responded with a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left. Flagler went 4-for-4 from the free-toss line in the final 32 seconds to seal the victory.
- Arkansas was led by Davonte Davis, who scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the last quarter. Moses Moody added ten focuses to each of his six free throws.
- Arkansas outscored the Bears 21-16 in the fourth quarter and only committed five turnovers.
