Baylor beats Arkansas 81-72 for first Final Four in 71 years
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS โ Baylor reached the Final Four for the first time in 71 years, getting 22 points from MaCio Teague and a dominating defensive performance from Davion Mitchell to beat Arkansas 81-72 on Monday night. The South Region final was a reunion of former Southwest Conference programs aiming to join another (Houston) in the Final Four. The Bears ran away from there, right into next weekend's Final Four against the Cougars. Mitchell led the stiff-arm charge as Arkansas missed 12 straight shots and Teague hit a pair of 3-pointers to put it out of reach. AdThe expected fast-twitch South Region final was going to be a drought-ender, just a matter of how long.
What To Watch: men's, women's regional finals start Monday
... Oregon State opponents are shooting just 31.3% overall and 23.1% from 3-point range in the NCAA Tournament. That Missouri squad lost a regional final to an Oklahoma team coached by Kelvin Sampson, whoโs now at Houston. โฆ Arkansas is in a regional final for the first time since 1995, when it lost to UCLA in the championship game. โฆ Arkansasโ Justin Smith is averaging 20.3 points and 11 rebounds in three NCAA Tournament games. Arizona and Indiana are both in an NCAA regional final for the first time.
Davis' jumper gives Arkansas 72-70 win over Oral Roberts
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)INDIANAPOLIS โ Davonte Davis hit a short jumper with 2.9 seconds left, and Arkansas advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in 26 years with a 72-70 win over Oral Roberts in the South Region semifinals Saturday night. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight, Oral Roberts stumbled with a series of turnovers and missed shots. Oral Roberts knew it had a chance to top it against the Razorbacks after playing them earlier in the season. Oral Roberts led by 10 at halftime in Fayetteville on Dec. 20 before Arkansas bullied the Golden Eagles in the second half for an 87-76 win. Arkansas chipped the lead down to four midway through and finally caught, then passed, the Golden Eagles into the Elite Eight.
Smith, Arkansas hold off Texas Tech 68-66 in NCAA 2nd round
Arkansas forward Justin Smith (0) grabs a rebound from Texas Tech forward Marcus Santos-Silva (14) in the first half of a second-round game in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 21, 2021. The Razorbacks are going back to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 for the first time since the โ40 Minutes of Hellโ days a quarter-century ago. Justin Smith had 20 points and played a key role in a final defensive stop, helping Arkansas beat Texas Tech 68-66 on Sunday. AdโObviously kind of a classic NCAA Tournament game,โ Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. After Chibuzo Agbo banked in a straightaway 3-pointer to bring Texas Tech within 58-57 with 5:30 left, Moody answered by banking in his own 3 off a crossover.
The Latest: Appleby cleared to play for Florida
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)The Latest on the second round of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):___7:45 p.m.Florida guard Tyree Appleby has been cleared to play and was in the starting lineup for No. 1 seed in the second round for a third time, joining the 2000 team against Arizona and the 2017 squad against Villanova. Sister Jean Delores Schmidt gave an inspirational pregame prayer to her Loyola Chicago team before the eighth-seeded Ramblers met top-seeded Illinois in Sundayโs second round. UCLA and Abilene Christian face off Monday, assuring that at least one double-digit seed will reach the Sweet 16. This is the first time four teams seeded 13th or worse made it to the second round.
LSU upsets No. 8 Arkansas 78-71 to reach SEC tourney final
Arkansas (22-6) snapped a 12-game SEC winning streak that tied the program record set by the 1993-94 team that also ended in the SEC Tournament in the semifinals. Losing hurts every time regardless, and we really wanted this game.โThe Razorbacks came in leading the SEC with 82.8 points a game. LSU took advantage after Arkansas guard Davonte Davis made a pair of free throws with 11:42 left tying it up at 52. The Tigers LSU reeled off 12 straight points to take the lead for good, and Gaines capped the spurt with a layup with 7:25 left. "I thought he played a really, really good floor game.
The Latest: ACC tourney players, coaches get tracing devices
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Atlantic Coast Conference will expand use of KINEXON SafeTag contact tracing devices by equipping players, coaches and Tier 1 personnel for its upcoming menโs and womenโs basketball tournaments. SafeTags measure proximity between users to provide school medical officials with contact tracing data when an individual tests positive for COVID-19. All 15 ACC schools used the devices inside team facilities during the regular season to mitigate the spread of the virus. An ACC release stated that the technology identified several high-risk close contacts of a positive case within the league. Bars, restaurants and music venues will also be able to close two hours later, at 2 a.m., instead of at midnight.
No. 20 Arkansasโ big run flusters No. 6 Alabama
โ It had been nearly a quarter-century since Arkansas had played a ranked team at home, let alone beaten one there. 20 Arkansas ended both those droughts Wednesday night, beating sixth-ranked Alabama, 81-66. Arkansas hasnโt lost an SEC game since. Arkansasโ big run clearly flustered Alabama, resulting in Petty picking up a technical foul after arguing a no-call with 6:55 left. AdBIG PICTUREAlabama still sits comfortably atop the SEC standings with a two-game lead over the next closest team, Arkansas.