Razorbacks cut down Colgate in 1st round
FAYETTEVILLE - How the Arkansas Razorbacks closed each half in Friday’s NCAA Tournament’s South Regional first round game against Colgate in Indianapolis enables them to open Sunday in the tournament’s second round against sixth-seeded Texas Tech, a 65-53 Friday first-round winner over 11th-seeded Utah State.
By a near infinitely harder to achieve than the 85-68 final score indicates, Coach Eric Musselman’s pressure defense infused a 17-0 closing first-half run in the final 4:43 which overcame a 33-19 deficit for a 36-33 lead and notions the 14th-seeded underdog Patriot League champion Colgate Raiders were spent against thirdseeded Arkansas.
They weren’t. Coach Matt Langel’s gutsy Raiders, finishing 14-2, regained the lead during the second half and only trailed 63-60 with 7:21 left before the Razorbacks reeled a run that Colgate could not overcome.
Arkansas’ 25-5 finish that last 7:21 rocketed them from Friday’s open 64-team tournament’s field that pares to 32 after the remaining Friday and Saturday first round games.
To polish off Colgate Arkansas needed a sen
sational 40 minutes from graduate transfer forward Justin Smith’s 29 points and 13 rebounds including five steals and 11 of 13 free throws, and major supporting roles from guards Jalen Tate, JD Notae, Davonte “Devo” Davis and Moses Moody.
Graduate transfer point guard Tate scored 15 points with with seven rebounds and four assists.
Sixth man Notae scored 14 points, including three key second-half threes, and grabbed five rebounds and three steals.
Freshman Davis of Jacksonville scored 12 points and six rebounds. His two first-half steals leading to his own basket and one by Desi Sills, first ignited the reeling Razorbacks from their 33-19 deficit.
Considering his 17.4 scoring average, Moody suffered an off night and was benched in foul trouble when the Hogs rallied with their 17-0 first-half run.
Still, for the game Moody scored 12 points, with nine of them carrying Arkansas early in the game, and aided the defensive effort finally wearing down Colgate.
Only Colgate star guard Jordan Burns, with a 32-point NCAA Tournament effort on his resume from 2019 when the Raiders battled Tennessee to the wire before beaten, 77-70, fared better in Friday’s second half than the first.
Burns was shut out the first half but scored 13 in the second half, one shy of fellow starting guard Nelly Cummings’ team-leading 14 points. Colgate 3-point shooting sixth-man Jack
Ferguson, 3 of 6 first-half treys as Colgate shot 12 of 27 treys for the game, plagued Arkansas early. Ferguson tallied 11 first half points during Colgate’s big first half run but scored no more stuck on 11 once Arkansas amped the defensive pressure.
Mostly playing a small lineup with Arkansas rotating big men Connor Vanover, Jaylin Williams and Ethan Henderson producing zero points and only Williams’ three rebounds for a combined 9:57 minutes, the Razorbacks were fortunate to get 6-11 off the bench Colgate big man Jeff Woodward in early foul trouble. Woodward tallied 5 of 6 from the field scoring 11 with three early fouls and four for the game only logged 12 minutes.