Arkansas survives push from 15 seed Oral Roberts
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 in Indianapolis.
The Muss Bus grinded its gears through the first half into the second, bad shots and even worse defense putting Arkansas in a 12-point hole against the 15thseeded Golden Eagles.
Eric Musselman’s Razorbacks (25-6) got their Pig Sooie swagger back, turning defensive stops into early offensive opportunities and offensive rebounds into points.
It came down to one final shot, and Davis made it, sending Arkansas to the Elite Eight for the first time since the Nolan Richardson “40 Minutes of Hell” days.
Next up for the Razorbacks is top-seeded Baylor in what should be a fast-paced regional final Monday.
The let-it-fly Golden Eagles (1811) let history slip through their grasp. Within reach of becoming the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight, Oral Roberts stumbled with a series of turnovers and missed shots.
Max Abmas did his best to put the Golden Eagles in the Elite Eight for the first time in 47 years, scoring 25 points. His three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the front of the rim.
Baylor 62, Villanova 51
Top-seeded Baylor overcame some frigid outside shooting to move into the Elite Eight, getting 16 points from Adam Flagler in a victory over Villanova and its versatile defense.
The Bears (25-2) came in as the nation’s leading three-point team, shooting 41.5%, but made only 3 of 19 shots in this one, unable to find room or get into a comfort zone against fifth-seeded Villanova’s mix of 2-3 zone and man. Davion Mitchell, a 46% shooter from
three this season, went 0-for-3 in a 14-point night.
Baylor, which started the season 18-0 and won its first Big 12 regular-season title, is one win from the Final Four for the first time since 2012.
The game changed midway through the second half when Baylor started pounding inside. The Bears took a six-point lead with a 14-2 run during which not a single point came from outside the arc. Baylor outscored ’Nova 40-32 in the paint for the game.
The Bears played some defense, too. Harassing Villanova shooters
who’d carved out space in the first half, Baylor held Villanova to 37.5% shooting in the second and 0-for-9 from three.
Baylor had four of its five blocked shots after halftime. During one stretch in the decisive run, Baylor forced five straight turnovers on ’Nova possessions. The Wildcats finished with 16 turnovers, almost double their nationbest season average (8.8).
The Wildcats (18-7) got 16 points from Jermaine Samuels but only three from Caleb Daniels on 1-for11 shooting.