Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Coach Eric Musselman cheers his Razorbacks as Arkansas rallies for a victory over Oral Roberts.
Chance at history slips from grasp of No. 15 Oral Roberts
INDIANAPOLIS — The chants of Arkansas fans echoed from the concourse long after the players had cleared the floor. “Wooooo, Pig! Sooie!” It’s not quite “40 Minutes of Hell,” but the Razorbacks are back.
Davonte Davis hit a short jumper with 2.9 seconds left, leading Arkansas to the Elite Eight for the first time in 26 years with a 72-70 victory over Oral Roberts in the South Region semifinals Saturday night.
“It’s amazing just being able to be in this position right now as an individual and as an Arkansas player,” said Davis, who had 16 points.
The Muss Bus grinded its gears through the first half into the second, as bad shots and even worse defense put Arkansas in a 12-point hole against the 15th-seeded Golden Eagles.
Eric Musselman’s Razorbacks (25-6) found their swagger, turning defensive stops into early offense opportunities and offensive rebounds into points.
It came down to one final shot — which Davis made — 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 South Region final on Monday.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be in an Elite Eight in our second year,” said Musselman, who took over the program in 2019. “I really can’t describe it.”
The let-it-fly Golden Eagles (18-11) 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 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the front of the rim.
“We gave him a pass option, we gave him a dribble option,” Oral Roberts coach Paul Mills said. “He’s super bright and picks up things really quickly and understood and had great court awareness and had great selection on the shot. Unfortunately, it didn’t go in.”
The Golden Eagles had history on their minds. Florida Gulf Coast was the only other No. 15 seed to get this far in 2013 and lost at the regional semifinal round.
Oral Roberts knew it had a chance to top it against the Razorbacks after an earlier encounter. Oral Roberts led by 10 at halftime on Dec. 20 before Arkansas rallied for an 87-76 win.
The Golden Eagles went chest-to-chest with the Razorbacks from the start of their first Sweet 16 game since 1974, contesting shots inside and defending the perimeter. Arkansas helped them out with some difficult shots, going 1 for 7 from 3 in the first half.
“We weren’t playing hard,” Davis said. “We were playing slow. We were letting them slow us down, and that’s not what we needed. We’re a fast team.”