ARKANSAS JUMPER KNOCKS OUT ORAL ROBERTS

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, 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.

“It’s amazing just being able to be in this position right

Arkansas 72, Oral Roberts 70 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, bad shots and even worse defense putting Arkansas in a 12point hole against the 15thseeded Golden Eagles.

Eric Musselman’s Razorbacks (25-6) got their Pig Sooie swagger back, turning defensive stops into early offense 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.

“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.

No. 1 Baylor 62, No. 5 Villanova 51: Baylor overcame

Monday’s game in Indianapolis:

South Regional final

(1) Baylor vs. (3) Arkansas, 6:55 p.m., Ch. 8

some frigid outside shooting to move into the Elite Eight, getting 16 points from Adam Flagler in a victory over Villanova (18-7) and its versatile defense.

The Bears (25-2) came in as the nation’s leading 3-point team, shooting 41.5 percent, but made only 3 of 19 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 percent shooter from 3 this season, went 0 for 3 in a 14-point night.

This game changed midway through the second half when Baylor all but abandoned what is normally its goto shot — the 3. The Bears took a six-point lead with a 14-2 run during which not a single point came from outside the arc.

The Bears played some defense, too. Baylor held Villanova to 37.5 percent shooting in the second half and 0 for 9 from 3.