10-seed Hogs survive 7-seed Auburn’s comeback attempt

Nashville, Tenn. — No. 10 Arkansas (20-12, 8-10 SEC) outlasted No. 7 Auburn last attempted a comeback, 76-73, in the second round of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Razorbacks set the pace early with their quick playstyle, outscoring the Tigers in the paint and drowning them off the glass, 37-19.

Anthony Black dominated the court with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. Nick Smith scored 14 while Makhi Mitchell had 12 points and six rebounds along with Jordan Walsh’s 11 points. Ricky Council IV surpassed 1,000 career points, contributing seven in a close contest.

KD Johnson and Allen Flanigan led the Tigers offense with 20 points and 15 points respectively. Johni Broome tacked on 13 along with seven boards while Wendell Green Jr. scored each of 11 points in the first half.

Smith Jr. feeding off the Hogs’ early energy, snatching the ball from Flanigan and passing it off to Davis for a layup, brought the crowd already riled-up to their feet. Davis splashed three before snagging the boards to fire a quick pass down the IV court to slam one down on the fast break, 17-10.

Green Jr. drained one from distance in response, but the Hogs showed no signs of stopping, starting a 10-0 run to create a 22-15 lead midway through the first. Board IV continued its reign on the sidelines as the crowd erupted in response to the Hogs’ 10-point lead, 30-20.

Walsh dropped his second dunk before the Tigers made a quick run. The Auburn crowd went wild as Dylan Cardwell hit one before two fastbreak layups by Johnson on Arkansas turnovers, closing it before the halftime buzzer, 37-33.

At the half, Arkansas outshot Auburn on the boards, 19-7, and scored 24 points in the paint compared to the Tigers’ 16. The Razorbacks scored nine fastbreak points and were relentless at the rim with five dunks in the first period. . Both teams rely heavily on depth with double-digit points from each bench.

The Hogs’ hot shooting started early in the second, helping them pull back to an 11-point advantage, 44-33. He refused to relinquish the lead for the second time as Smith Jr. down the rim with two Arkansas double jumpers, widening the gap to 15, 54-37, with 14 minutes left before Auburn called a timeout. .

The Tigers’ timeout proved to be a good one as Johnson came down the court with some smart moves to put one in the paint before making a steal and back-and-forth score to get within striking distance, 54-45. Auburn did not stop fighting, ran on a 12-3 run featuring two 3-pointers and the second driving layup by Johnson to close in, 62-58, with 8:25 remaining.

Auburn’s hot pursuit continued as Broome would not back down, tallying two layups before several made free throws dwindled the Razorbacks’ lead, 70-69, with 2:47 on the clock.

The Tigers continued to push as a jump-shot by Flanigan with less than a minute left sent to Arkansas for the first time since the opening minute, 73-72.

With the entire stadium on its feet, Smith Jr.’s two-point shot grabbed the lead and Broome sent Davis to the free throw line after a steal with just 11 seconds left. Davis’ pair of free throws proved enough as Broome struggled to rush the basket and Green Jr.

Arkansas survived late Auburn to secure a 76-73 victory and advance to the SEC Tournament.

Until Next Time

Arkansas will face 2-seed Texas A&M (23-8, 15-3 SEC) in the quarterfinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament on Friday at 7pm ET – the game will be televised on the SEC Network.

Auburn (20-12, 10-8 SEC) was eliminated from the tournament.