Hogs finish off Illinois to advance in NCAA tourney

DES MOINES, IA – The 8th seeded Arkansas Razorbacks defeated the 9th seeded Fighting Illini 75-65 in the First Round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday afternoon. Arkansas used a 10-0 second round run and then held on to the last run of Illinois to advance to the NCAA Second Round to take on the defending national champion and No. 1 seed Kansas.

Arkansas’ first-half defense was key to the win, holding the Illini to just 8-of-29 shooting (27.6%) to help build a 10-point lead at the break. Nine Illinois turnovers led to 13 Arkansas points with Anthony Black and Devo Davis each recording a pair of steals. While the Hogs shined on the defensive end, Ricky Council IV made the difference at the free throw line. Dewan sank 5-of-6 from the charity stripe and scored 10 total points in the first half.

Illinois quickly cut Arkansas’ lead to five early in the second half but Arkansas responded with 10 points to push the lead to 15. A seven-point Illini in the final five minutes again cut the Hogs’ lead to five points. Dewan, however, iced the game himself, scoring the next six Arkansas points to put the game out of reach.

The Razorbacks’ free throws in the second half sealed the game as the Hogs went 15-for-17 to Council’s 6-for-6.

Council led Arkansas with 18 points, including 11-of-12 from the free throw line, to go with a team-high 10 rebounds. Davis scored 16 points and Black 12.