Hogs have to battle, but will be dancing on weekend

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Hogs have to battle, but will be dancing on weekend

DES MOINES, Iowa — Arkansas took down Illinois, 75-65, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon.

Arkansas used a 10-0 second half run and then held off a late Illinois run to advance to the second round to take on defending national champion and No. 1 seed Kansas on Saturday.

Illinois scored first but the Razorbacks answered with an 8-0 run, never surrendering the lead, and holding the lead for the final 37:15.

Arkansas’ first half defense was key in 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 were shining on the defensive end, Ricky Council IV was making the difference at the free throw line. Council sank 5-of-6 from the charity stripe and scored 10 total points in the first half.

Illinois made two runs in the second half. Frist, the Illini used an 8-9 run to get to within nine (55-46) with 8:05 left.  Later, Illinois trimmed the Arkansas lead to five (62-57) with 2:39 left. Council, however, iced the game himself, scoring the next six Arkansas points to put the game out of reach.

The Razorbacks’ free throw shooting in the second half sealed the game as the Hogs went 15-for-17 with Council going 6-of-6.

Council led Arkansas with 18 points, including 11-of-12 from the free throw line, to go with a team-high 10 rebounds for his first double-double as a Razorback and third for his career. Davis chipped in 16 points and Black 12. Jordan Walsh scored six points and had four rebounds with three steals but was an amazing +22.

Arkansas will face top seed and #4/5 Kansas in the second round on Saturday (Mar. 18). The time and TV station will be announced at a later time.

FIRST HALF: Arkansas 36, Illinois 26

• Illinois scored first but Arkansas answered with an 8-0 run and never surrendered the lead.

• Arkansas led by as many as 14 (34-20) with 3:19 left.

• Arkansas only has two assists but shot 42.4% from the field. The Razorbacks held Illinois to 27.6% shooting.

• Ricky Council IV had seven rebounds and Kamani Johnson five as Arkansas outrebounded the Illini, 26-16.

• Council, who was 5-of-6 at the line and hit the Hogs’ lone 3-pointer, led Arkansas with 10 points.

• Terrence Shannon Jr., led Illinois with eight points.

SECOND HALF: Arkansas 37, Illinois: 37

• Arkansas shot just 33.3% from the field in the second half, but was 15-of-17 at the line to seal the win.

• Makhi Mitchell had seven points and six rebounds in the second half.

• Davonte Davis, who only played 9:37 in the first half due to foul trouble. However, he played all 20 minutes of the second half and scored 10 points, making 2-of-4 from 3-point range.

• Illinois shot 52.7% from the field, but only made two more field goals than Arkansas (12 to 10).

Hogs Notes

• Arkansas’ starting lineup was Anthony Black – Nick Smith Jr. – Davonte Davis – Ricky Council IV – Kamani Jhnson for the second time. Arkansas used that lineup in the SEC Tournament win over Auburn.

• Illinois won the tip.

• Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins scored the first points of the game at 19:03. Davonte Davis scored the first points for Arkansas, a layup at 17:43.

• Makhi Mitchell was the first Razorback sub.

• This was the first time Arkansas had ever beaten Illinois. The Illini won the previous five meetings (1949, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004).

• Arkansas is 6-1 all-time versus current Big 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament.

• Arkansas is 49-34 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a 19-8 record in first round games.

• This is the first time since 1996, ’95 and ’94 that the Razorbacks have won three straight NCAA openers.

• Anthony Black had one steal, giving him 66 for the season, which is a program record by a Razorback freshman.

• Eric Musselman is 7-2 as head coach at Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament. Overall, he is 9-5 as a collegiate coach in the NCAA and is 24-12 in all postseason games (conference tourneys, CBI, NCAA).

• Ricky Council has made 155 free throws, three shy of the Arkansas single-season top 10.

• Arkansas had four blocked shots and have 177 from the season to rank 7th and five shy of #6.

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.

Halftime Pod Presented By Eastside Liquor- March 16, 2023

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Halftime Pod Presented By Eastside Liquor- March 16, 2023

Arkansas vs Illinois, Baseball sweeps two game series against UNLV

Democrat-Gazette’s Richard Davenport on football recruiting in spring

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Democrat-Gazette’s Richard Davenport on football recruiting in spring

Razorbacks getting recruiting commitments while spring practice continuing with new players, new coaching staff before spring break.

Democrat-Gazette’s Tom Murphy on Taurean Carter being back helping

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Democrat-Gazette’s Tom Murphy on Taurean Carter being back helping

With change in defense to wanting four players on defense at same time, getting Carter back can be big help.

HALFTIME IS LIVE. Arkansas vs Illinois at 3:30 today, Baseball sweeps two game series against UNLV

Tye Richardson
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HALFTIME IS LIVE. Arkansas vs Illinois at 3:30 today, Baseball sweeps two game series against UNLV

Arkansas vs Illinois at 3:30 today, Baseball sweeps two game series against UNLV

Guests- Bob Holt, Mark Bazyk and Tye Richardson

Bud Light Next Morning Rush Podcast: It’s finally gameday in Des Moines

Christian Johnston
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Bud Light Next Morning Rush Podcast: It’s finally gameday in Des Moines

Tye, Tommy and Chuck talk Arkansas vs Illinois and more! Richard Davenport and Tom Murphy join the show.

#Arkansas #ArkansasRazorbacks #Hogs #Hawgs #WPS #ArkansasRazorbacksPodcast #GoHogs #HitThatLine #WooPigSooie #RazorbackPodcast #ArkansasPodcast #HogPodcast

Listen to Hogs in NCAA on ESPN Arkansas stations around state

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Listen to Hogs in NCAA on ESPN Arkansas stations around state

Who: No. 8 seed Arkansas Razorbacks (20-13) vs No. 9 seed Illinois Fighting Illini (20-12)
What: Arkansas is playing in its third straight NCAA Tournament and earned its 36th overall NCAA bid.
When: Thursday, March 16, 3:30 p.m.
Where: Wells Fargo Arena (16,110) in Des Moines, Iowa
Television: TBS (Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce)
Radio: ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
Sirius/XM National Broadcast: 136 (Sirius) / 206 (XM) || SXM App: Channel 967

DES MOINES, Iowa — Everybody is hoping Arkansas coach Eric Musselman can complete a run like the previous two years that made it all the way to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

That starts this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in Des Moines, Iowa, on TBS, on the radio at ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home with Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman.

The Razorbacks, the No. 8 seed in the West Region, will face No. 9 seed Illinois in the first round and the winner will likely face Kansas on Saturday.

The only problem for fans is the last two years has absolutely nothing to do with this year’s team, that is more or less stumbling into the tournament based on some good wins in October and November.

“Everybody that you would potentially play in the NCAA Tournament is a really good team,” Hogs coach Eric Musselman said. “That’s why they’re in this tournament. Certainly, Illinois is really well coached. They have some guys that we’ve played before like Terrence Shannon, who was at Texas Tech and obviously Matthew Mayer from Baylor. They’ve got some really good transfers. It’s an excellent shot-blocking team. But anybody from the Big Ten that qualifies for the NCAA Tournament is a really good team.” 

• Arkansas earns its 36th NCAA bid and 3rd straight. It is the first time since 2006, ’07, and ’08 that the Hogs have played in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Arkansas advanced to the NCAA Elite 8 in each of the last two years. In 2021, Arkansas lost In the Elite 8 to eventual national champion Baylor. In 2022, Arkansas upset #1 overall seed Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 before falling to Duke in the Elite 8.

• The Razorbacks own a 48-34 all-time record in NCAA action.

• This is the third time in program history Arkansas has received a No. 8 seed. Arkansas won its NCAA opener as an 8-seed in 2017 (vs Seton Hall). In 2006 as the 8-seed, Arkansas lost its opener to Bucknell.

• Arkansas is 18-8 in NCAA Tournament first round games (including a loss in a “2nd round game” in 2015 when the “first four” were considered the 1st round).

• Arkansas and Illinois have met on five previous occasions and the Illini have won all five. The first meeting (Dec. 14, 1949) was played in Champaign and the other four were played in “home” neutral sites (Little Rock for Arkansas and Chicago for Illinois) in a four-game “home-and-home” from 2001-2004.

• Arkansas has never played in Des Moines. Arkansas has only played in the state of Iowa on two previous occasions, both coming Ames versus Iowa State. First, Arkansas lost the Cyclones, 86-77, on 12/14/70 and lost at ISU, 95-77, in the 2015 SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

Hogs complete sweep of UNLV, now it’s all SEC rest of way

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Hogs complete sweep of UNLV, now it’s all SEC rest of way

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — No. 7 Arkansas (15-2) completed its midweek sweep of UNLV (5-10) with a 5-2 win on Wednesday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium behind a strong start from Ben Bybee and a two-run blast from Jared Wegner.

The Razorbacks extended their winning streak to 10 games with their takedown of the Hustlin’ Rebels in their final tune-up before SEC play begins. Arkansas has now strung together double-digit win streaks in each of the last three seasons.

Bybee, a true freshman, was impressive in his second start as a Razorback. The right-hander tossed five scoreless innings on the mound, striking out three while allowing six hits and one walk to earn his first career win.

The Razorback offense provided Bybee with an early run, thanks to Kendall Diggs’ RBI fielder’s choice in the bottom half of the first. Arkansas maintained its one-run lead until Wegner’s team-leading eighth home run in the fifth.

With a runner on first, Wegner hammered the first pitch he saw over the wall in left center. He collected his team-leading 28th and 29th RBI with his fifth-inning blast, which put the Hogs up by three.

Bybee faced two batters in the top half of the sixth before giving way to fellow freshman right-hander Gage Wood. The Batesville, Ark., native stranded both runners, recording all three outs in the inning with two strikeouts in the process.

UNLV would cut its deficit down to one in the top of the seventh, but Arkansas struck back with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to re-extend its lead to three. Diggs’ double down the left field line brought Jace Bohrofen home before Harold Coll laced an RBI single to center, which scored pinch runner Mason Neville and put the Hogs ahead, 5-2.

Zack Morris locked down the final three innings of the Razorbacks’ win, striking out a pair of batters while allowing two unearned runs on one hit and a walk. The left-hander earned his first save of the season and the second of his career.

Arkansas opens SEC play against Western Division foe Auburn (13-3-2) this weekend at Baum-Walker Stadium. First pitch of the three-game series between the Hogs and Tigers is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday on SEC Network+.

You can hear the game on the radio on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.

Grant Hall on changing game of baseball for better with pitching clock

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Grant Hall on changing game of baseball for better with pitching clock

Purists weren’t particularly in favor of it, but we’ve seen through early games it has speeded things up considerably.

Pig Trail Nation’s Alyssa Orange on Hogs’ basketball shootaround at NCAA

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Pig Trail Nation’s Alyssa Orange on Hogs’ basketball shootaround at NCAA

Razorbacks much looser-looking than Illinois at practices ahead of Thursday’s first round game in the NCAA Tournament.

Halftime Pod Presented By Eastside Liquor- March 15, 2023

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Halftime Pod Presented By Eastside Liquor- March 15, 2023

Guests- Grant Hall & Alyssa Orange

Hogs are in Des Moines; New OmaHogs Lineup Slugs UNLV

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