Officials can swing a game one or the other. But they’re rarely the reason why a team wins or loses.
Arkansas basketball faithful felt on Tuesday the opposite. No. 10 Creighton beat No. 9 Arkansas in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational, 90-87, to book a spot in the title game.
The whole of the game felt like a March Madness game. Creighton led by 12 points in the first half, but the second half was almost always within two or three possessions.
The difference may have been Creighton’s 29 to 17 advantage in free-throw attempts. The Bluejays knocked down 21 to Arkansas’ 13.
Arkansas was within three points with less than a minute left, but Ricky Council’s 3-pointer clanged off the side of the rim and Creighton canned a free throw in response to hold on.
Council had 24 points while Anthony Black added 26 for Arkansas. Andrew Nembhard had a career-high 25 points for Creighton.