Survive and advance.
That’s the popular motto in which teams live by in March, and Arkansas was the epitome of it Thursday night.
After the Razorbacks built a 15-point lead halfway through the second half, the Auburn Tigers stormed back to take the lead with just 41 seconds left to play. It was a position that Arkansas has been in countless times this season: building up a big lead just to see it evaporate in a matter of minutes, eventually leading to a disappointing loss.
Except this time, they were able to flip the script. Instead of the blown lead turning into another heartbreaking loss, Arkansas was able to hang on for a 76-73 win. Freshman guard [autotag]Nick Smith Jr.[/autotag] drained a baseline jumper with only 16 seconds left in the game to give the Hogs a 74-73 lead, and [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag]’ steal off an errant Tiger pass lead to two free throws to seal the win.
Aside from an awful stretch towards the end, it was an impressive showing from Arkansas. They showed some growth by being able to close this one out after losing such a big lead, so maybe this could ignite something special going forward.
Before looking ahead to tomorrow’s game vs. No. 2-seed Texas A&M, let’s go beyond the box and take a closer look at tonight’s win over the Auburn Tigers.