Arkansas beat Bill Self’s old team in the first round. Now the Razorbacks will get Self’s current team in the second.
The eighth-seeded Razorbacks beat Illinois, 74-64, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday to set up a meeting against the top-seeded Jayhawks on Sunday.
Devo Davis was the biggest reason why. The junior guard scored 16 points on 7 of 14 shooting and his defense, his speciality, keyed Arkansas’. Illinois shot 38% from the floor. Third-team All-Big Ten forward Matthew Mayer scored just two points on 0 of 6 shooting.
Anthony Black and Ricky Council joined Davis in double figures with 18 and 12, respectively.
Arkansas hasn’t played Kansas since November 2005. The Hogs won in the Maui Tournament, 65-64, behind 23 points from Ronnie Brewer, a man who is now an assistant with the Razorbacks.