Arkansas wins sixth straight, dispatches fellow NCAA Tournament bubble team West Virginia

Au’Diese Toney scored 19 points and Jaylin Williams picked up his fifth double-double of the season to lead Arkansas to a 77-68 win over West Virginia on Saturday afternoon.

The win was Arkansas’ sixth straight and moved the Razorbacks to 3-3 all time in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. West Virginia’s loss was its fifth straight.

But the two conferences are largely considered the best two in the country this year. The Mountaineers, like Arkansas, entered the game on the edge of the NCAA Tournament per various bracket projections.

Arkansas opened an 19-point lead early in the second half, but West Virginia countered with a 12-0 run to make a single-digit game for a bulk of the final 20 minutes.

It was the Hogs’ aggression that led to the win. They outrebounded West Virginia by 18 and scored 18 second-chance points. The Mountaineers were whistled for 29 fouls and Arkansas took advantage there, making 28 of 34 free throws to West Virginia’s 15 of 21.

Williams finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds. He and Toney were joined in double figures scoring by Stanley Umude, who had 12, and JD Notae, who added 15.

Kedrian Johnson led West Virginia with 18 points.

Arkansas next plays Wednesday on the road at Georgia. The Bulldogs are last in the SEC at 1-6 in conference play.