The hype surrounding this game was high, and the game itself lived up to everyone’s expectations.
In a game featuring two teams with the nation’s longest winning streaks, it was the Razorbacks who prevailed. The Razorbacks needed extra time to seal the deal, but behind a great performance from JD Notae, Jaylin Williams, and Au’Diese Toney, Arkansas defeated No. 1 Auburn, 80-76 in front of 20,327 fans, the largest crowd in Bud Walton Arena history.
Notae led the team in scoring with 28, going 11-14 from the free throw line. The key shots from the stripe came in overtime, where he scored five of Arkansas’ 14 points in the extra stanza.
Williams and Toney each contributed in big ways, each earning a double-double. Toney followed Notae’s 28 points with 14 of his own, and pulled down 10 rebounds. Williams scored 13 and grabbed 11 boards.
The win was the first win over a No. 1 opponent since 1984, when Arkansas defeated North Carolina, led by Michael Jordan. The win was the first win over a top-ranked foe in the history of Bud Walton Arena.
Both teams traded leads to begin the overtime period. The Tiger’s Wes Flanigan started off overtime with a layup to give his team the 68-66 lead, but a Jaylin Williams three-pointer put the Razorbacks in front with 2:39 remaining.
Arkansas then used a string of Auburn fouls to their advantage by going on a 7-0 run, scoring all baskets from from the free-throw line, to grab a 76-70 lead inside a minute to go in the game. Auburn would convert two three-pointers to cut the lead to 78-76 with 0:19 remaining. The Tigers would continue to foul Arkansas, in hopes that the Razorbacks would miss key free throws, but the dagger came from Notae fittingly, giving the Hogs the 80-76 win.
Auburn jumped out to a 5-0 lead with 18:16 remaining in the first half before the Razorbacks hopped on the board. Arkansas stormed back to tie the game thanks to a layup by JD Notae and a three-pointer by Stanley Umude.
Following the tie, Arkansas stayed within striking distance of Auburn, never letting the Tigers lead by more than four before grabbing their first lead of the game with 12:10 remaining in the first half.
Once the Razorbacks grabbed their first lead, they did not look back for the remainder of the half. Umude sunk a three-pointer to give Arkansas the 12-10 lead, and Jaylin Williams succeeded on a three-point play on the ensuing possession to extend the lead to 16-11.
All Arkansas needed was to grab the lead in order to find rhythm, and for Bud Walton Arena to reach a fever pitch. The Razorbacks went on a 16-2 run to go up by ten, 23-13, with 8:29 to go in the first half. The Hogs would lead by as many as 12 before Auburn went on a 9-2 run to close out the half, trailing Arkansas 28-25.
Both teams came out firing in the second half, giving each other their best shot, with the lead changing hands nine times in the first ten minutes. After so many lead changes, Auburn looked to gain control of the game, going up 64-59 with 2:40 remaining, before the Razorbacks closed regulation by going on a 7-1 run to end regulation at 66-66.