Tag: Arkansas Kansas

Arkansas vs Kansas: How to watch, stream to Great Eight WNIT

Arkansas and Kansas have developed quite the rivalry in the last few months.

Arkansas and Kansas. Again. For the third time in as many postseasons.

On Sunday, the Razorbacks and Jayhawks will play in the Great Eight of the Women’s NIT from Lawrence. Tip time is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Back in the winter, the two schools played a classic in the Liberty Bowl. Just over a week ago, Arkansas beat No. 1-seed Kansas in the second round of the men’s NCAA Tournament. Now it’s the women’s turn.

The Hogs beat Louisiana Tech, Stephen F. Austin and then Texas Tech on Friday to set up the game against Kansas. The Jayhawks beat Western Kentucky, Missouri and Nebraska. Missouri is a mutual this year. Arkansas beat the Tigers three times during the season.

Get your Sunday chores finished early so you can flip on the TV and catch the game. Information below.

Devo Davis, Arkansas native, deserves to go down as an all-time Hogs great

Arkansas loves its native sons more. Devo Davis has sealed his place in Natural State history.

Devo Davis had to choke back his words in his post-game interview on CBS. Moments earlier, his coach, Eric Musselman, said Davis was like his son. He loved him.

Davis, a native of Jacksonville, Arkansas, had his best game of the season Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He scored 25 points, including 21 in the second half, as the Hogs rallied to beat the defening national champions, Kansas, 72-71.

Davis said in the interview he was crying because of all the work he had put into the season. It was on display all year long and maximized Saturday.

Davis began the season his usual way, as a defensive specialist. He’s so good defensively, Musselman has called him the best on-ball defender in the college game. But when SEC play began and the Hogs were without Nick Smith Jr., the nation’s No. 1 recruit, Davis had to shift gears into becoming a scoring guard.

He did that just fine, too, scoring double figures in 13 of 15 games from late December to mid-February. When Smith returned around that time, Davis went back off-ball, only eclipsing 10 points three times after Valentine’s Day heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Against Illinois, with Smith healthy but going 2 for 10 from the field, Davis dropped 16 points in Arkansas’ 10-point win. Smith was off again against the Jayhawks and Davis acted like he had been there before. Because he had.

Davis has been a starter since he arrived on-campus, but always overshadowed by recruits and incoming transfers. All that changed this season. Sure, Smith is the NBA Draft lottery pick, probably. Council is the team’s leading scorer.

But the post-game interview spoke volumes. The state of Arkansas always loves its native sons. And no matter what happens next week in the Sweet 16, Davis will have a place in the hearts of the Natural State forever.

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Photo gallery: They’re crying in Lawrence as Arkansas beats No. 1 Kansas

Arkansas beat No. 1 Kansas by a single point to clinch a third straight Sweet 16.

There will be no repeat.

Eighth-seeded Arkansas beat No. 1-seed Kansas, the defending national champion, 72-71, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament from Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday. And they had to rally to do it.

The Hogs trailed by eight points at halftime, but 21 points from Arkansas native Devo Davis led the return. When he fouled out in the final minutes, Ricky Council, a transfer from Wichita State, stepped up. Council made three free throws in three seconds with 20 seconds left to force Kansas’ hand, but the Jayhawks couldn’t pull a miracle.

Davis scored 25 points and Council had 21 to lead Arkansas to its third straight Sweet 16. They’ll face either St. Mary’s or Connecticut for a chance at a third straight Elite Eight.

Check out the best photos from the best game of the NCAA Tournament so far below.

Arkansas dispatches defending champs, No. 1-seed Kansas, to advance to Sweet 16

There will be no repeat. Arkansas rallied to beat defending champion Kansas to advance to the Sweet 16.

Free throws were a serious issue for the Arkansas basketball team all season. If you’d have asked Eric Musselman if they would be what lifted the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16, he’d likely have told you it wasn’t likely.

Ricky Council made three free throws in three seconds to give Arkansas a three-point lead with 20 seconds left against Kansas with such a spot on the line and the Razorbacks rallied to beat the Jayhawks, 72-71, to beat the defending champs on Saturday.

Arkansas shot just 69% from the free-throw line during the season, ranking the Razorbacks 12th in the 14-team SEC. Against the Jayhawks, Arkansas buried 21 of 26 from the stripe, an 81% mark. Council, who shot only 5 of 18 from the floor, made 10 of 1 from the line himself, including the three that provided Arkansas its margin.

Arkansas took its first lead of the second half when Jordan Walsh buried a 3-pointer with 8:50 left to make it 52-51. The lead was its first since the opening basket of the game. The Razorbacks went on an 11-0 run to get there and provide nerves in the final several minutes.

Dajuan Harris made a 3 on the other end about a minute later that gave the lead right back to Kansas.

Devo Davis was the biggest reason for Arkansas’ rally. The Hogs trailed by eight points at halftime, but Davis scored 21 of his 25 points after the break to lead the charge.

He had to. Nick Smith Jr. struggled badly for the second straight game. After going 2 for 10 from the floor in the first round against Illinois, Smith played just 16 minutes – including only seven in the second half – and went 0 of 4 against the Jayhawks.

Council buried a turnaround jumper from the right side to tie the game at 65 with 1:36 left to set up the stretch run. He ended the game with 21 points while Jordan Walsh joined Council and Davis in double figures with 10 points.

Kansas was led by Big 12 Player of the Year Jalen Wilson, who had 18 points.

The loss was Kansas’ first of the season when it led at halftime. Arkansas’ win provided the Razorbacks a trip to the Sweet 16 for a third straight year. The Hogs will playe either St. Mary’s or Connecticut.

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Breaking: Kansas without Bill Self for NCAA Tournament game against Arkansas

Kansas coach Bill Self won’t be on the sidelines for the Jayhawks-Razorbacks game Saturday, per Jon Rothstein.

Kansas coach Bill Self won’t be on the Jayhawks sideline when his team meets Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, the school announced about six hours before tip.

Self had been complaining of chest tightness and last week and visited the hospital. He had a heart catheter inserted along with two stents for blocked arteries. He was discharged Sunday.

Assistant coach Norm Roberts has taken the reins of the program since. Roberts has coached with Self for most of the last 30 years at Kansas, Illinois, Tulsa and Oral Roberts.

“We have been together for almost 25 years, so we probably do finish each other’s sentences in basketball terms,” Roberts said.

Kansas, the No. 1-seed, has not played Arkansas since the 2005-06 season at the Maui Invitational. The Razorbacks won that game, but are three-score underdogs Saturday. Tip is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. CT.

Arkansas vs. Kansas: The Complete Basketball History

Every game in Arkansas/Kansas history. The Hogs have done better than you might think.

For two programs with such storied histories that are so geographically close, it’s a surprise Kansas and Arkansas haven’t met more on the basketball court over the years.

Saturday’s game between the top-seeded Jayhawks and the eighth-seeded Razorbacks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament will be just the 14th in both schools’ history. And it’s only the third this millennium.

But outside of an early stretch in the 1960s, before Arkansas became Arkansas, the series is shockingly close.

Kansas has the biggest win: the Elite Eight upset over Todd Day and company in 1991. But Arkansas’ win over Danny Manning and the Jayhawks in 1986 was something to behold, too.

With Saturday’s mega-contest set to tip, let’s take a look back at these two teams over the years.