Tag: Arkansas North Carolina

Ex-Hogs QB, Arkansas native Criswell transfer back to UNC

Good for Criswell, a Morrilton grad who clearly has foun a home in North Carolina.

Jacolby Criswell is a Natural State native, but it’s clear he is just as comfortable back east.

Criswell, the former Arkansas quarterback, committed to North Carolina out of the transfer portal this week. He previously served as the Tar Heels’ back-up for three seasons before exiting the UNC program for Fayetteville for the 2023 season. He served one year as back-up to KJ Jefferson.

Jefferson transferred to UCF in the offseason, leaving Criswell in competition with Boise State transfer Taylen Green for the starting role. Green quickly estbalished himself as the starter in spring practices. With freshmen Malachi Singleton and KJ Jackson on the roster, Criswell exited shortly after the spring game.

He played in four games with the Razorbacks, going 17 of 27 passing for 143 yards and three touchdowns. His most significant game action came in the season finale, a 41-14 loss to Missouri, during which he went 12 of 20 for 96 yards and a touchdown.

Criswell is expected to slide back into the No. 2 role with the Tar Heels behind former Texas A&M and LSU quarterback Max Johnson.

What they’re saying on Twitter/X after Arkansas-North Carolina

Eric Musselman updated Tramon Mark’s injury, saying the guard hurt his back.

Arkansas dropped its second straight game Friday, falling to North Carolina in the third-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

The Hogs will head back home with a 1-2 record in the tournament and a 4-3 record overall. Up next is Duke at Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday.

Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman’s schedule-building has tested his teams every year he’s been at Arkansas, but this season it’s biting. Duke will almost certainly be favored and a Blue Devils win would send Arkansas to a scary 4-4.

Chances were plenty against North Carolina. Arkansas even led at halftime. But a struggle of a second half and a scary injury to guard Tramon Mark, left all associated with the program with bad feelings afterward.

Let’s check out what social media had to say.

Battle 4 Atlantis – No. 20 Arkansas vs. No. 14 North Carolina: How to watch, stream, listen and more

In the third-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis, the Hogs and Tar Heels will meet for just the 11th time ever. Here’s how you can catch all of the action later today.

After a rough outing in the semifinals on Thanksgiving, 20th-ranked Arkansas (4-2) will face 14th-ranked North Carolina (4-1) in the third-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

The Hogs’ Bahamas journey got off to a dramatic start on Wednesday night as they needed two overtimes to beat Stanford, 77-74. In the semifinals, Arkansas renewed a 20-year rivalry with Memphis on Thanksgiving Day. Unfortunately, turnovers and mental mistakes proved too costly and they fell to the Tigers, 84-79.

The Tar Heels were able to blow past Northern Iowa in their first game on Wednesday. In their semifinal bout with Villanova, they built a nine-point lead early but it was a back-and-forth contest in the second half that eventually needed overtime. North Carolina would come up short in the extra frame, 83-81.

This is the 10th ever meeting between these two programs, but hasn’t been very kind to the Razorbacks. North Carolina leads the all-time series 7-3, with the last matchup taking place in 2017 when the Tar Heels defeated Arkansas 87-68.

Here’s how you can watch all of the action on Friday, listening options, key players and more.

Uh-oh: Arkansas has been owned by North Carolina in recent years

The Hogs have to beat North Carolina and Duke in back-to-back games to avoid a – gulp – 4-4 start to the season.

The darkness is threatening to settle in around the Arkansas basketball team.

Just over a week ago, the Hogs were knocking on the door of the top 10. Now, after a loss to UNC-Greensboro and Memphis, Arkansas now has to beat North Carolina and Duke in back-to-back games to avoid a 4-4 start.

The Tar Heels come first in the third-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Friday. Tip time is scheduled for noon CT on ESPN.

Arkansas wasn’t terrible in falling to Memphis on Thanksgiving, but too many turnovers and three technical fouls proved too much. That and Memphis forward David Jones, who scored a career-high 36 points.

Now the Hogs get a North Carolina program that has owned them over the last decade. The last time the two met was in 2017 in a regular-season tournament in Oregon. UNC won by 19 points. Before that, the Tar Heels knocked Arkansas out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round in both 2015 and 2017.

Arkansas’ No. 20 ranking is likely to drop when polls are released Monday. North Carolina’s No. 14 one may or may not, depending on the result against the Razorbacks.

But Arkansas’ NCAA Tournament case is far more tenuous. If the Hogs lose to North Carolina, wins over Duke and Oklahoma are all but required if they want to carry any semblance of a decent nonconference resume into postseason qualification.