Tag: Stanley Umude

Arkansas guard Au’Diese Toney has declared for NBA Draft

The guard from Huntsville, Ala. averaged 10.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in his only season playing for Arkansas

He only spent one season at Arkansas, but it was a memorable one.

Arkansas guard Au’Diese Toney announced Tuesday that he will be declaring for the NBA Draft, and will sign with The Familie, an agency out of California, meaning that he can not decide later to return to Arkansas. The announcement was made via Twitter.

In his one season at Arkansas after playing three seasons at Pittsburgh, Toney was one of four Razorbacks to average double-figures, scoring 10.5 points per game, which was 4th highest on the team behind[autotag] JD Notae[/autotag], [autotag]Stanley Umude[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag]. He was also second on the team in rebounds, pulling down 5.2 boards per contest.

The Huntsville, Ala. native is the third Razorback from the 2021-22 roster to either declare for the NBA Draft, or to test the waters. Sunday, fellow transfer JD Notae announced that he would be hiring an agent as well as declare for the NBA Draft.

Forward Jaylin Williams announced Monday that he would test the NBA Draft waters, but has not hired an agent, meaning that the door is open for him to return to the team this fall.

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Arkansas’ dream season comes to a halt in Elite 8

What an incredible season!

An incredible journey has reached the end of its’ road in San Francisco.

The No. 4 seed Arkansas Razorbacks had dreams of knocking off the No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils and ending the illustrious career of head coach Mike Krzyzewski and more importantly, reaching the Final Four for the first time since 1995. That plan was not in the cards, as Duke wins the West region by defeating Arkansas, 78-69.

Destiny continued to be on the side of the Blue Devils, as they took their first lead of the game with 14:09 remaining in the first half on a layup by Mark Williams to give Duke the 10-9 lead.

The score by Williams erased the quick start that Arkansas established. The Razorbacks quickly got on the board with a layup by [autotag]JD Notae[/autotag] at the 19:25 mark in the first half to put Arkansas ahead, 2-0. The Razorbacks and Blue Devils would tie twice before Arkansas jumped out to their largest lead of three points with 16:05 remaining in the half.

The score would remain close throughout the remainder of the half, with Duke leading by no more than eight points. The turning point came at the end of the first half, as Duke went on an 8-0 run to close the first half. Head coach [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag] told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson during the postgame interview that he felt that the way the first half ended is what “killed” them.

Duke would come out of the locker room and would lead by as many as 12 points before the Razorbacks cut the lead to 51-43 on a jumper by [autotag]Stanley Umude [/autotag]at the 14:40 mark.

Arkansas stormed back to trim Duke’s lead to 53-48 with 13:19 remaining in the game, but a foul to Duke’s Paolo Banchero sent him to the free throw stripe, where he sank both free throws to push the Blue Devils to an 11-point lead. Those made baskets would begin a scoring surge that would not allow Duke’s lead to dip below ten points for the rest of the contest.

Four Blue Devils reached double figures in scoring in the Elite 8 contest, led by AJ Griffin’s 18 points. Mark Williams recorded a double-double by scoring 12 points while hauling in 12 rebounds. For Arkansas, the leading scorer was [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag], who picked up his fourth double-double of the NCAA Tournament by scoring 19 and securing 10 rebounds. Stanley Umude and[autotag] JD Notae[/autotag] finished with 14 points each.

The Razorbacks’ incredible season ends with a 28-9 record, including a 17-1 record at Bud Walton Arena, and a 13-5 record against SEC foes.

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Beyond the Box: Survive & Advance

Arkansas vs. Vermont felt like three or four packed into one.

This game felt like three or four packed into one. Vermont bolted out early, looking like they were destined to pull the upset. Then Arkansas settled things down, used its athleticism to take control, and reeled off 7 straight points to lead 34-27 at the break.

The second half started just like the first with Vermont looking very much like a giant killer. They went on a 12-0 run to pull ahead 39-36 early in the second half. And jus like the first half, the Hogs worked to level the game at 48 before ultimately building a 9-point lead with 4:25 to play. Arkansas looked in control.

Then things got weird.

With a minute to play the Hogs still held a 4-point lead.

Then things got really weird.

A botched out of bounds call, a no-call on a Vermont travel followed quickly by an event sketchier foul call on Au’Diese Toney, and an even more surprising (because they got it right) review reversal that gave Arkansas the ball… The entire game was beyond the box!

What matters most is that the Hogs survived a frantic Vermont comeback to escape Buffalo’s KeyBank Center with a 75-71 win. They’ll face 12-seed New Mexico State on Saturday. The winner advances to the Sweet Sixteen.

 

“Fear nobody. Respect everybody:” What Eric Musselman said after Arkansas beat Vermont

Arkansas coach Eric Musselman was worn after his Razorbacks escaped Vermont on Thursday.

Arkansas had its hands full with Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament from Buffalo, New York, but the fourth-seeded Hogs escaped upset fate, beating the Catamounts, 75-71, to advance to the second round where New Mexico State awaits.

Coach Eric Musselman attended the post-game press conference with heat on his left shoulder. He was tired and hurting, much like his team.

But he was advancing, excited to start preparation for the Aggies, which, as a 12-seed, upset fifth-seeded Connecticut earlier in the night.

Arkansas and New Mexico State will play Saturday at a time to be determined for a spot in the Sweet 16.

All heart: Arkansas survives feisty challenge from Vermont in NCAA Tournament

Arkansas was pushed to the brink in the first round by Vermont, but advanced to play New Mexico State in the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas basketball lived to play another day.

The fourth-seeded Razorbacks dispatched 13-seed Vermont, 75-71, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament from Buffalo on Thursday night. The Hogs will play New Mexico State on Saturday for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Vermont tried twice in the final minute.

The Catamounts pulled within three points with 23 seconds left, but Stanley Umude, who led the Hogs with 21 points, nailed a pair of free throws to force the issue. Then, Ben Shungu buried a 3-pointer on the other end with 12 seconds to meet the challenge, but JD Notae hit a pair of free throws to build the lead back to five.

Arkansas led by seven at halftime, but neither team ever led by double digits. The Hogs had it up to a nine-point lead, which was quickly countered by a 12-0 Vermont run. But Arkansas’ superior athleticism put away the Catamounts.

Led by Umude’s 21, four Arkansas players scored in double figures. JD Notae, who led the team in scoring during the regular season, had all of his 17 in the second half.

Vermont’s two best players – Ryan Davis and Ben Shungu – did what they could, scoring 20 and 20 points on a combined 15 of 27 shooting. But the rest of the Catamounts lineup was just 11 of 31.

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Clutch time: Notae lifts Arkansas to win in final seconds over LSU

JD Notae came through in the clutch as No. 14 Arkansas beat LSU for the Hogs’ 14th win in their last 15 games.

JD Notae had arguably his worst game, statistic of the year 2022. But when the game was on the line, the reigning National Player of the Week came through in the clutch.

Notae knocked down a pair of free throws with 8.6 seconds left to lift No. 14 Arkansas to a 77-76 win over LSU on Wednesday night in front of a packed house at Bud Walton Arena.

The win is Arkansas’ 14th in its last 15 games and provided for a season sweep of LSU, which fell below .500 in SEC play. Arkansas’ win lifted the Hogs to a 13-4 record in conference play and kept alive the chance at a regular-season SEC crown.

LSU had a final shot at victory after Notae’s foul shots, but Xavier Pinson, who didn’t play in the teams’ first meeting, missed a shot at the rim and the Arkansas bench exploded.

Jaylin Williams, who fouled out with more than four minutes left, had his seventh straight double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Stanley Umude scored an Arkansas high 23 points. Notae had just 12 points, his lowest total since Dec. 1, but he had seven rebounds and five assists.

Tari Eason led all scorers with 24 points for LSU.

Arkansas ends its regular season at Tennessee on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Streak snapped: Arkansas beats Florida in Gainesville for first time since 1995

Arkansas beat Florida in Gainesville for the second time in school history for its 12th win in its last 13 games.

Eric Musselman chose not to sit his best forward, Jaylin Williams, when the big man picked up his fourth foul with 7:57 left. He needed him on the court.

He was right.

Williams sank a 3-pointer three possessions to move Arkansas ahead after that foul and hit a lay-up to give Arkansas a five-point lead with 2:57 left and the Razorbacks never trailed again, beating Florida, 82-74, and snapping a 14-game losing streak in Gainesville in the process.

Florida pulled back within a point with 1:27 left when Colin Castleton set a career high with his 27th point with a bucket in the paint. On the next possession, JD Notae buried a 3 from the wing to all but ice the game as Arkansas finished things off from the free-throw line.

Castleton led all scorers with 29 points and he grabbed six rebounds. Notae led Arkansas with 22 points. Williams had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Devo Davis (18), Au’Diese Toney (12) and Stanley Umude (11) also scored in double figures.

Arkansas hadn’t beaten Florida in Gainesville since 1995, the year the Razorbacks played in the national title game against UCLA.

The win is Arkansas’ 12th in its last 13 games. The Hogs have three regular-season games remaining with the next coming on Saturday at home against Kentucky.

Beyond the Box: Upon Further Review

Arkansas had its chances. No one can deny that. The Razorbacks battled back from a 13-point deficit late in the 2nd half and briefly took the lead before finally dropping a road contest at Alabama on Saturday.

Arkansas had its chances. No one can deny that. The Razorbacks battled back from a 13-point deficit late in the 2nd half and briefly took the lead before finally dropping a road contest at Alabama on Saturday. It’s a tough loss for the Hogs, who came in on a 9-game heater, but it’s not a bad loss. Alabama has a very strong team that could easily make a deep run into March.

But we first – those official reviews undoubtedly hurt the Hogs. It was so bad at the end of the game one easily could have expected the officials to award Auburn the ball.

With scant evidence the initial call was incorrect, the officials overturned an out-of-bounds call at the 1:43 mark late in the game. Devo Davis appeared to have saved the basketball, throwing it off an Alabama player as he headed out of bounds. This came 20 seconds after it appeared Bama had knocked the ball out of JD Notae’s hands on a drive to the bucket (a play scored as a turnover).

Then, with 3.4 seconds left after Notae (badly) missed a three-point attempt, it appeared that the Crimson Tide’s JD Davison knocked the ball from Au’Diese Toney’s hands. In this instance, the officials decided there was not enough evidence to overturn the call.

Had the officials made the correct call, the Hogs would have been able to run an out-of-bounds play from under the basket.

Alas, the ball did not bounce their way today.

Let’s take a look at some numbers that may not jump out in the traditional box score.

Arkansas shows bark and bite in win over Georgia

Arkansas has zero trouble with Georgia on the road in seventh straight win.

By the end of Arkansas’ 99-73 win over Georgia, a casual box score observer likely couldn’t tell the game was ever close.

The Razorbacks (17-5, 6-3) almost doubled up the home team in the second half, 46-26, en route to a seventh straight win. In the first half, the Hogs never led by more than six points.

Stanley Umude was the biggest reason for the outburst. He had 15 points in the first half, but scored eight of the team’s first 10 points within three minutes of coming out of the locker room. By the end he had a season-high 31 on 12 of 20 shooting, including a 6-of-8 night from 3-point range.

JD Notae, Jaylin Williams and Au’Diese Toney joined him in double figures, scoring 23, 14 and 10, respectively. Williams just missed his sixth double-double of the year with eight rebounds, but he was also limited to just six minutes in the first half because of foul trouble.

Kario Oquendo led Georgia with 17e points.

The Razorbacks next play Saturday when Mississippi State, the team that beat Arkansas to open the SEC portion of the schedule, travels to Bud Walton Arena. That game is followed by another home game Tuesday against No. 1 Auburn. The Tigers will have been coming off a visit to Georgia on that date.

Beyond the Box: Arkansas out of sync and running out of time

Once upon a time Arkansas was considered a potential No. 2 or No. 3 seed.

In the span of a month the Arkansas Razorbacks fans have gone from arguing about whether or not this basketball team should be a No. 2 or a No. 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament to wondering if they’ll even finish with a winning record in the SEC.

In some ways Saturday’s loss at Texas A&M is a reflection of that idea. The Hogs started hot, building an 11-point lead early. Nine minutes into the second half they were down, 65-48, looking lifeless and interested in anything other than basketball.

Then the “old” Hogs showed up, storming back to cut the Aggies lead to just one point with 1:08 to play. But it was all too much. Two made free throws by a 56% shooter, a missed jumper from JD Notae, and a boneheaded lane violation from Devo Davis squashed the comeback.

Here are a few things that stand out from Saturday afternoon that you won’t see on the basic stat sheet.