Coach John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks (19-12, 8-10 SEC) closed their regular season Saturday afternoon with a 93-92 win over the No. 25 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Bud Walton Arena.
An already short Arkansas rotation was made even shorter due to early foul trouble in the first half, especially to high-flying forward Trevon Brazile. Fatigue was an issue, but good guard play from Johnell Davis, DJ Wagner and Karter Knox and excellent minutes from center Jonas Aidoo kept the Hogs within fighting distance.
Then, in the snap of a finger, the Razorbacks took a 34-31 lead at the 4:42 minute mark following two Wagner free throws, a Wagner three-pointer and a Billy Richmond III fastbreak dunk.
Aidoo led the way in the first 20 minutes with 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one block, while Wagner added 10 points and three assists and Davis notched eight points.
With everyone back in the fold after the break, Arkansas bursted out of the gates and didn't look back for most of the second half. The Razorbacks' biggest lead was 16 points at the 11:41 minute mark after a Brazile hammer dunk and Wagner early shot-clock triple.
Mississippi State clawed its way back into the game with under four minutes to go thanks to a 9-0 run that drew it within two points, 83-81. Just one possession later, the Bulldogs completed their comeback with a three-pointer to take a one-point lead.
Tied back up at 89 points each with under a minute left and with the ball, Arkansas handed it to Wagner, who drained a step-back cold-blooded three-pointer to take a three-point lead, 92-89. Prolific Bulldog scorer Josh Hubbard wasn't to be denied, though, as he answered with a deep three of his own to tie things back up with 33 seconds left in the game.
After splitting a pair of free throws at the line to take a one-point lead, the Hogs had nine seconds left between them and victory. The Bulldogs drove the ball up the court, and Richmond came through with a big-time block to seal the win.
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