From @DanielFair
The Arkansas Razorbacks saw their season end in heartbreaking fashion on Thursday, as a 16-point lead over the Texas Tech Red Raiders dwindled to nothing, and the Hogs fell short 85-83 in overtime in the Sweet 16.
Arkansas' defense held Texas Tech to just 35.3% from the field and 18.8% from three in the first half, but the Red Raiders turned it on in the second half and used strong rebounding to fight back.
The Razorbacks stretched their lead to 16 points midway through the second half, but the Red Raiders went on a 16-3 run in the final four minutes of the game to force overtime.
Johnell Davis, in what ended up being his final collegiate game, scored a season-high 30 points and had six rebounds in 39 minutes. Freshman forward Karter Knox finished with 20 points and hit four threes.
"Hard game, two teams went at it," Arkansas head coach John Calipari said postgame. "Slugfest. We're all disappointed here. But I told them, there's nothing them individually or my team could do to disappoint me because of what they've done this year. I'm so proud of them and proud of these two. But I'm proud of all the guys."
Arkansas' season has now come to an end. Here are some of HawgBeat's takeaways from Thursday's loss...
— Johnell Davis' 30 points are the fourth-most by a Razorback in an NCAA Tournament game.
— Heading into the game, head coach John Calipari was 36-0 in NCAA Tournament games in which he had a lead of six or more points. He is now 36-1.
— Karter Knox's four threes he hit during the game was a career-high.
The inability to close out defensive possessions which, outside of a few defensive breakdowns, were pretty good all night, allowed the Red Raiders to take advantage and score 16 second-chance points.
"They're a good team," Calipari said of Texas Tech. "Field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, our free-throw percentage, there was a lot of stuff -- it was one of our Achilles' heels, offensive rebounding against us. Last game it was 28 offensive rebounds."
The worst display of the Razorbacks' rebounding came in the second half. Up 61-48 with 9:02 left in regulation, Arkansas allowed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw. It was the first of six straight offensive boards for the Red Raiders and was capped off by a tip-in layup.
On opposite ends of eligibility — Davis was playing in his final NCAA Tournament while Knox was playing in his first — the duo had half of those points (14 for Davis and 11 for Knox) in the first half.
Knox hadn't been known for his three-point ability this season, but he turned it on and connected from deep four times, which was a career-high. Nine of his points in the first half all came from deep, but in the second half he opted to drive to the rim, which is where the bulk of his scoring came in the second half.
Davis hit three three-pointers, and he also got to the free throw line 11 times and hit every single one of them. The 30 points he scored were the most since he was at Florida Atlantic and dropped 35 against Arizona on Dec. 23, 2023.
That starts with determining which of your players are returning, which ones are headed to the NBA Draft, and which are headed to the portal. It's likely there are at least two players — Boogie Fland and Adou Thiero — who will head to the NBA Draft. Outside of them, there are still questions that remain. For now, though, Calipari and his staff aren't focused on that.
"I need to sit down with these guys, but you really think tonight's the night or tomorrow morning?" Calipari said. "We're all kind of raw right now. I mean, I think they had visions of us continuing to play, and so did I. But there's only going to be one team standing. And there's a point where we need to sit down and talk about, again, returning. We've got some freshmen, and what do we do in the portal.
"We had names of guys out there, but I haven't done anything, haven't made a call. And I won't until I speak to my guys, who's coming back, who isn't. I think a couple guys will put their name in the draft. I think a couple guys are done, their eligibility is done. So you're talking four or five guys. Let me sit down with them and see what that is."
The transfer portal is already open, and Arkansas has already been connected to several high-profile transfers. Be sure to stay tuned to HawgBeat for the latest news about Arkansas basketball.
The Arkansas Razorbacks saw their season end in heartbreaking fashion on Thursday, as a 16-point lead over the Texas Tech Red Raiders dwindled to nothing, and the Hogs fell short 85-83 in overtime in the Sweet 16.
Arkansas' defense held Texas Tech to just 35.3% from the field and 18.8% from three in the first half, but the Red Raiders turned it on in the second half and used strong rebounding to fight back.
The Razorbacks stretched their lead to 16 points midway through the second half, but the Red Raiders went on a 16-3 run in the final four minutes of the game to force overtime.
Johnell Davis, in what ended up being his final collegiate game, scored a season-high 30 points and had six rebounds in 39 minutes. Freshman forward Karter Knox finished with 20 points and hit four threes.
"Hard game, two teams went at it," Arkansas head coach John Calipari said postgame. "Slugfest. We're all disappointed here. But I told them, there's nothing them individually or my team could do to disappoint me because of what they've done this year. I'm so proud of them and proud of these two. But I'm proud of all the guys."
Arkansas' season has now come to an end. Here are some of HawgBeat's takeaways from Thursday's loss...
By The Numbers
— Arkansas allowed 22 offensive rebounds to Texas Tech, which means in the last two games it has allowed a total of 50 (28 to St. John's and 22 to Texas Tech) to its opponents.— Johnell Davis' 30 points are the fourth-most by a Razorback in an NCAA Tournament game.
— Heading into the game, head coach John Calipari was 36-0 in NCAA Tournament games in which he had a lead of six or more points. He is now 36-1.
— Karter Knox's four threes he hit during the game was a career-high.
Offensive rebounds gives Red Raiders the edge
Rebounding was a problem for Arkansas all season long, but it reared its head in the worst way in Thursday's loss. The Razorbacks were out rebounded 51-39, which in and of itself is a rough number, but 22 of Texas Tech's boards were on the offensive end.The inability to close out defensive possessions which, outside of a few defensive breakdowns, were pretty good all night, allowed the Red Raiders to take advantage and score 16 second-chance points.
"They're a good team," Calipari said of Texas Tech. "Field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, our free-throw percentage, there was a lot of stuff -- it was one of our Achilles' heels, offensive rebounding against us. Last game it was 28 offensive rebounds."
The worst display of the Razorbacks' rebounding came in the second half. Up 61-48 with 9:02 left in regulation, Arkansas allowed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw. It was the first of six straight offensive boards for the Red Raiders and was capped off by a tip-in layup.
Johnell Davis, Karter Knox go off
Even though the game didn't end like the Hogs wanted it to, Johnell Davis and Karter Knox deserve a large round of applause for their performances. The two combined for a total of 50 points and seven made threes, and they had 12 total rebounds — six each — in the game.On opposite ends of eligibility — Davis was playing in his final NCAA Tournament while Knox was playing in his first — the duo had half of those points (14 for Davis and 11 for Knox) in the first half.
Knox hadn't been known for his three-point ability this season, but he turned it on and connected from deep four times, which was a career-high. Nine of his points in the first half all came from deep, but in the second half he opted to drive to the rim, which is where the bulk of his scoring came in the second half.
Davis hit three three-pointers, and he also got to the free throw line 11 times and hit every single one of them. The 30 points he scored were the most since he was at Florida Atlantic and dropped 35 against Arizona on Dec. 23, 2023.
Where do the Hogs go from here?
Well, first, they'll go home. The road ends in the Sweet 16 for the Hogs. But further than that, Calipari and his coaching staff will likely immediately start preparation for next season.That starts with determining which of your players are returning, which ones are headed to the NBA Draft, and which are headed to the portal. It's likely there are at least two players — Boogie Fland and Adou Thiero — who will head to the NBA Draft. Outside of them, there are still questions that remain. For now, though, Calipari and his staff aren't focused on that.
"I need to sit down with these guys, but you really think tonight's the night or tomorrow morning?" Calipari said. "We're all kind of raw right now. I mean, I think they had visions of us continuing to play, and so did I. But there's only going to be one team standing. And there's a point where we need to sit down and talk about, again, returning. We've got some freshmen, and what do we do in the portal.
"We had names of guys out there, but I haven't done anything, haven't made a call. And I won't until I speak to my guys, who's coming back, who isn't. I think a couple guys will put their name in the draft. I think a couple guys are done, their eligibility is done. So you're talking four or five guys. Let me sit down with them and see what that is."
The transfer portal is already open, and Arkansas has already been connected to several high-profile transfers. Be sure to stay tuned to HawgBeat for the latest news about Arkansas basketball.
