HawgBeat - Tramon Mark’s heroics not enough in loss to UNC
Arkansas Razorbacks basketball guard Tramon Mark’s heroics weren’t enough in the Hogs’ loss to UNC on Friday.
arkansas.rivals.com
It was only a matter of time until Arkansas guard Tramon Mark erupted for the Razorbacks, and he did exactly that in the 87-72 loss to No. 14 North Carolina on Friday.
During his 33:02 minutes of game action, Mark totaled 34 points, five rebounds and a block on 13-17 overall shooting to go along with four three pointers.
"Well, I think he's just a really improved offensive player," Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said after the game. "Playing with great confidence, his efficiency tonight was phenomenal. 13 makes on 17 shots is incredible."
At the half, Mark had already racked up a team-leading 20 points on perfect 8-8 shooting — including two threes. The junior guard has struggled with foul trouble in recent games, but was only called for one personal foul in the first 20 minutes of the game and three overall.
Mark continued his torrent pace in the second half, as he made play after play to keep the Razorbacks in the game. He made a career-high 13 field goals in the contest. The Hogs' next highest leading scorer was freshman Layden Blocker, who finished with 11 points.
"He played phenomenal basketball," Musselman said. "I mean, his offensive effiency tonight was really good."
In the Razorbacks' first game in the Battle 4 Atlantis — a 77-74 double overtime win over Stanford — Mark recorded a team-high 25 points but wasn't overly efficient in the matchup due to his 6-15 shooting mark (40%). During Arkansas' 84-79 semifinal loss on Thursday, Mark scrounged up 12 points and was 0-2 from beyond the arc.
After the loss to North Carolina, Mark is now averaging 21.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 55% from the field, 40% from beyond the arch and 71% from the charity stripe.
"Tramon, he played really well today," Blocker said after the game. "He really kept us going at times with his scoring. Just his energy he brought on both ends. It was scary what happened at the end with (the) fall. But he played pretty good today."
With 1:12 minutes left in the game, Mark left the game after falling hard to the ground. Musselman did not have an update on his status following the conclusion of the matchup.
"I won't know anything really until I get word from (the) doc," Musselman said. "So I don't have any real update on his health. I'd rather not get into too much. It's his back, not his neck or head. It's his back."
Up next, No. 20 Arkansas will face the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils inside Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday. The game is set to tip off at 8:15 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN.
