Showing posts with label Arkansas Razorbacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arkansas Razorbacks. Show all posts

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Kentucky, Arizona, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Kansas advance in conference tourneys; Bobby Portis Leads Arkansas in SEC

Conference Tournament Highlights and
College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, April 13, 2015

There was enough college hoops action Friday night to fill up the entire weekend, what with 19 conference tournaments in various stages of elimination. 14 tourneys wrap up on Saturday, plus the Ivy League will decide its representative for the NCAA Championship when Yale meet Harvard in a one-game playoff at 4:00 pm EDT in Philadelphia.

Sunday, five more conferences - American, Atlantic 10, Big Ten, SEC, and Sun Belt - will crown champions, leading up to the selection committee announcements of the at-large bids and overall seedings in the four regions, beginning at 6:00 pm EDT.

Highlights from Friday's games include:

#1 Kentucky advancing to the semi-final in the SEC with a 64-49 win over Florida, where they face Auburn, Saturday, at 1:00 pm EDT.

On the other side of the bracket, Georgia topped South Carolina, 74-62, while Arkansas eliminated Tennessee, 80-72, and will meet the Bulldogs in a semi-final match-up Saturday, at 3:00 pm EDT. In their victory, forward Bobby Portis put up player of the day numbers, scoring a game-high 26 points on 8-for-13 shooting, going 9-for-10 from the foul line, and was the game's top rebounder, with 11. Despite being out-boarded, 41-31, the Razorbacks made up for that deficiency with hounding defense, holding the Vols to just 33% shooting.

A 6'11" sophomore, Portis posted his 12th double double of the season and added a pair of assists, two steals, and a blocked shot. In their only meeting of the season, Arkansas won, 79-75, at Georgia, on January 6.

The ACC has settled on the combatants for their final, as North Carolina ousted top-seeded Virginia, 71-67, and Notre Dame handled #2 seed (and #2 nationally), Duke, 74-64.

The Tar Heels and Irish square off Saturday night, at 8:30 pm EDT.

In the PAC-12, Arizona ousted UCLA, 70-64, advancing to the final, where they will meet Oregon, a 76-64 winner over a resolute Utah squad, 67-64, on Joseph Young's 25 points and buzzer-beating three-pointer. The PAC-12 final is scheduled for 8:00 pm PDT.

The Big Ten semi-finals start at 1:00 pm EDT on Saturday, when Wisconsin battles Purdue, followed by a 3:30 meeting between Michigan State and Maryland.

In the Big 12, #13 Iowa State meets #9 Kansas in the final at 6:00 pm EDT.

CBD's Conference Champion Scoreboard will be updated in Saturday night's post, along with results and highlights.

Thursday, February 06, 2014

Razorbacks Pull Away from Alabama as Freshman Bobby Portis Scores 35

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, February 5, 2014

It's February, so it's not too early to start talking about bubble teams for the NCAA tournament, and there may not be a more puffed up squad around than the 14-8 Arkansas Razorbacks, who will have to improve on their conference record, and certainly started the process with a 65-58 win over Alabama, Wednesday night.

Whether or not the Razorbacks make it to the Big Dance is still an open question, but one thing's for certain: 6'10" freshman, Bobby Portis, can ball. Portis, who's gradually been getting more playing time as the season wears on, put up a career-high 35 points against the Crimson Tide invaders, going 14-for-17 from the field, including the Razorbacks' only three-pointer, and was 6-for-6 from the foul line to boot.

While Portis was tearing up Alabama in the paint, he was not slouching on the defensive end, grabbing nine boards and blocking six shots, all while committing just one foul in 31 minutes.

The Razorbacks trailed by two at the break, as Portis scored the final six points of the first half for Arkansas, and took a two-point lead coming out of the break when Portis scored 11 straight to start the second half.

The lead changed hands a couple of times, but Portis gave Arkansas a four-point advantage with under five minutes left and the Tide never got closer than three after that.

The win snapped a two-game Arkansas losing streak, but the Razorbacks are on the verge, having already beaten Kentucky and falling to both Florida and Georgia in overtime games. Arkansas plays at Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Commodores are 5-4 in the SEC.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Michael Qualls OT Dunk Lifts Razorbacks Over Kentucky

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Hosting the Kentucky Wildcats is always a big deal in the SEC, but, as the Arkansas Razorbacks proved Tuesday night, beating them is an even bigger thrill.

After James Young tied the game for the Wildcats with 12 seconds left in overtime, Michael Qualls grabbed the rebound off a three-point miss by teammate Rashad Madden and stuffed it home for the game-winner with one second on the clock, giving Arkansas their first conference win and a needed boost in the SEC with an 87-85 OT victory.

Qualls, a 6'6" sophomore from Shreveport, LA, was on the court for most of the game, logging 34 minutes, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals, but no play was more important than the game-finisher, getting good position to rebound the miss and put it back for the win.

A consistent scorer, Qualls has been in double figures in 14 of 16 Razorback games. On the night he was just 5-for-14 from the field, but canned seven of 11 free throws and played a big role on defense against the taller Kentucky team, helping to force 17 turnovers.

The Razorbacks took the win after back-to-back losses to open SEC play, losing at Texas A&M, 69-53, and falling in overtime to Florida at home on Saturday, 84-82. Arkansas is 12-4 overall.

The loss was the first in the conference for Kentucky, dropping them into a third-place tie with Georgia at 2-1. Florida leads with a 3-0 mark. Texas A&M is in second place, at 2-0.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Marshawn Powell Pumps in 28 as Razorbacks Prevail in 2OT

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, January 16, 2013

It took two overtimes, but Marshawn Powell and the Arkansas Razorbacks managed to finally put away the Auburn Tigers, 88-80.

Powell, a 6'7" forward, scored 22 of his game high 28 points in the second half and extra periods for the Razorbacks' second straight win and a 2-1 record in the SEC, putting them right in the midst of a nine-team scramble for the conference lead.

Going 11-for-20 with a pair of three-pointers, Powell also grabbed 11 boards for his second double-double of the season, adding three steals, two assists and a blocked shot.

3-0 Mississippi currently leads the conference standings, followed by Florida and Texas A&M at 2-0. There are six teams with 2-1 records, including Missouri and Kentucky.

Arkansas plays at Mississippi this Saturday afternoon.

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Razorbacks Snap 3-Game Skid with 81-78 Win over Oklahoma as Marshawn Powell Pops for 33

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, December 4, 2012

After three straight losses - at Arizona State, at Wisconsin and home to Syracuse - the Arkansas Razorbacks were reeling at 3-3, but at home, hosting the Oklahoma Sooners where junior forward Marshawn Powell took matters into his own hands, lighting up the Sooners with a career-high 33 points in a turbulent, 81-78 victory.

Powell hit on 11 of 17 of his shots, including four of six from three-point range, canning seven of eight from the foul line. As the Sooners cut into Arkansas' 11-point second half lead, eventually taking the advantage at 78-77, the Razorbacks were again in danger of losing, but BJ Young's runner in the lane put Arkansas ahead for good as Oklahoma failed to score on their final possessions.

Young's late basket culminated a 10-point, eight assist night for the sophomore guard, but it was Powell's sharpshooting that carried the Razorbacks most of the night. He also added six rebounds and five assists in an all-round superior effort, scoring just more than a point per minute in his 32 minutes of floor time.

NOTABLE: Just a few days ago - Saturday, to be exact - the Baylor Bears upset the then 8th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats, but on Tuesday night, it was a different bunch of Wildcats - from Northwestern - that turned the tables on the Bears with a 74-70 win on the road.

Baylor's point guard, Pierre Jackson, had his usual double figure game (he's scored in double figures in each of Baylor's eight games this season) with 18 points, but shot just 33%, making 5 of 15 shots as the Northwestern defense scratched and contested every Baylor possession.

While Baylor clicked at just 44%, the Wildcats hit a cool 51% from the field while holding the Bears to just 25% (5-for-20) from the three point line and outrebounding their hosts, 37-24. Northwestern improved to 7-2, dropping the Bears to 5-3.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Razorbacks Clamber Past Miss. St. on Fortson's 35

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, January 28, 2010

Although their record is just 9-11, the Arkansas Razorbacks may be a surprise team from the wide-open SEC West, especially if the Hogs can find a player or two to step up to the level of sophomore point guard, Courtney Forston.

Forston, who missed the first fourteen games of the season due to a suspension for some untoward comments on Twitter, scored 33 of his 35 points in the second half to rally the Razorbacks to a 67-62 SEC win.

After a lethargic first half from both squads, in which the Bulldogs led 29-21, Forston put the entire program on his 5'11" frame and lifted the team to victory, hitting 9 of 17 shots, including 3-for-6 on 3-pointers, while canning 14 of 18 free throws. The diminutive guard added 7 boards, 4 assists and a pair of steals. Down by as many as 11 points, Forston carried Arkansas back to their second conference win against 3 losses.

Besides Mississippi State, Alabama and Mississippi should vie for the SEC West title, and you can add Arkansas into that mix, especially if they can upset the Rebels when they travel to Mississippi on Saturday.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Top 25 will be reshuffled on Monday

Teams fall all around in Saturday action.

Saturday saw a blizzard of Top 25 activity, with most of the top teams holding their own and a fair share of upsets. The biggest losers were LSU, Kansas, Arizona, Texas and Nevada. First the upsets:

Texas Tech 69 Kansas 64 - Brandon Rush was held to just 10 points on 4-16 shooting as Bobby Knight's Red Raiders knocked off the #5 Jayhawks in Lubbock. Tech improved to 14-5 and hosts tough Texas A&M on Wednesday.

Arkansas 72 LSU 52 - The Razorbacks mauled #16 LSU in Little Rock, limiting the Tigers to just 35% from the field. Glen Davis had 16 points, Terry Martin scored 10 and the two were the only LSU players to reach double figures. Arkansas had five players in double figures, shot 50% as a team - including 8-20 from behind the arc - and recorded 9 steals.

New Mexico State 80 Nevada 73 - The Aggies played unkind host to #15 Nevada, scoring 47 2nd-half points in a wild West shootout. While the Aggies shot only 39% to Nevada's 50%, they hit 28-34 free throws and dominated the glass, hauling down 45 rebounds to the Wolf Pack's 32. Senior forward Justin Hawkins was everywhere for the Aggies, scoring 29 points on 12-19 shooting, and pulling down 11 rebounds (9 offensive).

Vanderbilt 72 Kentucky 67 - The Commodores continued their impressive run in the SEC, this time knocking off a ranked opponent on the road. Vandy has now beaten three ranked teams - Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky - in the last two weeks, but still must face LSU and Florida on the road the next two Wednesdays. #25 Kentucky lost for only the 4th time this season, but has yet to face a ranked opponent in the SEC. Look out below... here comes Tubby!

Villanova 76 Texas 69 - covered yesterday... see below.

And now for the winners...

Florida 79 Mississippi 70 - Joakim Noah has an efficient afternoon, hitting 9-10 from the field and leading all scorers with 24 points. The #1 Gators built a 45-26 lead at the half and despite playing a sloppy 2nd half, cruised at home for their 10th straight win.

Wisconsin 71 Illinois 64 - The #2 Badgers toughed out another road win behind their two bulls, Kammron Taylor and Alando Tucker, who scored 20 and 17, respectively. The Badgers have now won 15 in a row and face only unranked opponents for their next 9 games until February 25, when they visit Ohio State. Wisconsin is now 19-1 overall and 5-0 in the Big 10. Despite the knocks on the conference, Wisconsin hasn't ducked anyone. They have quality wins over Florida St., Ohio St., Georgia, Pittsburgh and Marquette.

UCLA 73 Arizona 69 - Arron Afflalo scored 22 points and the Bruins held the #11 Wildcats to 39% shooting, sending Arizona to their 3rd straight loss and 4th in five games. It was a tough week for Lute Olson's troops, with losses to Oregon, USC and the Bruins in a span of 7 days. While one could blame the scheduling gods for their downfall, losing all three of these games, plus a 77-73 loss at Washington St. on Jan. 6, cannot be discounted. The PAC-10 may be the toughest conference in the country and Arizona just can't cut it. If they Wildcats aren't bumped completely out of the top 25 as they should, look for a fall to at least 22 or 23.

Ohio State 82 Iowa 63 - Greg Oden finally is getting his groove on. The freshman phenom hit 12 of 13 shots, hit all five of his free throws, hauled down 10 boards and finished with a season-high 29 points. The #7 Buckeyes continue to chase Wisconsin in the Big 10.

Texas A&M 67 Oklahoma St. 49 - This one was no contest as JamesOn Curry scored 20 of the Cowboys' 49 points. Mario Boggan was the only other OKST player in double figures with 11. Acie Law had 16 to pace the balanced Aggies attack. The #8 Aggies improved to 16-2 (4-0 conference), while #11 Oklahoma St. dropped to 16-3 (2-2).

In the ACC, #4 North Carolina topped Georgia Tech, 77-61; #19 Clemson clobbered Boston College, 74-54; #14 Duke mauled NC State, 79-56; Virginia Tech

Elsewhere, #9 Oregon continued winning with a 92-84 home win over Cal; a pair of SEC squeakers saw Tennessee outlast South Carolina, 64-61 and #10 Alabama bested Georgia on a last-second shot by Ronald Steele, 78-76.

#13 Air Force topped San Diego St., 56-51; #17 Memphis invaded East Carolina for a 61-44 win; #18 Butler beat Wisconsin Green Bay, 80-59;

Sunday's Top 25 games include South Florida at #20 Notre Dame, #24 Marquette at #6 Pittsburgh, Maryland at #23 Virginia Tech.