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The SEC has had a tough few days at the 2021-22 men’s basketball NCAA tournament. But Arkansas stopped the bleeding, at least temporarily.
The fourth-seeded Razorbacks knocked off 12th-seeded New Mexico State, 53-48, in West Regional second-round action.
Arkansas rode its suffocating defense to the win, holding the Aggies to 34 shooting from the field while forcing 19 turnovers. And they stymied New Mexico State’s leading scorer, Teddy Allen, forcing him to either give up the ball or settle for tough looks.
Granted, Arkansas wasn’t exactly lighting the nets on fire either, shooting 27.5 percent from the field. This was not a pretty game on the offensive end:
It did have two of the prettiest passes of the tournament, however:
The Razorbacks became the first SEC team to reach the Sweet 16, as Kentucky lost in the first round and Alabama, LSU and Tennessee all lost in the second round. Only Arkansas and Auburn—the second-seeded Tigers play 10th-seeded Miami Sunday at 7:45 p.m. ET in the Midwest Region—are left standing.
And if Arkansas can keep playing defense like it did Saturday, it’ll be sticking around for a while.
Key Stats
JD Notae, ARK: 18 points, eight steals, four rebounds, three assists
Jaylin Williams, ARK: 10 points, 15 rebounds
Stanley Umude, ARK: Nine points, eight rebounds
Johnny McCants, NMS: 16 points, 12 rebounds
Teddy Allen, NMS: 12 points
Will McNair Jr., NMS: Six points, seven rebounds
Notae had a Topsy-Turvy Game for Arkansas
On one hand, Notae was Arkansas’ only reliable source of offense throughout this game, continuously attacking the rim and looking for his own shot.
On the other hand, he had some really rough stretches in this game, namely during the second half when he couldn’t seem to buy a bucket, was called for multiple charges, had to be benched for a chunk of time down the stretch after picking up his fourth foul and fouled out with just over a minute remaining on his fourth charge of the half.
This was not an efficient performance for Notae—he finished 5-of-18 from the field. But he was also the one Arkansas player who didn’t seem shy when it came to attacking New Mexico State’s defense. The Razorbacks needed his offense, even if it wasn’t consistent.
Oh, and he had eight steals. Eight. He was a big contributor to Arkansas’ impressive defensive performance.
McCants Tried to Pick Up the Slack for Allen
With Allen never establishing any rhythm in this game—he finished 5-of-16 from the field, a tough performance for a player who averaged 19.9 points per game this season—the Aggies needed someone to pick up the slack to keep themselves afloat.
McCants did his darndest to be that guy. He was not only New Mexico State’s most reliable offensive weapon in the second half, but also the team’s energizer:
Ultimately, his team’s offensive woes rendered his effort moot. But when someone needed to step up on Saturday, he did everything he could.
What’s Next?
Arkansas will face the winner of No. 1 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 9 seed Memphis on Thursday, with tipoff time to be determined.
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