Arkansas advances to Elite Eight: 3 things learned from Razorbacks thrilling win over Oral Roberts
Eric Musselman’s Arkansas Razorbacks survived a massive scare from Oral Roberts to advance to the Elite Eight and here’s what we should take away from the game.
The Sweet 16 of March Madness got underway with two relatively mundane games, a defensive struggle with Oregon State topping Loyola-Chicago and another defensive-minded affair as Baylor outlasted Villanova. The Arkansas Razorbacks and Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, despite being a No. 3 and 15 seed respectively, decided to add some excitement to the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Saturday night, though.
Looking to become the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight, Oral Roberts gave Arkansas everything they could handle, taking a seven-point lead into halftime and going up by as many as 12 points. But the Razorbacks turned up the defensive intensity and started getting out to run their game to chip away at the lead. Then it came down to the wire with the two teams trading buckets.
Thanks to a Davonte Davis shot in the final moments and a narrowly missed buzzer-beater attempt from ORU star Max Abmas, however, it’s Arkansas that’s now heading to the Elite Eight with a 72-70 win and now they’ll meet No. 1-seeded Baylor.
In the wake of narrowly avoiding this massive upset, though, let’s take a look at the things we learned and what we can take away from Arkansas’ big win to push on to the Elite Eight.
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March Madness: 3 takeaways from Arkansas advancing past Oral Roberts to the Elite Eight
3. Arkansas is capable of winning beyond just Moses Moody
Moses Moody is the unquestioned star of the Razorbacks roster. A surefire lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the lengthy wing led the team in scoring, was second in rebounding and is arguably their best all-around defender. Yet, he was downright bad against Oral Roberts on Saturday night.
The talented youngster shot an abysmal 4-of-20 from the field — though he did end up with 14 points. But what was impressive is that it didn’t matter in the end. Weathering adversity, Arkansas got plays from elsewhere.
Whether it was Jalen Tate’s clutch late-game scoring and playmaking, Justin Smith bullying in the post with 12 points and 14 rebounds or Davonte Davis pitching in 16 points, including the game-winner, the Hogs stepped up when Moody was having a bad night. That has to be a promising sign that this team is capable of picking themselves up when their star simply doesn’t have it going.
2. Max Abmas is already the star of the 2021 NCAA Tournament
As mentioned, the Golden Eagles had an opportunity to win in the final seconds. Of course, they put the ball in the hands of their star, guard Max Abmas. And his final 3-point attempt looked like it was about to be an unforgettable buzzer-beater moment right until it came up just short on the rim.
Even though he didn’t etch his name in history by propelling Oral Roberts to the Elite Eight, though, Abmas (and Kevin Obanor) is the star of March Madness that we should all remember.
Oral Roberts is not a complete team — there’s a reason they were 16-10 going into the tournament. But Abmas and Obanor were the NBA Jam duo of the NCAA Tournament and couldn’t be stopped. Abmas gave it everything he had in the Golden Eagles’ last gasp, pitching in 25 points with four assists and numerous clutch buckets. He was a star that helped make history and, though ORU is now eliminated, we shouldn’t forget how great Abmas was.
1. Razorbacks must control the chaos better against Baylor
When you looked at Arkansas coming into the tournament, the one thing you knew the Hogs were going to do was to push the pace. They thrive when things are moving fast and, if you allow them to get you out in transition, they are going to win with their length and athleticism 9-of-10 times.
However, the Razorbacks have trailed by double-digits in every game in March Madness to this point. Though they’ve prevailed, the reason that’s been the case is that they’ve been letting their frenetic and chaotic pace get the best of them. Their offense has been a bit too erratic and the defense has been gambling a bit too much.
Musselman certainly can’t sacrifice the identity of the team that has now punched their ticket to the Elite Eight. At the same time, though, if they want to get past Baylor and into the Final Four, Arkansas must operate with controlled chaos rather than hanging on by the skin of their teeth through the mayhem.
Next. 20 biggest upsets in the history of March Madness. dark
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