Razorbacks return to Sweet 16 with 53-48 win over Aggies
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Arkansas' Eric Musselman leaned heavily on his NBA coaching days of having to defend Kobe Bryant in devising a plan for how to keep New Mexico State's Teddy ''Buckets'' Allen in check.
And it was only fitting to Musselman that swingman Au'Diese Toney - the player he counted on most to contain Allen - capped the decisive run with a one-handed, fast-break dunk with about six minutes left to launch the fourth-seeded Razorbacks (27-8) into the Sweet 16 for a second consecutive year following a 53-48 win over the No. 12-seeded Aggies on Saturday night.
''That was perfect,'' Musselman said of Toney converting Davonte Davis' long pass with a soaring slam to put Arkansas up 41-33 in a tightly contested defensive struggle. ''For him to be rewarded with basically the exclamation point after everything that he had done defensively.''
In scoring just seven points, Toney was pleased to do his part on defense. Allen finished 5 of 16 for 12 points, two days after scoring 37 in the Aggies' first-round win over No. 5 seed Connecticut.
''The man can play ball,'' Toney said of Allen. ''My mindset was just to keep him under control and not let him get loose, and my guys - I couldn't do it without my guys, you know?''
JD Notae scored 18 points and nabbed nine steals before fouling out with 1:22 left, and Jaylin Williams had 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Razorbacks. Notae's replacement, Chris Lykes, hit all four free-throw attempts in the final 10 seconds to secure the win after the Aggies closed within two on Allen's 3-pointer with 12 seconds left.
The Razorbacks advanced to play top-seeded Gonzaga at the West Region site in San Francisco on Thursday.
Johnny McCants had 16 points and 12 rebounds for New Mexico State. The Western Athletic Conference champion was denied a chance to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in school history, and first since 1992.
''We weren't shy about talking about San Francisco and beyond,'' Aggies coach Chris Jans said. ''We thought this team had a chance to make one of those special runs, but it just didn't happen.''
Though his numerous NBA stops spread over 10 seasons were mostly short ones and included head-coaching stints at Golden State and Sacramento, Musselman referred to the notes he kept when it came to guarding Bryant, the late Los Angeles Lakers star.
''I didn't know if a college team was going to be able to do that,'' Musselman said.
''Tonight's scheme was a little bit more complicated than we've had,'' he added. ''I was worried about it today at the team meal even as late as 4 p.m. Did we try to squeeze too much in? When you demand a lot, it's amazing what people can retain.''
The Razorbacks pressured Allen each time he got the ball, and then kept him guessing as to when they would send the double-team.
''Credit to them, they had a good game plan,'' Allen said. ''We still could have executed better, but sometimes it just doesn't work out.''
DEEEE-FENSE
The Razorbacks defense attacked the Aggies on the perimeter, pushing them further beyond the 3-point line. The pressure led to New Mexico State forcing numerous attempts with the shot clock running down. The Aggies were just 6 of 25 with 12 turnovers in the first half.
Arkansas then capitalized on New Mexico State's missed shots and turnovers by scoring 13 points on the fast break in the first 20 minutes.
New Mexico State adapted in the second half by working the ball more inside.
''I need to help them more in the first half,'' Jans said. ''We fully expected them to run at Teddy. Probably should have went inside a little more in the first half.''
FRIGID IN BUFFALO
With Arkansas hitting just three of its first 15 attempts, the teams combined to go 6 of 28 from the field through the first 11 minutes. The Aggies were the first to get to double digits when Notae completed a three-point play to put Arkansas up 12-0 with 7:47 left in the first half.
The Razorbacks finished the half shooting 9 of 27 and led 26-17.
BIG PICTURE
The Aggies turned the ball over 19 times and were outscored 15-0 in fast-break points.
The Razorbacks improved to 17-3 in their past 20 games, which came after opening the SEC season with three consecutive losses.
UP NEXT
Arkansas is 0-1 against its Sweet 16 opponent, Gonzaga, following a 91-81 loss to the Zags at the 2013-14 Maui Invitational.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Â | Will McNair Jr. vs. Jaylin Williams (JD Notae gains possession) | Â | |
19:46 | Â | Trey Wade misses three point jump shot | Â | |
19:44 | Â | Clayton Henry defensive rebound | Â | |
19:26 | +2 | Teddy Allen makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 2-0 | |
19:11 | Â | JD Notae misses two point layup | Â | |
19:09 | Â | Will McNair Jr. defensive rebound | Â | |
19:00 | Â | Jabari Rice turnover (bad pass) (Jaylin Williams steals) | Â | |
18:51 | +3 | Stanley Umude makes three point jump shot (JD Notae assists) | 2-3 | |
18:34 | Â | Jabari Rice misses three point jump shot | Â | |
18:32 | Â | Jaylin Williams defensive rebound | Â | |
18:16 | Â | JD Notae misses two point layup | Â | |
18:14 | Â | Teddy Allen defensive rebound | Â | |
18:07 | Â | Clayton Henry misses three point jump shot | Â | |
18:05 | Â | Trey Wade defensive rebound | Â | |
17:56 | Â | Stanley Umude misses three point jump shot | Â | |
17:54 | Â | Aggies defensive rebound | Â | |
17:36 | Â | Johnny McCants turnover (bad pass) (Trey Wade steals) | Â | |
17:08 | Â | Stanley Umude misses three point jump shot | Â | |
17:06 | Â | Razorbacks turnover (shot clock violation) | Â | |
16:37 | Â | Teddy Allen misses three point jump shot | Â | |
16:35 | Â | Aggies turnover (shot clock violation) | Â | |
16:13 | Â | Johnny McCants defensive rebound | Â | |
15:55 | Â | Jabari Rice misses two point jump shot | Â | |
15:53 | Â | Jaylin Williams defensive rebound | Â | |
15:37 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
15:21 | Â | Davonte Davis turnover (lost ball) (Johnny McCants steals) | Â | |
15:07 | Â | JD Notae defensive rebound | Â | |
15:09 | Â | Johnny McCants misses three point jump shot | Â | |
15:07 | Â | JD Notae defensive rebound | Â | |
14:57 | Â | Au'Diese Toney turnover (bad pass) (Teddy Allen steals) | Â | |
14:25 | Â | Johnny McCants turnover (lost ball) (Stanley Umude steals) | Â | |
14:18 | +2 | JD Notae makes two point driving layup | 2-5 | |
13:42 | Â | Teddy Allen misses two point jump shot | Â | |
13:40 | Â | Jaylin Williams defensive rebound | Â | |
13:32 | Â | JD Notae misses two point layup | Â | |
13:30 | Â | Aggies defensive rebound | Â | |
13:03 | Â | Mario McKinney Jr. turnover (lost ball) | Â | |
12:56 | Â | Jaylin Williams misses two point layup | Â | |
12:54 | Â | Will McNair Jr. defensive rebound | Â | |
12:46 | Â | Johnny McCants misses two point layup | Â | |
12:44 | Â | Jaylin Williams defensive rebound | Â | |
12:34 | Â | Stanley Umude misses two point jump shot | Â | |
12:32 | Â | Mario McKinney Jr. defensive rebound | Â | |
12:24 | +3 | Johnny McCants makes three point jump shot (Mario McKinney Jr. assists) | 5-5 | |
11:53 | +2 | Jaylin Williams makes two point driving layup | 5-7 | |
11:39 | Â | Yuat Alok misses three point jump shot | Â | |
11:37 | Â | Stanley Umude defensive rebound | Â | |
11:15 | Â | Au'Diese Toney misses three point jump shot | Â | |
11:13 | Â | Yuat Alok defensive rebound | Â | |
11:00 | +3 | Teddy Allen makes three point pullup jump shot | 8-7 | |
10:48 | Â | Jaylin Williams misses three point jump shot | Â | |
10:46 | Â | Clayton Henry defensive rebound | Â | |
10:29 | Â | Johnny McCants misses three point jump shot | Â | |
10:27 | Â | Stanley Umude defensive rebound | Â | |
10:13 | Â | Chris Lykes turnover (lost ball) (Johnny McCants steals) | Â | |
10:01 | Â | Teddy Allen misses two point jump shot | Â | |
9:59 | Â | Jaylin Williams defensive rebound | Â | |
9:42 | Â | Davonte Davis misses two point jump shot | Â | |
9:40 | Â | Mario McKinney Jr. defensive rebound | Â | |
9:21 | Â | Stanley Umude shooting foul (Yuat Alok draws the foul) | Â | |
9:21 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
9:21 | +1 | Yuat Alok makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 9-7 | |
9:21 | Â | Yuat Alok misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | Â | |
9:21 | Â | Stanley Umude defensive rebound | Â | |
9:09 | Â | JD Notae misses two point jump shot | Â | |
9:06 | Â | Aggies defensive rebound | Â | |
9:06 | Â | Au'Diese Toney personal foul | Â | |
8:54 | Â | Teddy Allen misses three point jump shot | Â | |
8:52 | Â | Stanley Umude defensive rebound | Â | |
8:36 | +2 | Jaylin Williams makes two point driving dunk (Stanley Umude assists) | 9-9 | |
7:59 | Â | Mario McKinney Jr. misses two point layup | Â | |
7:57 | Â | Jaylin Williams defensive rebound | Â | |
7:49 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
7:47 | +2 | Stanley Umude makes two point driving layup (JD Notae assists) | 9-11 | |
7:47 | Â | Will McNair Jr. shooting foul (Stanley Umude draws the foul) | Â | |
7:47 | +1 | Stanley Umude makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 9-12 | |
7:17 | Â | Jabari Rice misses three point jump shot | Â | |
7:15 | Â | Johnny McCants offensive rebound | Â | |
7:13 | Â | Johnny McCants misses two point layup | Â | |
7:11 | Â | Davonte Davis defensive rebound | Â | |
7:05 | Â | JD Notae misses three point jump shot | Â | |
7:03 | Â | Johnny McCants defensive rebound | Â | |
6:55 | Â | Jabari Rice misses three point jump shot | Â | |
6:53 | Â | Will McNair Jr. offensive rebound | Â | |
6:37 | Â | Will McNair Jr. misses three point jump shot | Â | |
6:35 | Â | Jaylin Williams defensive rebound | Â | |
6:25 | Â | JD Notae misses two point layup | Â | |
6:23 | Â | Jaylin Williams offensive rebound | Â | |
6:18 | +2 | JD Notae makes two point layup (Stanley Umude assists) | 9-14 | |
5:59 | Â | Jabari Rice turnover (bad pass) (JD Notae steals) | Â | |
5:51 | Â | Stanley Umude turnover (bad pass) | Â | |
5:22 | +2 | Will McNair Jr. makes two point hook shot | 11-14 | |
4:57 | +2 | Au'Diese Toney makes two point reverse layup (Stanley Umude assists) | 11-16 | |
4:44 | Â | Teddy Allen turnover (lost ball) (JD Notae steals) | Â | |
4:38 | Â | JD Notae turnover (lost ball) | Â | |
4:29 | Â | Johnny McCants turnover (bad pass) (JD Notae steals) | Â | |
4:22 | Â | Johnny McCants shooting foul (JD Notae draws the foul) | Â | |
4:22 | +1 | JD Notae makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 11-17 | |
4:22 | Â | JD Notae misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | Â | |
4:22 | Â | Johnny McCants defensive rebound | Â | |
3:54 | Â | Jabari Rice turnover (traveling) | Â | |
3:54 | Â | TV timeout | Â | |
3:46 | Â | JD Notae misses two point layup | Â | |
3:44 | Â | Clayton Henry defensive rebound | Â | |
3:30 | Â | Mario McKinney Jr. turnover (lost ball) (JD Notae steals) | Â | |
3:27 | Â | Mario McKinney Jr. shooting foul (JD Notae draws the foul) | Â | |
3:27 | +1 | JD Notae makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 11-18 | |
3:27 | +1 | JD Notae makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 11-19 | |
3:03 | Â | Nate Pryor misses two point layup | Â | |
3:01 | Â | Will McNair Jr. offensive rebound | Â | |
2:58 | Â | Will McNair Jr. turnover (lost ball) (JD Notae steals) | Â | |
2:58 | Â | Will McNair Jr. personal foul (JD Notae draws the foul) | Â | |
2:43 | Â | JD Notae misses three point jump shot | Â | |
2:41 | Â | Clayton Henry defensive rebound | Â | |
2:25 | Â | Teddy Allen misses three point jump shot | Â | |
2:23 | Â | Jaylin Williams defensive rebound | Â | |
2:19 | +2 | JD Notae makes two point driving layup (Jaylin Williams assists) | 11-21 | |
2:02 | Â | Clayton Henry misses three point jump shot | Â | |
2:00 | Â | Jaylin Williams defensive rebound | Â | |
1:54 | +3 | JD Notae makes three point pullup jump shot | 11-24 | |
1:39 | +2 | Nate Pryor makes two point pullup jump shot | 13-24 | |
1:09 | Â | Johnny McCants shooting foul (Jaylin Williams draws the foul) | Â | |
1:09 | +1 | Jaylin Williams makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 13-25 | |
1:09 | +1 | Jaylin Williams makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 13-26 | |
0:48 | Â | Teddy Allen turnover (bad pass) | Â | |
0:34 | Â | Stanley Umude misses three point jump shot | Â | |
0:32 | Â | Nate Pryor defensive rebound | Â | |
0:02 | +3 | Clayton Henry makes three point jump shot (Nate Pryor assists) | 16-26 | |
0:02 | Â | Davonte Davis shooting foul (Clayton Henry draws the foul) | Â | |
0:02 | +1 | Clayton Henry makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 17-26 | |
0:00 | Â | End of period | Â |