Kentucky's John Calipari, Arkansas Reportedly Finalizing 5-Year HC Contract
Apr 8, 2024
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 21: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts during the first half of a game against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 21, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
In a surprising turn of events, John Calipari's run as head coach at Kentucky is reportedly ending.
ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Sunday night that Calipari is finalizing a five-year deal to become Arkansas' head coach.
According to Thamel and ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Calipari's base salary is expected to be "slightly less" than the $8.5 million he got at Kentucky. However, Thamel and Borzello noted that the contract is expected to include incentives that could help him surpass his Kentucky salary.
That news comes after Matt Norlander of CBS Sports previously reported the two sides had "entered into serious talks" regarding the school's head coach opening. Kentucky reportedly had been notified of the discussions, as Calipari's contract requires him to inform the university if he engages with another school about a potential job.
Norlander added that the Tyson family, which is the biggest Arkansas donor, was "prepared to make a major commitment" to facilitate the hiring of Calipari as the next Razorbacks head coach. Calipari is reportedly "very close" with the Tyson family and major boosters were "optimistic" that the hiring will happen.
Thamel and Borzello noted that Calipari was the second-highest-paid head coach in the country.
Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 reported that Calipari was "very interested" in the Arkansas position, with one source going as far as saying he's been "miserable in Lexington" amid Kentucky's recent struggles and "much of the fanbase turning on him and wanting him out." It appears that the Razorbacks did enough to entice him to seek a change of scenery.
Calipari coached the Wildcats for the last 15 seasons and led the team to a 410-123 record with four Final Fours and one national title. However, Kentucky hasn't made it past the second round of the NCAA tournament since 2019. The team lost to Oakland in the first round in one of the biggest upsets of the 2024 tournament.
Arkansas was seeking a new head coach following the departure of Eric Musselman, who signed on to become the next head coach at USC.
The Razorbacks are set to enter a new era under Calipari, who is a Hall of Famer and one of the best college basketball coaches of all time.
Video: Eric Musselman Blasts Arkansas, Says Razorbacks 'Stunk' in Loss to Auburn
Jan 6, 2024
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - DECEMBER 21: Head Coach Eric Musselman of the Arkansas Razorbacks during the game against the Abilene Christian Wildcats at Bud Walton Arena on December 21, 2023 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Wildcats 83-73. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Eric Musselman did not mince words when discussing his team's 83-51 loss to the Auburn Tigers on Saturday.
When asked what is going on with the team this season amid its struggles, Musselman told reporters following the 32-point loss:
"When you lose by 30, we could go all the way around the room and each of you could pick a different area and you would all be right. We stunk in all areas. ...I can go on and on. Yeah, we stunk and we got to get a lot better to even survive in this league. We got to get a lot better. We gotta be a lot more competitive."
What an ending to Eric Musselman’s postgame press conference after the 83-51 home loss to Auburn. pic.twitter.com/s7iWqJ6Bmm
Arkansas was handily outplayed on Saturday as Auburn saw all but two players score a basket. Chad Baker led the Tigers with 16 points, and Johni Broome (14 points), Jaylin Williams (11 points) and Tre Donaldson (11 points) also finished with double-digits in scoring.
The Razorbacks' best player was Keyon Menifield, who finished with 14 points. The only other players to score at least 10 points were Trevon Brazile and Tramon Mark.
Arkansas dropped to 9-5 on the season with Saturday's loss and the Razorbacks are seemingly far from competing with the top teams in the SEC, including Auburn, South Carolina and Kentucky.
The Razorbacks will hope to bounce back on Wednesday against Georgia, but that's another difficult matchup for Musselman's squad as the Bulldogs are 11-3 on the season.
Arkansas Guard Tramon Mark Stretchered off vs. UNC with Back Injury After Fall
Nov 24, 2023
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - NOVEMBER 17: Tramon Mark #12 of the Arkansas Razorbacks drives to the basket against Tim Ceaser #24 of the UNC Greensboro Spartans at Bud Walton Arena on November 17, 2023 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Spartans defeated the Razorbacks 78-72. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Arkansas guard Tramon Mark was stretchered off the court after a hard fall during a Friday contest against North Carolina, ESPN reported.
Mark hit the court and stayed down for "several minutes," per ESPN, in the final two minutes of the third-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
The guard was being evaluated for a back injury, not an issue with his neck or head, Razorbacks head coach Eric Musselman said after the game.
Mark recorded a career-high 34 points and added five rebounds and a block in Arkansas' loss. Musselman called his performance "phenomenal."
"I don't have any real update on his health, but he played phenomenal basketball," Musselman said. "His offensive efficiency tonight was really good."
Mark made a personal-best 13 field goals on 17 shots prior to his injury. His performance topped his previous career high of 26 points, set while playing for Houston against Auburn in the second round of the 2023 NCAA tournament.
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) November 24, 2023
Mark was hurt after falling backward while contesting a layup with UNC center Armando Bacot.
Arkansas guard Layden Blocker called Mark's fall "heartbreaking."
"Tramon, he played really well today," Blocker said. "He really kept us going at times with his scoring, his energy he brought on both ends. It was kind of heartbreaking what happened at the end, when he fell, but overall I think he played pretty good today."
Mark is in his first season at Arkansas after deciding to withdraw from the NBA draft in favor of transferring from Houston, where he averaged 10.1 points per game last season.
In six starts heading into Friday's game, Mark had upped that to 15.8 points per game for the Razorbacks.
Musselman indicated he would wait for updates from doctors before sharing further information about Mark's health.
Arkansas' Nick Smith Jr. Declares for 2023 NBA Draft; Ranked No. 12 on B/R Big Board
Mar 30, 2023
NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 10: Arkansas Razorbacks guard Nick Smith Jr. (3) reacts to a call during an SEC Mens Basketball Tournament game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Arkansas Razorbacks on March 10, 2023 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Despite an injury-plagued freshman season at Arkansas, Nick Smith Jr. is ready to turn pro.
Smith announced on Twitter he is declaring for the 2023 NBA draft:
B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has the 18-year-old ranked as the No. 12 overall prospect in this year's class.
Smith's commitment to Arkansas in September 2021 felt like it was going to be a significant moment for head coach Eric Musselman.
The 6'4" shooting guard was the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class, per 247Sports. He was one of three 5-star players the Razorbacks landed en route to having the second-best recruiting class in the country, trailing only Duke.
Despite starting the season ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and getting up to ninth on Dec. 26, things didn't come together for most of the season, which ended with a 22-14 record.
The NCAA tournament did provide a glimpse of what the peak version of the Razorbacks might have looked like with better injury luck. They were the No. 8 seed in the West and defeated No. 1 Kansas in the second round before losing to Connecticut in the Sweet 16.
Smith missed almost two months in the middle of the season due to a knee injury and never really settled into a groove after returning on Feb. 11. There was a stretch in late February when he looked like the top prospect in the nation, putting up at least 24 points three times in four games, but he only scored 47 total points in five games after that.
Wasserman noted the concerns about Smith coming into the NBA are his reliance on "tough shot-making while offering minimal playmaking." He made just 39.7 percent of his field-goal attempts in 17 games this season.
Considering the hype around Smith as a high school prospect and the fact he will likely play his entire rookie season as a 19-year-old, it's not hard to see teams being excited about his ceiling as a scorer in the NBA at full strength and with professional coaching.
Kansas' Loss to Arkansas Makes Back-to-back Title Winner Feel as Unattainable as Ever
Kerry Miller
Mar 19, 2023
Kansas' Jalen Wilson (10), Dajuan Harris Jr. (3), KJ Adams (24) and Gradey Dick (4)
When you face the reigning champ?
You must whip it.
Arkansas' Davonte "Devo" Davis was a raging inferno in the second half of the Razorbacks' 72-71 second-round victory over the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks.
The Hogs trailed 42-31 about four minutes into the second half when Davis ignited. A young man who had not scored more than 21 points in a game since December 2021—and who temporarily left the team for personal reasons in late November of this season—put the team on his back, scoring 21 of Arkansas' next 30 points to tie the game up at 61 apiece with four minutes to go.
He did foul out shortly thereafter, finishing with 25 points before watching the final two minutes from the bench. But he set the stage for the upset.
Davis' incredible individual run put the Razorbacks in a spot for Kamani Johnson's put-back bucket to give them the lead, and for Ricky Council IV's clutch free throws to seal the deal on an incredible win.
For Arkansas, here we go again, right?
The Hogs made the Elite Eight in each of the past two seasons, and preseason expectations for this team were as high as they've been since the year after Nolan Richardson coached them to the 1994 national championship.
They just beat the reigning national champions while getting diddly squat out of their soon-to-be top-five NBA draft pick. (Nick Smith Jr. played 16 scoreless minutes with one assist and one rebound.) If they're finally tapping into that potential, look out. The Razorbacks could match 1985 Villanova's feat of winning it all as a No. 8 seed.
But we'll save that conversation for another day.
On the Kansas side of things, we're once again left to wonder if we'll ever see a back-to-back national champion again.
Kansas celebrates winning the 2022 national championship in New Orleans
Despite losing Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, David McCormack, Remy Martin, Mitch Lightfoot and Jalen Coleman-Lands from the 2022 national champions, the Jayhawks had an outstanding season.
They won the regular-season crown in one of the best conferences ever assembled.
They won 17 Quad 1 games, good for three more than the closest challenger in that department.
They arguably should have been the No. 1 overall seed.
Jalen Wilson might have been National Player of the Year were it not for Purdue's Zach Edey.
The Jayhawks weren't the favorite to win it all, but 12 percent of brackets had them repeating as champion.
All for naught.
They couldn't even make it to the Sweet 16 in what has been an astounding trend for literally decades now.
2021 champ Baylor? Lost in the second round last year.
There was no tournament in 2020, but 2019 champ Virginia was ousted in the first round when it got a chance to defend its title in 2021.
And on and on it goes back through history.
The last reigning champion to even get to the Sweet 16 was Duke, which won it all in 2015, got a No. 4 seed the following year and defeated both a No. 13 seed and No. 12 seed to reach a regional semifinal (where it lost by double digits).
Again, that's the last time the reigning champion even won two games in the tournament.
Since Michigan State won it all in 2000 and got back to the Final Four the following year, five reigning champions have missed the tournament, and the only one to make it past the Sweet 16 was that Florida team that brought back its entire primary seven-man rotation and repeated in 2006-07.
Florida's core four of Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green and Joakim Noah
That sort of roster retention is simply unimaginable in today's college basketball climate.
Winning a title and no one declares for the draft?
No one important graduates?
No one important transfers?
Impossible.
No amount of NIL money could make that happen again.
And if this Kansas team couldn't even come close to repeating as champions, it's getting very difficult to imagine that will ever happen again, either.
Back when UCLA won title after title in the 1964-73 range, there were only 22-25 teams in the field, and regions were actually broken up geographically. (Until the Final Four, East Coast teams played East Coast teams and West Coast teams faced West Coast teams.) By no means are we trying to devalue what John Wooden accomplished, but it was undeniably a different tournament. UCLA only had to win four games to win it all in each of those tournaments, and it always got to start with two games against the likes of Long Beach State, Seattle and Santa Clara.
Things have been much more random over the past half-century.
Since the field expanded to 32 teams in 1975 and later to 64 teams in 1985, back-to-back champions has happened just twice: 1991-92 Duke and 2006-07 Florida.
We already noted that Florida brought back everyone. That Duke team almost did, too. The Blue Devils had to replace Bill McCaffrey after he transferred to Vanderbilt—it wasn't anywhere near as prevalent back then, but yeah, dudes were transferring more than three decades ago—but Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, etc. all came back to defend their crown.
And even that reigning champion needed the most memorable shot in college basketball history just to reach the Final Four.
Duke's Christian Laettner celebrates "the shot"
Perhaps the best argument both for and against the possibility of another eventual repeat champion is that this tournament seems to be getting more random by the year.
Thanks to the Princeton Tigers, a No. 15 seed has now made the Sweet 16 in three consecutive tournaments.
And thanks to the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, the once unfathomable No. 16 over No. 1 first-round upset has occurred twice in the past five dances.
Blame it on whatever confluence of factors you so choose, but parity is at an all-time high. And until the game changes in some fundamental way to benefit the favorites—going from 40-minute games to 48-minute games, abandoning the single-elimination tournament format or something equally drastic—that parity is probably here to stay.
We do almost always see a No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 seed win it all, so we haven't quite reached the point of throwing a 68-sided die to pick a national champion. However, the thought of a No. 15 seed winning it all is nowhere near as far-fetched as it was back before anyone had ever heard of Dunk City or Saint Peter's.
Eventually, though, that randomness has to produce a repeat champ again, right?
I've seen a roulette ball land in the same slot three consecutive times, which has a probability well north of 1,000-1. Even if we do get to a point where it feels like every team in the field has an equal chance of winning it all, a repeat champ should mathematically happen at least once every seven decades or so.
But if you haven't already reached the point where you are automatically penciling in the reigning champ to lose before the Elite Eight, there's no time like the present to begin.
Kerry Miller covers men's college basketball and Major League Baseball for Bleacher Report. You can heckle him on Twitter: @KerranceJames
Arkansas Electrifies Twitter with Upset of No. 1 Kansas in 2023 Men's NCAA Tournament
Mar 19, 2023
Arkansas' Davonte Davis drives by Kansas' Kevin McCullar Jr. during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Davonte Davis scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half to lead the No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks to a shocking 72-71 upset victory over the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on Saturday.
Kansas led by as many as 12 points in the second half and later held a 51-41 edge with 12:37 remaining after a Gradey Dick three-pointer. But Arkansas countered with an 11-0 run to take a 52-51 advantage following a Jordan Walsh three:
The two teams went back and forth and found themselves tied at 67 before Arkansas' Ricky Council IV went to the free-throw line with 24 seconds left. He made the first and missed the second but got his own offensive rebound.
ARKANSAS GRABS THE OFFENSIVE BOARD AND IS GOING BACK TO THE LINE
Another foul led to two free-throw makes and a 70-67 advantage.
It was a fouling game from there. Kansas' Jalen Wilson made two free throws, but Council made two in response. Wilson got fouled again with three seconds left. He made the first and intended to miss the second but banked it in.
Arkansas inbounded the ball with three seconds left and was able to evade Kansas defenders for the one-point win.
It was an incredible win for an Arkansas team that's dealt with injuries and lost four of five going into the NCAA tournament. The Razorbacks pulled through, though, and an emotional Davis spoke postgame about the team's journey.
"This team's been struggling. And we figured it out."
Davonte Davis got emotional after No. 8 Arkansas upset reigning champ Kansas 🙏 https://t.co/UWyWOA3J3s
Great game by Arkansas! Congratulations on the win. Proud of our guys. Fighting through adversity all year! That being said my coach has never jumped on a table shirtless for a round of 32 victory.
Jordan Walsh is a special defensive talent. Pivotal in the Arkansas win over Illinois and once again today vs. Kansas containing Jalen Wilson. He can defend any position and has a knack for making big plays. He’ll be in the NBA for 10+ years.
Kansas is the second No. 1 seed to fall in this tournament after Purdue lost to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round on Friday. The Big 12 regular-season champions finished with a 28-8 record.
Arkansas will now play the winner of the second-round matchup between No. 5 Saint Mary's and No. 4 UConn in the Sweet 16.
Watch March Madness Live to stream every tournament game through the Final Four.
5-Star C Baye Fall Commits to Arkansas over Auburn, Seton Hall, Rutgers
Nov 15, 2022
Top 2023 prospect Baye Fall announced Tuesday that he will play for Arkansas next season.
"I chose Arkansas because me and my family feel it's the best place for me to accomplish what I want to accomplish," Fall told On3's Joe Tipton. "It's the best place that can get me to the next level in the best way possible. Going on the two visits to Arkansas opened our eyes. Their play style fits me well. There are great coaches out there. I think I go there and get better and win at the highest level."
Ball committed to Arkansas over Auburn, Seton Hall and Rutgers.
The 5-star player is considered the third-best center in his class and No. 14 overall in the country, per 247Sports' composite rankings.
"He's 6-11, but he jumps like he's 6-2 and moves like he's 6-6," former high school coach Bill Brandsma said in 2020, per Kendra Andrews of The Athletic.
Fall moved from Senegal to Lutheran High School in Parker, Colorado, before eventually transferring to Denver Prep Academy. At every stop, the big man showcased impressive athleticism and natural ability for his size that allowed him to be successful on both ends of the court.
The center already has excellent instincts on the defensive end to be an elite shot-blocker, while his ability to run the floor will allow him to be productive offensively. If he can further develop his offensive game, Fall will be nearly unstoppable.
Arkansas will give him the chance to do that as he tries to reach his potential before making the leap to the NBA.
Fall should still be an impact player while in college, likely starring defensively while helping everyone around him on that end of the court. He should play significant minutes from the start while challenging to be an all-conference player even as a freshman.
5-Star G Anthony Black Commits to Arkansas Over Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, More
Mar 29, 2022
Anthony Black, a 5-star combo guard out of Duncanville (Texas) High School, has committed to play college ball for ArkansasonMonday.
"I believe in coach [Eric Musselman], and he knows what it takes to make it to the NBA," he said to ESPN's Paul Biancardi.
Musselman appeared to react to the news on social media:
Black is the third-highest rated Texan, the third-highest rated point guard and the No. 22 overall prospect in the class of 2022, per 247Sports' composite.
Brandon Jenkins, 247Sports' recruiting analyst, provided the following scouting report for Black on December 2, 2021.
A former dual-sport athlete (three-star wide receiver), Black is a big playmaking guard who is excellent in transition and can play and guard all three perimeter positions. He is smart with his decision-making and has a great understanding of how to play. He can play with the ball in his hands is a very reliable decision-maker. Black is very disruptive on the defensive end with quick and active hands and alert instincts.
He provides length, elite athletic ability, and the game comes naturally to him on the offensive end of the floor. An average shooter, Black could use some improvement on the consistency of his deep ball. But he is a versatile talent with great long-term tools who is only just beginning to tap into his upside.
Jenkins called him a future Power Five conference starter and compared him to retired point guard Shaun Livingston.
Black joins a loaded recruiting class for the Razorbacks. Prior to his commitment, Arkansas was second on 247Sports' team composite rankings for 2022. Musselman already has letters of intent from a pair of 5-star talents, combo guard Nick Smith and small forward Jordan Walsh.
Arkansas lost to Duke in the NCAA tournament on Saturday, but reaching the Elite Eight was a sign of the progress being made. Now the program is poised for big things next year.
Arkansas' Eric Musselman: 'I Will Be Shocked' If Duke Isn't 2022 National Champions
Mar 27, 2022
Duke players celebrate after defeating Arkansas in a college basketball game in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA men's tournament in San Francisco, Saturday, March 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
The No. 2 Duke Blue Devils defeated the No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks 78-69 on Saturday in the Sweet 16 at the Chase Center to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2015, and Mike Krzyzewski's squad is primed to take home another title.
Razorbacks head coach Eric Musselman agreed, telling reporters after Saturday's matchup that he would be surprised if Duke didn't win the NCAA tournament.
“I will be shocked if Duke is not national champions,” @EricPMusselman said.
Duke is among the most successful programs in NCAA history and has reached 13 Final Fours under Krzyzewski, who is set to retire after this season.
The Blue Devils have one of the best offenses remaining in the tournament, headlined by Paolo Banchero, Wendell Moore Jr., Trevor Keels, Mark Williams and AJ Griffin, who led Duke with 18 points against the Razorbacks.
After Saturday's win, Coach K explained why his team has found so much success through this year's tournament.
“I feel so good about my guys," Krzyzewski said, according to Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports. "In this NCAA tournament, my team is just playing such good basketball in pressure situations. They were a close team before the NCAAs, but during these last four games, they’ve been terrific.”
A Final Four matchup against No. 8 North Carolina or No. 15 Saint Peter's awaits the Blue Devils. Duke is very familiar with the Tar Heels, but the Peacocks are amid one of the most impressive NCAA tournament runs in history, knocking off No. 2 Kentucky, No. 7 Murray State and No. 3 Purdue to reach the Elite Eight. They present an intriguing matchup.
If Duke faces UNC next, they'll be in a much better place than when they played the Tar Heels on March 5, Krzyzewski's final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. UNC upset Duke 94-81 in that game.
Duke hasn't won the NCAA title since 2015. If they win it again this year, it will mark Coach K's sixth championship with the Blue Devils.
Paolo Banchero, No. 2 Duke Beat No. 4 Arkansas to Advance to 2022 Men's Final Four
Mar 27, 2022
Duke forward Paolo Banchero celebrates during the first half of a college basketball game against Arkansas in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA men's tournament in San Francisco, Saturday, March 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
For the first time since 2015, Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils are in the Final Four.
The second-seeded Devils advanced with a 78-69 win over the fourth-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday.
Duke is among the most successful programs in NCAA history and has reached 13 Final Fours under Coach K, who is in his final season.
The Blue Devils have been clutch in this year's tournament, also defeating Cal State Fullerton, Michigan State and Texas Tech behind solid performances by Paolo Banchero, Jeremy Roach and Wendell Moore Jr.
Notable Performers
AJ Griffin, Duke: 18 PTS, 3 REB
JD Notae, Arkansas: 14 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST
Paolo Banchero, Duke: 16 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST
Jaylin Williams, Arkansas: 19 PTS, 10 REB, 3 AST
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke: 14 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST
Blue Devils Spread the Wealth on Offense
The Blue Devils offense rolled past the Razorbacks with ease as four different players finished with double-digit points, including projected 2022 top NBA draft pick Paolo Banchero.
AJ Griffin player led the way with 18 points and three rebounds in a dominant victory.
This is nothing new for Krzyzewski's squad, especially in the NCAA tournament. The team had five players reach double digits in scoring in each of its three previous tournament games, which is quite impressive.
Banchero, Wendell Moore Jr., Trevor Keels, Mark Williams and AJ Griffin entered Saturday's contest averaging at least 10.3 points per game this season.
In addition, Duke entered the game shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from deep this season. The team shot 54.7 percent from the field against Arkansas and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc.
With the Blue Devils offense firing on all cylinders so far in this tournament, they're arguably the best offensive team remaining. If they continue to produce similarly and step up the defense slightly, they'll be the team to beat in the Final Four.
Razorbacks Have No Answer for Duke's Elite Offense
The Razorbacks are a good basketball team, but their offense wasn't able to keep pace with Duke's offense, which put together one of its more impressive games of the NCAA tournament.
Arkansas had three players finish with double digits in scoring, but two of its starters—Trey Wade and Au'Diese Toney—failed to make much of an impact offensively, finishing with seven points and four points, respectively.
Toney entered Saturday's game as the Razorbacks' fourth-leading scorer, averaging 10.7 points per game. Wade, meanwhile, entered having averaged just 3.6 points per game.
In addition, JD Notae, the team's leading point-getter, fouled out late in the second half, which effectively put an end to Arkansas' hopes of reaching the Final Four.
Even if the Razorbacks played better defense, it's hard to imagine they would have done enough to hold off Duke's top-notch offense, which is on a mission to win Coach K another title before he retires.
Despite the loss, Arkansas should feel good about how it performed this year. It has now reached the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons after not making it to the regional semifinal since 1994-95 prior to last year.
Now that the program has more experience under its belt, it can head into the offseason focusing on ways to improve—and possibly go the distance—in the 2022-23 campaign.
What's Next?
The No. 2 Duke Blue Devils will move on to face either No. 8 North Carolina or No. 15 Saint Peters.
