Another Quad-1 opportunity, another loss, as the Razorbacks go cold in the final minutes against Auburn, 67-60.
Arkansas made things ugly with great defensive play, but it wasn't enough to get the win down the stretch. In the first half, the Hogs had five steals and forced Auburn to shoot 10 percentage points lower than its season field goal average at a 38 percent clip. After the break, Arkansas was even better, forcing the Tigers to put up 10 3-point shots, missing all of them in the second half.
However, offensively, the Hogs left a lot on the court, especially from deep. Arkansas shot 15.8 percent from the arc, including 0-9 from Zvonimir Ivisic, the Razorbacks' leading three-point shooter. After halftime, they were better but got sloppy. Auburn beat Arkansas at its own game in the final 20 minutes.
The Tigers forced six Razorback turnovers, all steals, and outscored Arkansas in points off those turnovers. Pair that with getting outscored 12-3 in second-chance points and Arkansas only knocking down 50 percent of their freebies at the charity stripe, and it was a recipe for a Razorback loss.
Arkansas will head back to Bud Walton to take Mizzou for the second time this season. The Hogs have already lost to the Tigers, 83-65, but the Arkansas is a different team now. Unfortunately, so is Missouri. The Tigers will come to Fayetteville off a 100-point performance against Alabama. It'll be a win Arkansas desperately needs, but one that won't come easy.