Arkansas senior forward Trevon Brazile posted an impressive 19 points in the No. 4 seeded Razorbacks' 97-78 blowout win over No. 13 Hawaii in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but the possible points he left on the table could still end up haunting the Hogs when things aren't in control so early if they want to make unprecedented March Madness run.
Thursday's victory set up a second-round matchup with No. 12 High Point, which upset No. 5 Wisconsin, and also extended the Razorbacks' winning streak to six games as they've gotten hot at just the right time, in large thanks to Brazile's recent dead eye from three-point range.
Razorbacks need Trevon Brazile to stay hot for NCAA Tournament run
Brazile against Hawaii, though, made just one three-pointer despite shooting seven shots from beyond the arc, which was an abysmal 14.3%. Most of his points came from inside the paint, which is expected from a 6-foot-10 forward, but Brazile's shooting ability is a wrinkle that could give Arkansas the edge against not just High Point, but even the likes of top-seeded Arizona if the two powerhouses meet in the Sweet 16 next week. And the Razorbacks will need all the bonuses they can get to upend the Wildcats, who are on a 10-game win streak of their own.
During the Razorbacks' first five wins of their current streak, Brazile made multiple three-pointers in three of those victories. Against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament, he drained 4-of-5 from deep as Arkansas burried the Commodores 86-75 for a conference title. He didn't make anything from three-point range in the first two SEC Tournament games, though, and Arkansas had to eek out some last-minute wins over lackluster Oklahoma and Ole Miss teams. Wins, nonetheless, but this is the NCAA Tournament, and the less opportunity for madness, the better.
The trick is also for Brazile to keep firing away, even if he cooled off against Hawaii. He shot five three-pointers total against OU and Ole Miss. But in recent blowouts against Vandy and Texas, Brazile took five shots apiece in both games, making at least three in both. Thursday's outing was the first time since Feb. 14 against Auburn that Brazile shot at least five three-pointers without making at least three of them.
The Razorbacks can likely get past High Point on Saturday night with Brazile being one-dimensional inside, but to eventually pull off a major upset and take down Arizona, Arkansas will need Brazile utilizing all he can offer.