No. 8 Arkansas made famous the 40 minutes of hell style of fast paced basketball in the 1990s, and now the Hogs will have an offseason of hell thinking about what could have been.
March Madness bracket update: North Carolina takes advantage of Arkansas cold streak to advance to Sweet 16
The Heels are headed to the second weekend.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
The Razorbacks almost upset the south’s top-seed, UNC, instead falling, 72-65, and the team that was the consensus most talented squad in the dance will stick around for another weekend. It would have been the first time the Heels had lost to a team seeded No. 8 or higher in over 20 years.
Arkansas will rue the three minutes and change they spent not putting the ball in the basket from the field or from the free throw line. With a 65-60 lead with 3:30 remaining, the Hogs looked primed for the upset but the Tar Heels battled back to take the lead and win.
Sunday becomes a day of avoided catastrophe.
Had North Carolina lost, the South region would have been is all kinds of up in the air. The Tar Heels are the prohibitive favorite to not just to get to the Final Four out of this region, they were the odds-on bet to win the whole tournament. No. 2 Kentucky was also able to fend off a furious effort from Wichita State in its game to advance to the Sweet 16.
Both top seeds along with No. 4 Butler will wait on No. 3 UCLA to see if the region can go Nos. 1-4 in the regional semifinals.
See More:
