Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Ole Miss 77, Arkansas 75

Why Arkansas Lost  

The lead changed five times in the final three minutes, and the last came when Ole Miss forward Terrance Henry hit a runner with 8.2 seconds to go to give Ole Miss (17-12, 7-8) the victory.  BJ Young hit a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left to give the Razorbacks a one-point lead, but missed a layup at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime. Arkansas (18-12, 6-9) led by 15 points with 13:36 remaining, but the Rebels were able to claw their way back and claim the victory.

Turning Point

Mardracus Wade hit a layup to push Arkansas’ lead to 59-47 with 11:28 remaining, but then Ole Miss went on an 11-0 run over the next 3:04 and, all of a sudden, what appeared to be an easy Razorback victory turned into a game.  The Razorbacks kept fighting, pushing the lead to eight at one point, but the Rebels were finally able to tie the game on a layup by Jarvis Summers.  Ole Miss forced Rickey Scott to dribble the ball out of bounds on Arkansas’ ensuing possession, and Murphy Holloway gave the Rebels their first lead of the second half on a pair of free throws after drawing Hunter Mickelson’s fifth foul.

Winning At The Line

One of the biggest differences in the game statistically was Arkansas’ inability to get to the free throw line, particularly in the second half.  The Rebels, who preferred to bang around down low more than Arkansas, took 19 free throws in the second half, compared to just six for the Razorbacks. Part of the reason for that is Arkansas’ affinity for the three-pointer.  The Razorbacks attempted 11 three-pointers in the second half, compared to four by Ole Miss.

Inconsistent Halves

At halftime, it appeared Rashad Madden was on his way to his best game in several weeks.  He scored eight points, had three rebounds and an assist in eleven minutes, but he was held scoreless with two assists in the second.  Mardracus Wade didn’t take a shot in the first half but caught fire during the Razorbacks’ early second half run and hit four three-pointers on his way to 14 second half points. 

 Throw It Down

The Razorbacks had some notable moments in Bud Walton Arena this season.  The hot start against Michigan and Young’s dunk to seal the victory against Auburn both had Bud Walton rocking.  Hunter Mickelson had a dunk against Vanderbilt that even made ESPN SportsCenter’s top 10 plays.  But perhaps no moment created a frenzy quite like Brandon Mitchell’s dunk in the second half of the Ole Miss game.  Mitchell caught a pass from Julysses Nobles on the post and, as if he was testing his strength with a hammer at the state fair, threw down a one-handed dunk over Terrance Henry that caused the announced crowd of 10,175 to lose its collective mind.  He was even trending on Twitter momentarily.  Arkansas committed an intentional foul on the next play but the crowd hadn’t even stopped celebrating the dunk in time to boo the call until Holloway shot the free throws.

Speaking Out