Weems Scores 31 As Arkansas Extends NCAA Stay

RALEIGH, N.C. - So there is more to the NCAA Tournament than the first round.

Arkansas, once mentioned among college basketball's elite programs for its long stays in the postseason, advanced to second round for the first time in nine years. The ninth-seeded Razorbacks knocked off No. 8 seed Indiana, 86-72, Saturday at the RBC Center, putting behind consecutive first-round disappointments.

Recent history belied the Razorbacks' past success. First-round flameouts in 2000, 2001, 2006 and 2007 were hardly what the program was used to in making six Final Fours, six Elite Eights and 10 Sweet Sixteen appearances.

Avoiding a similar fate was something an Arkansas (23-11) team featuring six seniors was looking for. Each of them endured an embarrassing first round loss to Southern California a year ago. All but two were a part of a stumble against Bucknell a year earlier.

Lasting beyond the first round was certainly a goal, but provided little satisfaction for the Razorbacks. Almost immediately after the game with Indiana (25-8) ended, they turned their attention to top-ranked North Carolina, the tournament's overall No. 1 seed.

"You know, we are not really worried about the past," forward Sonny Weems said. The present, this is what it is now. We're just trying to go farther in the tournament."

Weems was a big reason the Razorbacks can enjoy an extended stay in their 30th NCAA Tournament appearance. He was superb in scoring a career-high 31 points and showed no ill effects from a strained knee suffered during a Tuesday practice.

Indiana had no answer for the 6-foot-6 swingman from West Memphis. Weems hit 12 of 14 shots and helped the Razorbacks shoot 54.2 percent from the floor.

"I thought Sonny Weems was really good tonight," Hoosiers interim coach Dan Dakich said. "He played like an All-American. He's a hard-working kid that lives up to what he is. ... He has a great motor for playing. We didn't have an answer for him."

Weems scored 18 points after halftime as Arkansas extended a 37-30 lead. His did not miss in four free throw attempts as the Razorbacks converted 26 of 33 opportunities from the line.

"We all aspire to have something like that in the NCAA Tournament," Razorbacks Coach John Pelphrey said. "It makes it really cool if you can do it for your home school."

Indiana's homegrown All-American freshman guard Eric Gordon struggled as he tied a season-low eight points. He came in averaging 21 points per game, but could not find a rhythm as the Razorbacks used a mixture of man-to-man and zone defenses to keep him in check.

Gordon's ability to get to the free throw line was a big concern for the Razorbacks entering the game. That threat never materialized as he went to the line just six times, missing four of them.

Arkansas - primarily Patrick Beverley when the Razorbacks were in man coverage - did a good job keeping Gordon off the free throw line where he'd excelled, hitting 229 of 271.

"It was a team effort," said Beverley, who also contributed 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. "We did the things necessary to try to limit him and his scoring ability, and, you know, our defense was the key to our win today."

Defense was part of what allowed the Razorbacks to pull away down the stretch. They led just 49-47 with 12:27 remaining, but steadily put together the stops needed to put the game out of reach for Indiana.

Forward Darian Townes also had a hand in eliminating the Hoosiers. He scored 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.

It was the end of a tumultuous season for the Hoosiers, who lost coach Kelvin Sampson Feb. 22. Sampson resigned amid an NCAA investigation of five major violations and Indiana ended the year 3-4 without him.

Despite the difficult circumstances, Hoosiers players refused to point to that for their struggles. Guard Lance Stemier bristled at the notion Sampson's resignation was still affecting the team a month later.

"I don't think that had nothing to do with it," Stemlier said. "We've been working hard in practice the last couple weeks. ... We weren't thinking about it. We were focused on this game and couldn't get it done."

What did the Hoosiers in was the fact Arkansas held them to 43 percent shooting. The Razorbacks crashed the defensive boards for 16 on the way to a 34-30 rebounding advantage against Indiana.

Even so, Pelphrey didn't want to discuss where the effort ranked among games this season. He wasn't interested in breaking down the historical context of the Razorbacks' first NCAA Tournament victory since 1999.

"That's probably an end of the year question," Pelphrey said. "We still have work to do. I'm happy we did."

Arkansas and Pelphrey will be even happier if they can extend their stay in the NCAA Tournament beyond Sunday.