Arkansas found a hole too deep Monday night.
The Razorbacks fell behind Baylor by 18 points in the first half and nearly rallied to tie the game after halftime, but ran out of gas late and fell 81-72 in the Elite Eight at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Baylor, the top seed from the South Region of the NCAA Tournament, advanced to the Final Four to play Houston on Saturday. The Bears (26-2) are in the Final Four for the first time since 1950.
Arkansas’ season came to an end with a 25-7 record. The Razorbacks were playing in the Elite Eight for the first time since 1995, and had advanced that far by overcoming double-digit deficits in the first three rounds against Colgate, Texas Tech and Oral Roberts.
The Razorbacks used a 9-2 run at the end of the first half to pull within 46-38 at halftime, and chipped away at the Bears’ lead throughout the second half. Arkansas cut Baylor’s lead to 64-60 on two Moses Moody free throws with 7:34 remaining.
From there the Razorbacks went cold. Arkansas missed 12 consecutive shots over a span of eight-plus minutes, and Macio Teague hit a pair of three-pointers down the stretch to help the Bears extend their lead.
Teague led Baylor with 22 points on 8 of 18 shooting. Jared Butler added 14 points and Davion Mitchell scored 12 after sitting several minutes in the first half with foul trouble.
Davonte Davis and JD Notae scored 14 points apiece to lead the Razorbacks, but Arkansas was without Notae for most of the second half after he fouled out with more than 13 minutes to play.
Jalen Tate added 13 points for Arkansas, and Moody struggled to an 11-point outing on 2 of 10 shooting, including 0 of 4 from three-point range.
The Razorbacks struggled to 11 of 30 shooting after halftime. Arkansas made 15 of 24 shots in the first half.
Baylor made 30 of 62 shot attempts, including 8 of 15 from three-point range. The Bears were also 13 of 17 at the free throw line.
Arkansas lost an Elite Eight game for the first time since 1991 against Kansas. The Razorbacks had won two games in the round, when they advanced to the Final Four in 1994 and 1995.
EARLIER
FINAL — Arkansas’ remarkable run has come to an end in the Elite Eight.
Baylor defeated Arkansas 81-72 on Monday to advance to the Final Four. MaCio Teague led all scorers with 22 points, and Jared Butler had 14, and Davion Mitchell 12.
For the Razorbacks, JD Notae scored 14 points off the bench before fouling out in 15 minutes. Davonte Davis scored 14 points as well. Jalen Tate added 13, Moses Moody 11 and Justin Smith 10.
Arkansas missed 12 of its final 15 shots after pulling within 62-58 with 9:34 to play.
We will have much more from tonight’s game later on WholeHogSports.com.
:17, 2H — Moses Moody fouls Adam Flagler. He hits two free throws to put the Bears up 11.
:32, 2H — Adam Flagler hits two free throws. Devo Davis then adds a jumper. Baylor leads 79-70.
:48, 2H — Devo Davis adds a layup following an Adam Flagler three-ball. Baylor leads 77-68.
1:19, 2H — Justin Smith gets a layup to go. Arkansas is down 74-66. He’s up to 10 points. It snapped a nine-minute drought without a field goal.
2:31, 2H — Devo Davis misses again from three, and Mark Vital adds a dunk. Bears up 13. Jalen Tate is later fouled shooting a three, fouling out Vital. Tate makes all three. Arkansas is down 74-64. He has 13 points tonight.
3:24, 2H — MaCio Teague with another huge three for Baylor. It puts the Bears up 72-61. He has 22 points to lead all scorers. Teague has hit 3 of 6 looks from deep. Arkansas has missed its last 10 shots and doesn't have a bucket in the last 6:10, when it pulled within four.
4:27, 2H — Jalen Tate draws a foul and gets to the line, where he hits 1 of 2. Bears up 69-61. Arkansas is 0 of its last 9 from the floor and doesn’t have a field goal in 5:07.
4:48, 2H — Arkansas forces a shot clock violation defensively. Moses Moody later misses a three-ball. He is 0 of 4 from deep. Jalen Tate also misses a layup. MaCio Teague makes the Razorbacks pay with a three. It’s 69-60, Baylor. That sequence hurt.
6:13, 2H — Davion Mitchell adds a layup, then Moses Moody bricks a three. It will be Arkansas ball after it was wedged between the rim and backboard. Desi Sills misses a layup moments later. Baylor leads 66-60.
7:19, 2H — Davion Mitchell misses two free throws for Baylor after the Justin Smith foul. Devo Davis misses a jumper on the other end, then Desi Sills can’t buy a three-ball.
7:33, 2H — Moses Moody hits both free throws. Arkansas is down 64-60. He is up to nine points. Justin Smith then picks up his fourth foul moments later. That’s big. He needs to be on the floor.
7:34, 2H — Baylor has missed its last four shots and is in the midst of a 4-minute scoring drought. MaCio Teague fouled Moses Moody in transition to send us to the under-8 timeout. He’ll be at the line with a chance to pull Arkansas within four. Bears up 64-58 right now.
8:43, 2H — Moses Moody misses a jumper, Devo Davis rebounds and is fouled. No free throws yet for the Razorbacks. Justin Smith misses a jumper as well, then Adam Flagler gives it back on a turnover.
9:07, 2H — MaCio Teague draws the third foul on Justin Smith. He hits two at the line. Baylor back up by six, 64-58. Teague has 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting.
10:09, 2H — Devo Davis with his third score of the second half, a layup that brings Arkansas within 62-56. Moses Moody then hits a jumper. Arkansas is down four. He’s up to seven points, and Davis now has a pair of assists. Razorbacks are on an 8-0 run.
10:54, 2H — Justin Smith throws down a dunk assisted by Devo Davis. Razorbacks trail 62-54 after a layup by Moses Moody, his first bucket of the game. Bears call for time.
12:07, 2H — Jalen Tate draws the fourth foul on Mark Vital. Devo Davis then adds a layup. It’s back to a 10-point game. He has eight points. Davion Mitchell scores on the other end. Back to 12.
12:48, 2H — An Arkansas turnover leads to a Baylor runout, then Jalen Tate commits his sixth turnover. Baylor leads by 12.
13:38, 2H — JD Notae has fouled out. He’s done for the night. He scored 14 points, a team high.
13:58, 2H — Baylor offensive rebounds a miss from three and adds a layup plus the foul. Bears are back up 10. JD Notae has four fouls now. He has fouled two Baylor players on and-1s in this half alone.
15:06, 2H — Moses Moody misses another shot. He is 0 of 4 and 0 of 2 from deep. Moody turns the ball over on a held ball on his next touch. Hasn’t been a banner night for him to this point.
15:21, 2H — Devo Davis made both free throws. Arkansas is down 53-48 before Davion Mitchell then adds a layup. Baylor back up seven. JD Notae had 14 points and three fouls.
15:46, 2H — JD Notae gets to the rim and adds a layup. Razorbacks are down seven after his fifth bucket of the night. He is 5 of 6 from the floor. Devo Davis will be at the line when play resumes after he grabbed a rebound and rocketed up the floor in transition. Baylor leads 53-46. Mark Vital and Davion Mitchell each with three fouls for the Bears.
16:58, 2H — Moses Moody got Mark Vital off his feet in the midrange and drew a foul. Moody hits both free throws. Arkansas is down 53-44. Moody has three points tonight, all at the line.
17:42, 2H — Jalen Tate is fouled going for an offensive rebound on a Moses Moody miss from three, then Devo Davis adds a layup. Baylor answers, though, with a Davion Mitchell bucket. Bears up 11.
18:17, 2H — Devo Davis picks up two fouls in a hurry on the same Baylor possession. Davis has two points on 1 of 4 shooting.
18:52, 2H — Jalen Tate is hit with an offensive foul for barreling through Davion Mitchell. It leads to a jumper from MaCio Teague, who has 14 points. Baylor up 11.
19:30, 2H — Jaylin Williams adds a layup, and Arkansas is down 46-40. Williams has eight points after the tip-in off a Justin Smith miss. Baylor, though, counters with a three-ball from Jared Butler.
HALF — Arkansas trailed by as many as 18 points less than nine minutes in, but it rallied to pull within 46-38 at halftime thanks to a late push with Davion Mitchell on the bench for Baylor with three fouls.
JD Notae led the Razorbacks with 12 points off the bench and Jalen Tate added nine. Jaylin Williams and Justin Smith each have six as well. Moses Moody has one points on 0 of 2 from the floor.
MaCio Teague scored 12 points for the Bears, and Jared Butler added 11. They are 8 of 15 from the floor. Baylor scored 14 points off 10 Arkansas turnovers in the half. That’s kind of the difference.
The Razorbacks shot 15 of 24 from the floor and Baylor was 18 of 32. If Arkansas can cut down on turnovers and string together some stops, this will come down to the wire.
:54, 1H — Jalen Tate looked to be in good position to take a charge on Jared Butler, but officials ruled it a block. He hits both free throws. Baylor back up eight, 46-38.
1:05, 1H — Arkansas gets a stop and Mark Vital fouls Desi Sills, who misses two free throws. Moses Moody rebounds, misses a shot and Baylor takes possession. Moments later, Sills adds a dunk after his steal. Arkansas is down 44-38. What run by the Razorbacks to get back in this one.
1:49, 1H — JD Notae is called for an offensive foul out of the timeout. Mark Vital, who stands 6-5 and 250 points, stepped over and took the hit for Baylor.
2:02, 1H — Davonte Davis with a steal, and it leads to a layup on the other end from him. Razorbacks are down 44-36. Justin Smith then forces a turnover, knocking the ball off Matthew Mayer’s leg on the perimeter. JD Notae calls for time to save possession after losing his handle beyond the arc.
2:58, 1H — Justin Smith made a layup assisted by Desi Sills, then JD Notae hit his second three of the game. Arkansas is down 44-34. Baylor calls for time. Notae is up to 12 points, matching a game high. The Razorbacks have made 8 of their last 9 shots. Offense has not been the issue tonight.
4:10, 1H — Arkansas forced a Baylor miss and JD Notae got out in the open floor. He was fouled prior to a layup attempt, then missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Baylor adds a layup following a Jalen Tate turnover. Bears lead 44-29.
5:04, 1H — Jalen Tate drew a foul on MaCio Teague, putting Arkansas in the bonus the rest of the half. He hits both to bring the Razorbacks within 42-29. Tate has nine points, and JD Notae also has nine.
5:17, 1H — Flo Thamba adds a layup assisted by Jared Butler. Looked like Butler traveled, but it wasn’t called. Bears lead by 15.
6:35, 1H — Jaylin Williams wiped away a Flo Thamba layup attempt at the rim, but Moses Moody threw the ball away. Baylor, with a second chance, gets a dunk from Matthew Mayer. Jalen Tate, though, answers with a bucket. Arkansas down 40-27 after a missed free throw by Tate.
6:42, 1H — JD Notae assisted on a Jalen Tate score, then MaCio Teague buried a right-corner three. Notae answered with a three, but Jared Butler hit a jumper of his own. Big-time back-and-forth game going on right now. Arkansas struggling to get consecutive stops, and Baylor leads 38-25. Notae has nine points off the bench. Teague has 10 at the under-8 media timeout.
8:21, 1H — Davion Mitchell picks up his third foul after barreling into Jaylin Williams around the rim. Mitchell will likely sit until the second half. Potentially big for the Razorbacks.
8:47, 1H — JD Notae with his first bucket of the game, a layup to pull Arkansas within 33-18. Flo Thamba threw one down for Baylor moments earlier.
9:55, 1H — Jaylin Williams battles on the offensive glass, kicks the ball out and Jalen Tate hits a right-wing three-ball. Hogs down 13 before Baylor adds a dunk. Baylor is 13 of 19 shooting tonight.
10:37, 1H — Desi Sills missed a three-ball, but Justin Smith added a layup after an offensive board by Jalen Tate. The assist goes to Sills, his second of the night. It’s 29-13, Baylor.
11:27, 1H — MaCio Teague with another jumper over Moses Moody, and Baylor is up 17. Moody then turns the ball over trying to make an entry pass to Jalen Tate. Bears lead 29-11 after a split at the free throw line on their ensuing possession.
12:15, 1H — Adam Flagler comes up with a steal and it turns into a Mark Vital layup. Bears lead 26-11, and Eric Musselman calls for time. Baylor is scoring 1.857 points per possession so far, and is 10 of 15 from the floor less than eight minutes in.
13:24, 1H — Desi Sills finds Justin Smith for a dunk, and Arkansas cuts the Baylor lead to 10 once again. The Razorbacks then force a miss by Jared Butler and MaCio Teague, but Adam Flagler buries a three-ball following a pair of offensive rebounds. Baylor up 24-11.
13:58, 1H — Jaylin Williams continuing to have a nice offensive game early. His dunk assisted by Justin Smith gives him six points. But Arkansas can’t get a stop. Matthew Mayer adds a jumper on the other end.
14:29, 1H — Jaylin Williams with a nice finger roll to cut the Razorbacks’ deficit back to 10. He has a team-high four points. He later commits a foul on Jared Butler, and he makes two free throws. Bears back up 12.
15:17, 1H — JD Notae gets fouled on a baseline out of bounds play and he hits a pair of free throws. Razorbacks are down 10, then Jared Butler hits a jumper to put Baylor up 12. Butler has five points.
15:18, 1H — Baylor added a dunk in the pick-and-roll, and Davonte Davis drew a foul on Adam Flagler driving the lane prior to the first media timeout of the night. Bears lead 15-3. MaCio Teague leads all scorers with five, and Matthew Mayer and Jared Butler each have three. Jaylin Williams has Arkansas’ only bucket.
16:02, 1H — Davion Mitchell just picked up his second foul on a nice back cut by Moses Moody. He split a pair of free throws. Razorbacks trailing 13-3.
16:18, 1H — Jared Butler knocks down a three-pointer in the face of Justin Smith. Baylor leads 10-2. Adam Flagler then picks Jalen Tate’s pocket, and Matthew Mayer hits a three from the right corner. Bears up 13-2. Arkansas calls for time.
18:03, 1H — MaCio Teague with a layup, and Baylor leads 7-0. He took Jaylin Williams off the bounce. Williams, though, gets Arkansas on the board with a layup assisted by Jalen Tate.
19:07, 1H — MaCio Teague hits a jumper in the lane and is fouled by Moses Moody. He hits the free throw. Arkansas quickly down 5-0. Moody and Davonte Davis each missed shots on the Razorbacks’ first possession.
19:44, 1H — Davion Mitchell gets the game started with a jumper. Jaylin Williams won the opening tip but knocked to ball out of bounds near midcourt. Baylor up 2-0.
Pregame
Arkansas' starting lineup: Jalen Tate, Moses Moody, Davonte Davis, Justin Smith and Jaylin Williams.
The ninth Razorback starting lineup of the season will make its third consecutive start with a Final Four appearance on the line. Williams is among Arkansas’ starters for the third straight game. He saw the floor for only nine minutes against Oral Roberts.
This game pits the nation’s No. 10 defense in Arkansas against the No. 3 offense in Baylor. The Razorbacks, for the season, have held opponents to 89.3 points per 100 possessions. They will be tested on the defensive backboards and on the perimeter more than at any point this season.
Smith leads Arkansas in scoring in the NCAA Tournament at 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds – six on the offensive end – per game. Tate is second at 16.3 points, and Davis and Moody come in at 14.3 and 13.7, respectively. Moody is looking to bounce back from a 4 of 20 shooting performance vs. Oral Roberts.
Tate is coming off his third 20-plus point game of the season in the Sweet 16. He made all four of his shots in the final 5:01 and also created 13 points with his six assists. JD Notae leads the Razorbacks with five made three-pointers in the tournament.
Baylor's starters: Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell, MaCio Teague, Mark Vital and Flo Thamba.
The Bears have started the same five players in every game this season.
Butler leads the Bears in scoring at 16.6 per game, and Teague is second at 15.7. Mitchell also averages 14.1 points per outing, and Adam Flagler is the fourth-leading scorer. He finished with a team-high 16 points off the bench against Villanova over the weekend.
Baylor owns the nation’s third-best offense efficiency-wise, scoring 122.5 points per 100 possessions, according to KenPom. The Bears are the No. 2 three-point shooting team in the country, knocking down 40.8% of their looks, and they rebound nearly 37% of their misses from the floor to rank No. 6.
Baylor has scored 60 points off turnovers in its three tournament games. It has forced a turnover on 24.8% of opponents’ possessions this season. That mark is No. 3 in the country. Arkansas must value possession to have a chance.