Razorback returners get revenge in rematch with Texas Tech
DALLAS, Texas — Nine months ago, Arkansas choked away a 16-point lead to end their season in overtime against Texas Tech. On Saturday, the No. 17 Razorbacks (8-2) got to taste revenge with a 93-86 win over the No. 16 Red Raiders (7-3) at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Texas Tech controlled the pace and flow for much of the game, as J.T. Toppin and Christian Anderson got whatever they wanted both inside and outside. The two Red Raiders combined for 56 of Texas Tech’s 86 points, and Toppin had a game-high 30 points with 11 rebounds.
“I had to either trap, or play him one-on-one,” John Calipari said postgame. “And if you trap and they get hot, you got problems. So maybe later, we said we’re not trapping, and then he started scoring at will. So then we went back to trapping, and then he throws it out, and they’re really good at what they do, and they’re physical.”
Texas Tech did get hot from deep and hit 13 threes out of 31 attempts, but the Razorbacks never wavered. Two of Arkansas’ four returners from last year’s team put the team on their backs, as Trevon Brazile and Karter Knox scored a combined 44 points (24 for Brazile and 20 for Knox), with 26 of those coming in the second half.
”It was an obviously emotional game, the way last year ended,” Brazile said after the win. “This was 100% a personal game, especially for the returners, and we had this one circled. It just feels good to get the (win). You saw all the emotions coming out from the team at the end.”
Trevon Brazile clutch down the stretch
Whether it was the block on Toppin’s layup attempt late in the game, one of the four threes he hit or the perfect 4-for-4 mark from the charity stripe, Brazile made winning play after winning play on Saturday.
The redshirt senior left it all out on the floor and finished with a team-high 24 points and 10 rebounds to go along with two blocks.
“I mean, the blocked shot, I thought that they were going to call goaltending the way the game was going,” Brazile said. “But I’m just doing what I know I had to do to help my team win. Down the stretch, nobody’s trying to break down defensively, especially defensively, so I was just trying to be solid defensively. It worked out in my favor. In our favor.”
A rollercoaster career has Brazile playing the best basketball of his life right now, and he’s playing more confident and as a leader on the team.
“He’s been in practice, and I told the team in front of him, leading,” Calipari said. “Could you imagine now? Talking, getting guys right. And what does that do to your team? It builds your confidence, and it’s not what I’m doing, it’s what he’s doing. Trying to get him to think different, to approach this different.”
Knox’s breakout performance looks familiar
Knox played coy on Thursday when he was asked about if it was a revenge match for the Hogs, but the way he played nearly mirrored his performance in March. In that game, he scored 20 points, went a perfect 4-for-4 from deep and brought in six rebounds. Saturday, Knox also had 20 points, had six rebounds and went 3-for-4 from deep.
“That’s who we know he is,” Darius Acuff Jr. said of Knox after the game. “He showed it tonight. His shotmaking ability is crazy. But that’s who Karter is. We know that, he showed y’all tonight, but we’ve known.”
Knox’s performance proved he had what everyone already knew was already in him but hadn’t shown against a major opponent yet. He had clunky performances against Michigan State, Louisville and Duke this season, but he played to his fullest potential.
Calipari said the sophomore wing had been playing with a lot of pressure on him, but that wasn’t the case against Texas Tech.
“I hugged him at halftime,” Calipari said. “I walked out and said, ‘I’m just proud of you kid.’ But I’m telling you, think about it. You’re 18-19 years old, and you got all these expectations, plans and all this sh*t coming at you. You can’t play. And then it becomes just leave him in. What? We’re trying to win, too. And so, my thing is, let’s get together. You know I care about you. You know I’m doing whatever I can to help you, personally, and let’s start thinking different. So, he’s the greatest kid.”
Knox had a pretty exceptional block midway through the second half on Christian Anderson, who tried a reverse layup that was swatted out of bounds.
Wagner and Richmond’s roles more reserved
As far as returners go, D.J. Wagner and Billy Richmond III didn’t have stat-stuffing games. Wagner finished with four points on 2-of-5 shooting and an assist, while Richmond had six points on 1-of-5 shooting with four assists and three rebounds and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
What they did have, however, were steals at critical moments in the game. Wagner had one and Richmond had two, and all three came in the second half.
Both of Richmond’s steals immediately led to buckets seconds later, the latter of which gave the Hogs a three-point lead, which at that point was their largest of the game.
Wagner’s steal came with a little over five minutes to go in the game, when the Hogs and Red Raiders were trading blows and right after Brazile had given the Hogs a 78-77 lead. He poked the ball from behind Christian Anderson as he was coming off a screen and right into the hands of Brazile, who drew a foul on the other end and sank both free throws.
The Razorbacks will return home for a tuneup game against the Queens Royals on Tuesday before they hit the road for another marquee matchup with Houston next Saturday.
Tipoff for Tuesday’s game is set for 8 p.m. and it will air on the SEC Network.
