Arkansas showed determination, but it was not enough as the Razorbacks failed to make a field goal the last 6 minutes and 58 seconds and connected on just 6 of their final 11 free throws down the stretch in a 63-60 loss to 1-seed Indiana in the second round of the NIT from Bloomington (Ind. ). The 2018-19 basketball season is officially over for the 5-seeded Hogs (18-16, 8-10 SEC), but Arkansas had opportunities in the closing minutes. The Razorbacks led for the majority of the game, but it went downhill after Indiana’s Devonte Green - who missed the first matchup between the two teams - made a 3-pointer with 8:38 to play to give Indiana a 52-51 lead. The Hoosiers never trailed after that. Arkansas’ Gabe Osabuohien tried to answer with a contested 3-pointer from the corner, but it was no good. It was the third missed trey of the day for Osabuohien, who is just 6 of 30 (20 percent) from the arc this season. Arkansas’ only bucket after that came on a jumper by forward Reggie Chaney with 6:58 to play. Chaney was subbed out at the 2:32 mark and did not return. Arkansas’ only real offensive weapon on the night, guard Desi Sills who had 18 points on 6 of 11 shooting, fouled out with 4:25 to play. The Hogs went 0 of 7 after Chaney's bucket at the 6:58 mark. Osabuohien had a chance to make it a 1-point game with 41 seconds left but missed both free throws to leave the score at 61-58. After a big stop by the Hogs, the Hoosiers purposefully fouled Mason Jones with 6.1 seconds left. Jones knocked down both attempts to make it a 1-point game, 61-60. Isaiah Joe fouled Green on the inbounds, and Green made both attempts. After a series of timeouts, the Hogs looked confused with what to do with the 6.1 ticks remaining. Arkansas inbounded to guard Jalen Harris, who hesitated before bringing the ball up the floor and then heaved a 35-footer a little early that was no good. While the Hogs played an entertaining brand of basketball with a smaller lineup during NIT play, which included a surprising 84-72 victory over the Providence Friars in the first round, the Razorbacks clearly missed sophomore big man Daniel Gafford down low against the Hoosiers. Gafford, who opted to forgo the NIT and sign with an agent, had 27 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots in Arkansas’ 73-72 win over the Hoosiers (19-15, 8-12 Big 10) on Nov. 18 in Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas was dominated in the paint this time around, 30-to-10. IU was led by 18 points from Green on 6 of 12 shooting in 37 minutes of action. The Hoosiers were 21 of 51 from the floor (51.2 percent), 6 of 22 from 3-point range (27.3 percent) and 15 of 24 from the free throw line (62.5 percent). In addition to owning Arkansas in the paint offensively, they out-rebounded the Razorbacks 37-34 and had a 17-11 edge in bench points. Arkansas’ only other scorer in double-digits was Joe with 12 points, but he was just 3 of 12 from the floor. As a team, the Hogs were just 19 of 55 on field goals (34.5 percent), 8 of 26 from the arc (30.8 percent) and 14 of 20 from the line (70 percent). Five of those seven missed free throws came in the last 7 minutes and 43 seconds. FIRST HALF RUNDOWN Arkansas jumped out to an early 6-0 lead off a long transition jumper from Harris with 16:56 to play. After the Hoosiers cut the lead to 8-6, the Razorbacks went on an 8-1 run to take their largest lead of the game at 9 points with 11:42 to play, 16-7. The stretch included five points from Jones and a triple from Sills, who also missed two transition layups that went back over to Indiana during the Razorback run. IU responded with an 8-0 run of their own to make it 16-15 just 1 minute and 46 seconds later on a trey from Evan Fitzner. The Hogs and Hoosiers battled back-and-forth until Green drained a 3-pointer with 2:59 to play in the half to five Indiana a 28-25 lead. It was the first time in NIT play that Arkansas had trailed after leading Providence with the first bucket at the 19:35 mark of the first half in the first round. Arkansas couldn’t overcome the IU lead and went into halftime down 30-28. Green and Juwan Morgan led the Hoosiers at the break with nine points apiece, and Sills led the Razorbacks with 10. Indiana had a 20-to-16 rebounding advantage, but Arkansas led 8-to-6 on forced turnovers. Neither team shot the ball particularly well as Arkansas was 10 of 29 from the floor (34.5 percent) while Indiana was 9 of 24 (37.5 percent). Both teams had four makes from downtown, but there was a big discrepancy at the free throw line with Arkansas going 4 of 4 while Indiana went 8 of 14 (57.1 percent). The Hoosiers also had a 10-2 edge in points in the paint. UP NEXT Offseason...<doc-sep>Devonte Green spent his week puking, retching and generally feeling worse for wear. A stomach bug made its way through Indiana’s locker room in recent days, and the junior guard was its latest victim. Green practiced only once during the buildup to this weekend’s second-round matchup with Arkansas, instead spending the bulk of his time leaning on IU’s team doctors to make him feel right once again. By Saturday, there was good news. Green looked the part of the go-to player he’s become for this Indiana squad. The only thing visibly sick about him was his skill. Green poured in 18 points, recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds and helped keep the Hoosiers’ season alive in their 63-60 victory over the Razorbacks before an announced crowd of 12,225 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. “He was sick all week long with the flu bug or whatever it was,” IU coach Archie Miller said. “He really sort of rose up today when we needed him.” Did he ever. Inside of this strange, winding season, Green’s emergence as a reliable top-line contributor may be the most incredible storyline of all. Talent has never been a problem for the New York native. Channeling his flair and natural skill into consistently positive results has been the hurdle Green has struggled to clear. With the Hoosiers now one win away from a trip to Madison Square Garden and the NIT version of the final four, that hurdle is on the way to being cleared. Green has now scored in double figures in six consecutive games — the longest such streak of his career — and Indiana’s ability to post wins in six of its past seven contests doesn’t happen without him. The Hoosiers will now face the winner of Sunday’s Wichita State/Clemson game on Tuesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. A tipoff time has not been announced. “This is the guy that he talked about being freshman year when he was sitting behind James (Blackmon Jr.),” classmate De’Ron Davis said. “… He’s not doing anything different, but knocking down shots and getting confident.” Confidence is a powerful attribute for any athlete. Green is no different. But with Green, confidence hasn’t seemed to be an issue so much as it has been something he’s struggled to harness appropriately. During his three seasons in Bloomington, Green has seldom appeared hesitant to shoot, or take risks. Only now, Green’s self-assurance is reflected in more favorable results. Across the past six games, Green is averaging 16.0 points, while shooting 55 percent (21-for-38) from beyond the arc, seemingly delivering big shots when Indiana has needed them most. Asked to define his shooting range after Saturday’s game, Green didn’t hesitate. “Limitless,” he said. “… It’s just like this one’s going in, and the next one’s going in and this one’s going in, and even if it goes out, you’re like, ‘It was this close to going in, so I know the next one’s going in. '” Green put the Hoosiers ahead for good at 52-51 with his 3-pointer off a kick out from Davis with 8:38 remaining in Saturday’s second half. It was Green’s fourth and final 3 of the day, and it spurred Indiana to a 12-3 run over the next four minutes. With Romeo Langford missing his second consecutive game with a back injury, Indiana has needed more from its backcourt. Green and point guard Robert Phinisee have not disappointed. Just as Green has given IU the perimeter production it has so desperately needed this month, Phinisee has also settled in and raised his game. Indiana looked sluggish at the start of each period on Saturday, committing 13 turnovers against the Arkansas press. Phinisee, though, was responsible for only two of those errors, attacking the pressure with poise as the game progressed and finishing with seven points, seven rebounds and five assists. Inside of a 10-0 Indiana run midway through the second period — a spurt that put Indiana in front 47-43 — Phinisee assisted on three baskets and contributed four points of his own. “We’re like Batman and Robin right now,” Green said. Which one of them is Batman? Green thought twice. “Alright, we’re Batman and Batman.” Green, indeed, is playing the part of Indiana’s superhero this month. But he’s not without his own fatal flaws. Miller still recognizes that with the good moments, come the ugly ones, too. Green finished with four turnovers and had some head-scratching sequences, as he’s wont to do. With a three-point lead in the final seconds, Indiana (19-15) was committed to fouling when Arkansas (18-16) took possession. The Hoosiers followed orders, and out of a timeout with 6.4 seconds remaining, Phinisee tagged Arkansas’ Mason Jones to prevent him from getting off a shot. Jones made both of his free throws to cut IU’s lead to one. After Green was fouled on the inbounds — and made both of his free throws to put the Hoosiers back in front by three — he lost his man at halfcourt, failing to foul as instructed and allowing the Razorbacks to take one final heave. Luckily, for the Hoosiers’ collective sake and Miller’s sanity, Jalen Harris’ shot missed the mark. “Devonte didn’t foul, and obviously the guy got a shot off,” Miller said. “But we were definitely looking to foul. We’ve always tried to do that under 11 and between 5 and 11, and you learn. If that thing banks in, there’s some guys looking around funny. We got lucky.” At the same time, the flip side is true, too. With Green’s sudden emergence as a go-to scorer, the Hoosiers have gotten lucky to find a player able and willing to carry a scoring load beyond Langford and Juwan Morgan, who had 15 points Saturday. Although Green is still prone to mistakes, he’s done a better job of limiting their frequency, while making up for them with sizable scoring production. With Indiana aiming for an NIT title this month, Green has become the player the Hoosiers can’t win without. Saturday was just the latest reminder. “He’s good,” Miller said. “He’s our most important sort of cog in the wheel right now.<doc-sep>The plans are set. Indiana’s second-round NIT matchup with Arkansas will tip off at noon Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game, which is a rematch of the Razorbacks’ 73-72 win in Fayetteville, Ark. on Nov. 18, will air on ESPN. All tickets are $20 and are general admission. Parking is free around the arena.<doc-sep>Indiana will be without its leading scorer once again. Romeo Langford will miss his second consecutive game with a back injury when IU meets Arkansas in Saturday’s second-round NIT matchup. Whether the freshman, a potential lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, plays another game for the Hoosiers is not clear. Langford won’t be the only absence for the Hoosiers. Forward Race Thompson is also expected to miss the game as he deals with an illness. IU coach Archie Miller said Thompson, who also missed Tuesday’s win vs. St. Francis, hasn’t practiced this week. Thompson dressed and warmed up with his teammates prior to Saturday’s tipoff. Miller said Devonte Green is also ill, but is expected to play.<doc-sep>
Game Info / How to Watch Who? Indiana Hoosiers (18-15 (8-12), #46 KenPom) vs Arkansas Razorbacks (18-15 (8-10), #55 KenPom) When? Saturday, 3/23/19, Noon Where? Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana Channel? ESPN Vegas? Over/Under 149.5, Indiana -6 KenPom? Indiana by 5, 73-68, 67% chance of Hoosier Victory On Saurday Indiana will continue its run through the NIT by hosting the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second meeting between the two teams this season. The last time they played Arkansas took a 73-72 win in Fayetteville thanks in part to a controversial final possession. There may have been a goaltend call that was missed, there may have been some miscommunication by the Hoosiers—either way it didn’t turn out the way IU hoped it would have. The Opponent Since that win over Indiana the Razorbacks have had a pretty up and down season that doesn’t seem like it was too dissimilar from IU’s. They did pick up a big win over SEC Champion LSU on the road but struggled overall in the conference, ending with a losing SEC record. They crashed out of the SEC Tournament against Florida, but managed to take down Providence on the road last week in their NIT opener. Daniel Gafford was Arkansas’ de facto star this season and is a solid NBA prospect which is why he won’t be playing in the NIT—he chose to sit out to save himself rather than risk injury. That leaves Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe as the biggest threats for the Razorbacks. Each player averaged just under 14 points per game this season and they can both knock down three-pointers at a respectable rate. Against Providence the duo combined for 30 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. “When you take into account the shooters that they have and how they shoot the ball from the three-point line and how they can change up defensively, they really make your team read and react throughout the game” IU head coach Archie Miller said. “So we’re going to have to be really organized in terms of what we have to do defensively and offensively.” Four Factors The most noticeable thing about Arkansas’ four factors is that the Razorbacks allow their opponents to grab a lot of offensive boards. There are just three worse defensive rebounding teams in the country. They also allow opponents to get to the line at an above average rate. One thing that’s positive for Arkansas is that it turns over its opponents at a rate that’s among the best in the country with a defensive turnover percentage of 22.6. Three Things to Watch For Will Romeo Langford play? It’s well publicized that Langford didn’t play against St. Francis in Indiana’s NIT opener thanks to a concern with his back and once again Langford’s status will be a major storyline going into the game. If he’s healthy he’ll obviously be a big boost to the Hoosier offense, but if he were to miss a second consecutive game the Hoosiers should be able to persevere. Against St. Francis the IU backcourt of Devonte Green, Al Durham, and Rob Phinisee played pretty well—combining for 43 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists. “I thought those guys did a nice job, and they’ll be a big, big key at both ends of the floor defensively and offensively against Arkansas,” Miller said. 2. Daniel Gafford won’t play for Arkansas On the other side of this matchup we already know that Gafford won’t be playing. The forward led Arkansas in scoring, rebounding, and blocks this season on his way to being named First Team All-SEC as well as receiving SEC All-Defensive Team honors. Typically losing a star player is a bad thing, and the loss of Gafford could certainly be seen that way, but Miller seems to think that there’s been some sort of positive spin on the loss for the Razorbacks. “I think that the one thing that goes unnoticed is how versatile they become without him and how random they become with their offense and their defense and their pace of play is so fast,” Miller said. 3. Razorback Pressure Arkansas tends to play a couple of different press defenses, something that might’ve shaken up the young Indiana guards earlier in the season. This seemingly helps contribute to them turning opponents over, but it’s something that IU has seen and prepared for.