By Harry King
FAYETTEVIILLE — Ole Miss 68, Arkansas 66 was more about misses than makes.
During the final 4:51, Arkansas’ production was a single free throw. Most everybody who was on the court during that time took a shot of some type.
Trying to squeeze all the Razorbacks under the same umbrella and labeling it “choke” just doesn’t fly.
Say they didn’t finish is accurate.
The game was the sort to be expected when two teams of relatively equal talent get together. At the end, somebody makes a play and his team wins. On Saturday, it was the Rebels’ Murphy Holloway and Chris Warren. With his team trailing 65-63, Holloway was short on the front end of a one-and-one, but the ball bounced backed to him and he flipped it to Warren for a 3 with 53 seconds to play.
If misery truly loves company, Arkansas’ misses should be detailed:
—Ahead 65-61 with 2:46 to play, Michael Washington missed the front end of a one and one.
—Courtney Fortson missed an open shot.
—At 65-63, Maurice Britt, who made some unexpected and much-needed contributions, failed on an open 3. Ole Miss mishandled the rebound.
—On the inbounds play, Washington missed an open 12-footer, the same shot that he made earlier. Ole Miss pretty much matched Arkansas miss for miss until Warren’s 3.
—Rotnei Clarke’s quick-release 3 missed. He went high for his own rebound, but lost the ball and there were six players on the floor when the refs noted the possession arrow favored the Rebels with 28 seconds.
—At 67-65, Julysses Nobles, who contributed even more than Britt, was too strong on a free throw attempt and made the second.
Warren got behind Arkansas’ crowding defense and almost 10 seconds went by before he was fouled and made one.
—With seconds to play, Nobles driving shot was blocked.
In the media room, before the Razorbacks and Rebels tipped, there was more interest than usual in Auburn-Alabama. It was a selfish thing, all about deadlines. If Auburn won, Arkansas would play an afternoon game — either Thursday as the No. 4 seed or Friday as No. 2. If Auburn lost, 8:45 p.m. Thursday was a possibility.
Arkansas’ loss made the Thursday night thing a certainty and South Carolina didn’t do the Razorbacks any favors by upsetting Vanderbilt. That means the Razorbacks will face Georgia, probably a more difficult opponent for Arkansas than the Gamecocks.
Early on, Arkansas was textbook and Ole Miss was tight, like a team that had to win to maintain its slim hopes of getting into the NCAA Tournament.
Nothing happened Saturday or in Arkansas’ preceding 15 SEC games to alter the notion that the Razorbacks are in the same boat as dozens of other college basketball all teams.
That is, the Razorbacks and their kind can beat other mid-pack teams if they shoot decently, defend with enthusiasm, get contributions from various and sundry, and compete to the end.
Like the others, they do not have enough quality players to go toe-to-toe with cream of the SEC.
It was the previously mentioned ingredients — particularly forcing 12 turnovers in the first 14 minutes and making 7-of-14 3s — that put Arkansas in position to win. In such situations, somebody has to make a play at the end. On Saturday, nobody made anything.
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Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
