Razorbacks Ride Early Surge, Lead Auburn in First Half at Bud Walton
Back home in Bud Walton Arena for the first time in two weeks, No. 21 Arkansas came out with energy-and it’s showing. The Razorbacks are currently riding a 10-0 run, flipping the momentum in a fast-paced first half against Auburn.
It started with a bit of drama. Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford drew a foul on a 3-point attempt from Meleek Thomas and calmly knocked down all three free throws, giving the Tigers a 9-6 edge at the 15:23 mark. But that lead didn’t last long.
Trevon Brazile came up with a timely steal and finish in transition to cut it to 9-8, and John Calipari’s challenge on an out-of-bounds call swung possession back to Arkansas. That moment felt like a shift-and the Razorbacks capitalized.
Darius Acuff drilled a three right in front of the Auburn bench to give Arkansas its first lead of the night, 11-9. Moments later, Brazile made his presence felt again, this time on defense, swatting a shot with authority to ignite the home crowd.
Billy Richmond took it from there, slicing through the lane for a bucket to extend the lead to 13-9. Richmond’s been aggressive early, and it’s paying off-he leads all scorers with six points, and Arkansas is shooting a red-hot 64% from the field (7-of-11).
Karter Knox checked in at the 12:53 mark, seeing his first action in two weeks. Meanwhile, Brazile went to the locker room appearing to be holding his face-something to monitor as the game unfolds.
Nick Pringle added to the Razorbacks’ lead with a trip to the free throw line, hitting one of two. Malique Ewin, sporting a protective face mask, subbed in with 12:28 to play in the half.
Richmond kept the pressure on just before the media timeout, driving hard to the rim for another score. The Razorbacks’ offense looks fluid, and they’re getting quality looks inside.
Early Exchanges Set the Tone
Before Arkansas’ run, the game opened with some back-and-forth action. Auburn struck first-Sebastian Williams-Adams powered through Nick Pringle for a layup on the Tigers’ opening possession.
Arkansas came out firing from deep, but misfired on its first three attempts from beyond the arc. Trevon Brazile, Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff each had a look, but none fell.
Billy Richmond got Arkansas on the board with a driving layup at the 17:35 mark, and the teams traded buckets from there. KeShawn Murphy and Acuff exchanged layups, then Pettiford knocked down a tough fadeaway to push Auburn ahead 6-4. Thomas responded with a smooth left-handed drive to tie it at 6-6.
At that point, Arkansas was perfect inside the arc-3-for-3 on two-point attempts-but ice cold from distance, starting 0-for-4 from three. Still, they’ve found their rhythm thanks to aggressive drives and solid ball movement.
Starting Lineups
Arkansas (18-6, 8-3 SEC):
- G - Darius Acuff
- G - Meleek Thomas
- F - Billy Richmond
- F - Trevon Brazile
- F - Nick Pringle
Auburn (14-10, 5-6 SEC):
- G - Tahaad Pettiford
- G - Kevin Overton
- G - Elyjah Freeman
- F - KeShawn Murphy
- F - Sebastian Williams-Adams
Pregame Notes
This one had some juice before tipoff. The Razorbacks are looking to avenge their most lopsided loss of the season-a 95-73 defeat at Auburn back on Jan.
- That night, Keyshawn Hall torched Arkansas for 32 points.
But the Tigers are without their leading scorer this time around. Hall, who averages 20.7 points and 6.8 boards, is out-an absence that changes the entire complexion of Auburn’s offense.
Meanwhile, Arkansas got a boost with D.J. Wagner, Karter Knox and Malique Ewin all suiting up and warming up pregame. Knox’s return in particular brings added depth and scoring punch to the Razorbacks’ wing rotation.
With Arkansas surging early and Auburn trying to find its footing without its top scorer, this one is shaping up to be a battle. Plenty of basketball left to play, but the Razorbacks have landed the first big punch.