FAYETTEVILLE -- All game the Arkansas Razorbacks looked like Mizzou.
Mostly, too, they played like Mizzou.
Outfitted to represent the Nike brand more than the University of Arkansas and the traditional red and white worn by all Razorbacks until recent periodic wardrobe aberrations, the Razorbacks wore in "anthracite gray."
Anthracite gray comes within a shade of matching the Missouri Tigers' traditional black in their black and gold.
So at Mizzou Arena Saturday in Columbia, Mo., Arkansas looked more like Mizzou than Mizzou as the Tigers wore basketball's traditional home white uniforms complemented by their black trim. Arkansas timeouts resembled a mixed Arkansas-Missouri huddle. Razorbacks reserves in red warmups gathered with the active five clad in Mizzou-like near black.
The Hogs not only looked like Mizzou, but after arriving in Columbia, it seemed they played down to Mizzou. Arkansas shot 23 of 63 from the floor, but escaped with a 61-60 victory as Missouri guard Wes Clark missed two free throws with 3.3 seconds left.
"If you wanted a pretty game, it probably wasn't," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said.
Guess what? In the season's grand scheme, it doesn't matter that the Hogs looked like Mizzou and often played down to Mizzou's current rebuilding besetting first-year Coach Kim Anderson.
Sports like diving and gymnastics are won on form.
Basketball is won on points. Basketball form mostly gets debated just until the next game.
Only who won seems remembered by the season's end.
"It wasn't a thing of beauty," Mike Anderson said. "But you know what, when you get in that victory column, it is beautiful."
Arkansas' two greatest postseason teams, the 1994 national championship team and the 1995 national runner-up team both with Anderson assisting Coach Nolan Richardson, underscore Anderson's postgame words.
In 1993-1994, the LSU Tigers were 11-16 overall, 5-11 in the SEC.
Arkansas barely escaped them twice, 84-83 in Fayetteville and 108-105 in overtime at Baton Rouge.
Tennessee was even worse. The Volunteers went 5-22 overall and 2-14 in the SEC, firing Wade Houston at season's end.
Arkansas required a Scotty Thurman three-pointer at the buzzer to overcome Tennessee 65-64 in Knoxville.
Arkansas' 1994-1995 national runner-ups opened the season with a 104-80 loss to Massachusetts. They opened the SEC with a loss in Oxford to Rob Evans' inspired Ole Miss Rebels.
Before reaching the national championship game that it lost to UCLA, Arkansas dodged NCAA Tournament bullets. The Hogs escaped 79-78 against the same Texas Southern team they demolished 129-63 the previous season in Fayetteville. They needed a Syracuse technical foul for calling a timeout Syracuse didn't have to attain overtime and prevail, 96-94 and next required overtime to beat Memphis.
All close calls but their margins increasingly forgotten with a Final Four remembered.
So if Saturday's outcome ultimately helps the Hogs reach the NCAA Tournament, just winning at Mizzou will be remembered long over what they wore and how they struggled.
Sports on 01/26/2015