The Madness begins: Arkansas plays Butler this afternoon in NCAA Tournament

Loss to Heels sticks in Hogs' craw

An Arkansas logo appears on the videoboard at Little Caesars Arena during the Razorbacks' practice Thursday, March 15, 2018, in Detroit.
An Arkansas logo appears on the videoboard at Little Caesars Arena during the Razorbacks' practice Thursday, March 15, 2018, in Detroit.

DETROIT -- The Arkansas Razorbacks are playing Butler in the NCAA Tournament a year later than they had hoped.

If the Razorbacks had held on to beat North Carolina last year in a second-round game, they would have advanced to the South Regional semifinals and faced Butler in Memphis.

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Instead, North Carolina rallied to beat the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 72-65 with a 12-0 run over the final 2:56.

The Tar Heels beat the Bulldogs 90-82 and Kentucky 75-72 in Memphis and went on to win the national championship.

Arkansas (23-11) will get its shot at Butler (20-13) when the teams play today in the first round of the East Regional at 2:10 p.m. in Little Caesars Arena.

"There's a time for everything," Razorbacks senior guard Jaylen Barford said of playing Butler a year after losing to North Carolina. "I think it's a blessing.

"This is happening for a purpose. There's a reason. I don't know the reason, but there's a reason why.

"We're going to make a run in this tournament. I think it's destiny right now."

Barford and Arkansas senior guard Daryl Macon entered their names into the NBA Draft last season, but didn't sign with an agent so they could retain their eligibility.

Neither was projected to be drafted, but they could have had other opportunities to play professionally overseas or in NBA's G League.

Instead, Barford and Macon chose to return to Arkansas and cited the North Carolina loss as a determining factor. Both earned All-SEC honors and became 1,000-point scorers for the Razorbacks in just two seasons after transferring from junior colleges.

After last season's North Carolina game there was a photo of Macon sitting on the court in dejection.

"I had that picture set up as my phone background until this season started," Macon said. "It just motivates and shows me how close we were to beating the No. 1 team in the country."

Macon led the Razorbacks with 19 points against North Carolina, but he had to sit out a 2:59 stretch late in the second half because of leg cramps.

"I'm hoping that doesn't happen again, because I want to give it my all this time," Macon said. "If I'm going to lose, I'm going to go out with a fight."

North Carolina took a 68-65 lead with 44 seconds left on a tip by Kennedy Meeks after a miss by Joel Berry, who knocked down Arkansas forward Adrio Bailey as he drove to the basket.

Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said after the the game that he expected Berry would either be called for a charge or for traveling.

"I thought he ran over one of our guys," Anderson said. "If he didn't, he traveled."

The play was still fresh in Barford's mind this week.

"I remember the play like it was yesterday," he said. "I remember Joel Barry going up and shooting the shot, and we could have gotten the rebound.

"But instead we were just standing, still looking for a call. They didn't call nothing, and they got a basket."

Macon recalled the play, too.

"It was a travel. No excuses, though," he said. "I'm not making any excuses. But that was a travel. "

It's a memory, Baford said, that's been a driving force for the Razorbacks to return to the NCAA Tournament this season. He can't help but wonder would have happened if the Razorbacks had beaten North Carolina.

"We lost, so that motivation always sticks in our head," Barford said. "That question is always being asked, even when I go back home.

"It's going to be different this year."

Six Razorbacks played against North Carolina last season: Barford, Macon, Bailey, Anton Beard, Trey Thompson and Arlando Cook.

"I think the kids have learned from it, the experience," Anderson said. "You never know how close you are to something.

"Because of how it played out, North Carolina went on and won a national championship. And the game -- with three minutes to go -- we're up five.

"So we have to figure out how to close games out, especially in this tournament."

There was an upside, Anderson said, of losing so narrowly to North Carolina.

"I thought it really helped us throughout this year," he said. "We've had a lot of close games."

The Razorbacks are 6-1 this season in games decided by five or fewer points.

"A lot of games where we had to make plays to finish it off," Anderson said. "Whether it be a defensive play, offensive play, at the free throw line, taking a charge, somebody coming off the bench and giving us big minutes."

Those plays become magnified in the NCAA Tournament.

"The Carolina game taught us a lesson about how hard you've got to go each and every play," Macon said. "Now we know what it takes to play to in this environment, on this level."

Macon said today's game is what he had in mind when he decided to come back to Arkansas for his senior season.

"This is exactly what I pictured it would be, having a great season and hopefully trying to make a run in the NCAA Tournament this year," he said. "I think we learned from that and we're ready to go now."

Sports on 03/16/2018

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