It was a shadow that hung over the program for nearly a decade. And with just one win, it was gone.
For the first time since 1999, the Arkansas Razorbacks won a game in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. And that victory over the Indiana Hoosiers is #4 on our countdown of the best Razorback games of the 2007-08 seasons.
Sonny Weems would cement his legacy with a career-high 31 points (including 18 in the second half). And Darian Townes would rise to the occasion as well, scoring 17 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.
But it was Weems only assist of the game — an alley-oop pass to Steven Hill with a little over 11 minutes left — that started a 12-3 run that eventually finished off the Hoosiers.
Indiana vs. Arkansas – NCAA March Madness 2008 highlights
Afterwards, Coach John Pelphrey described his team perfectly while foreshadowing what was to come:
“They’re a resilient bunch,” Pelphrey said of his team. “They’ve been given up for dead two or three times, and they bounced back. … The challenge for them is to have some repeat success, in terms of their effort, their focus, their level of play, [because] this is the NCAA tournament and our next opponent is unbelievable.”
The victory over Indiana would, of course, be the last win of the 2007-08 basketball season.
But considering the nine-year journey just to make it to the second round again, watching a season-ending thrashing by the tournament’s top seed was easier to take than enduring another ‘one and done’ postseason appearance by the Hogs.
So far, it hasn't been much of a year. I'll look forward to tomorrow.
Although, you do have to say that was an excellent game, and, it did represent well what a good team that could have been.
That team belonged to Darian Townes since he was a freshman. Hill was a great kid, great Razorback but he started way too many game for a guy with no offensive skills. I know that formula relies too heavily on Townes emotional makeup and ignores Hills great achievements but that team was heavy with front line players and never went inside. Makes no sense.