Arkansas basketball displays ‘will to win’ in much-needed victory over Michigan

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NEW YORK — Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari has demanded patience and preached a process during his first season in Fayetteville.

But when push comes to shove, the Razorbacks can’t just rely on the hope of improvement. They need results, and they earned their most emphatic victory of the season Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic.

Arkansas (8-2) rallied, then hung on for dear life in an 89-87 win over No. 14 Michigan inside Madison Square Garden. The Hogs trailed by 15 in the first half, led by 18 midway through the second and watched a buzzer-beater from Michigan’s Roddy Gayle Jr. brick off the front rim to avoid overtime.

The victory over the Wolverines (8-2) comes one week after the Hogs went on the road and rallied in the final minutes to beat Miami. These two finishes have Calipari feeling he vindicated his desire for tranquility among the Arkansas fans despite a slow start to the year.

More: Arkansas basketball holds off Michigan at Jimmy V Classic

More: Nine things we’ve learned about Arkansas basketball, John Calipari through nine games

“Having a will to win, that’s when you know,” Calipari said. “We have a will to win. Let’s get the rest of the stuff together. These kids haven’t stopped fighting all year.”

According to Michigan coach Dusty May, Arkansas’ physically sparked the will to win Tuesday.

Despite going against a team with two 7-footers, the Hogs won the rebounding battle 34-32. Their determination to prevent easy baskets and hold up on the glass sparked a 12-0 run to open the second half. In total, Arkansas outscored Michigan 66-33 during the middle 20 minutes.

But the comeback started in the first half, when Arkansas fell behind by double figures for a fourth straight game against a Power 4 team. The Hogs turned Michigan’s 15-point lead with 8:58 on the clock into a four-point deficit at halftime.

“We ran and played faster and we spread the court, we made some baskets, made a three, and then we got our wheels underneath us,”…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/arkansas-basketball-displays-win-much-152732830.html

Author : Ft. Smith Southwest Times Record

Publish date : 2024-12-11 15:27:00

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