Duke meets Arkansas for first time since 1994 NCAA final. A look at Elite 8 matchup
The last time Duke and Arkansas clashed on the basketball court, Scotty Thurman rained in a 3-pointer that broke the Blue Devils’ hearts and led the Razorbacks to their first, and to date only, NCAA championship.
On Saturday night, 28 years and 2,711 miles west of where that game took place, the schools meet again, this time with a Final Four berth on the line.
Back on April 4, 1994, Arkansas topped Duke, 76-72, at the now demolished Charlotte Coliseum.
Thurman hit the game’s biggest shot, a scrambling 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 50.7 seconds left that broke a 70-all tie and put the Razorbacks ahead for good.
No matter the outcome of Saturday’s West Regional final at San Francisco’s Chase Center between No. 2-seeded Duke and No. 4 seeded Arkansas, the Razorbacks’ joy and the Blue Devils’ despair from that game won’t change.
But it does speak to the level of play in the brief, yet high level, series between the Blue Devils and Arkansas.
They’ve only met three times, but two of the games have come in the Final Four.
In 1990, Duke won, 97-83, in a national semifinal in Denver. The Razorbacks won a regular-season game eight months later, 98-88, and their third game in Charlotte left a result that remains a tough memory that can mar the day of any Blue Devil who was on the court that night.
As for Saturday’s game, one team will advance to the Final Four, and the other will leave brokenhearted.
The Blue Devils (31-6) shot their way past No. 3 seed Texas Tech, 78-73, on Thursday night to keep their season — and retiring coach Mike Krzyzewski’s career — going for at least one more game.
The Razorbacks (28-8) toppled the tournament’s top seed, Gonzaga, 74-68, in the first major upset the West Region bracket has seen this year.
The matchup, from a Duke perspective, looks a lot like what the Blue Devils faced against Texas Tech. Arkansas is experienced and has proven to be a tough defensive team this season.
Here’s what to watch:
What has Arkansas accomplished this season?
Ranked No. 17 by the Associated Press when the tournament began, the Razorbacks earned that ranking by going 13-5 in Southeastern Conference play. During a stretch from early January to the first week of March, Arkansas won 14 of 15 games, beating fellow NCAA tournament participants Auburn, Kentucky, Tennessee and LSU along the way.
In nonconference play, though, Arkansas did not play a single team that wound up in the NCAA tournament’s field of 68. The Razorbacks actually lost, 89-81, to Hofstra on Dec. 18 during a struggling few weeks where they lost five of six games, including their first three SEC contests.
How did Arkansas get here?
The Razorbacks began their NCAA tournament run in Buffalo, New York, outlasting No. 13 seed Vermont, 75-71, in the first round before dispatching No. 12 seed New Mexico State, 53-48, to reach the Sweet 16, where they beat Gonzaga on Thursday night in San Francisco.
What kind of team is Arkansas?
The Razorbacks started four seniors and a sophomore big man in their win over Gonzaga so, once again, Duke’s opponent will have an experience advantage.
JD Notae is Arkansas’ top player. The 6-2 senior leads the team in scoring (18.5), assists (3.7) and steals (2.8).
Of note, though, he scored 21 points against Gonzaga, but did so on an inefficient 9 of 29 shooting with five turnovers. That included hitting only 2 of 12 3-pointers. Duke would be good with Notae repeating that performance on Saturday night.
Duke will also have a height advantage because Arkansas’ only player above 6-6 that plays regularly is 6-10 sophomore Jaylin Williams
Shooting? Not so great
Arkansas beat Gonzaga despite shooting only 40.3% from the field and hitting 7 of 25 3-pointers.
That’s par for the season, though. The Razorbacks have only hit 30.4% of their 3-pointers this season, which is No. 316 nationally. The only shooter Duke needs to be overly concerned with is Stanley Umude, a 6-6 senior who has made 37.2% of his 3-pointers.
Ball protection
To make up for that rather mediocre shooting, the Razorbacks are very good at protecting the basketball. They only had eight turnovers against Gonzaga, which is on par with their season record of turning the ball over on 16.3% of their possessions. That’s below the national average of 18.4%.
Arkansas did have 12 turnovers while beating New Mexico State, with Notae accounting for half of them. But the team turned it over only five times against Vermont.
Familiar faces
Two Razorbacks, one a starter and another a reserve, have extensive experience facing Duke.
Au’Diese Toney, a 6-6 senior, played for coach Jeff Capel at Pittsburgh for three seasons before transferring to Arkansas this season. He’s averaging 10.7 points per game and has hit 52% of his shots.
Chris Lykes, the 5-7 guard, played four seasons at Miami before transferring to Arkansas this season to use the extra season the NCAA allowed due to the pandemic. He’s come off the bench to contribute 7.8 points per game.
How does the Arkansas defense compare to Texas Tech?
The Razorbacks don’t have the strong track record to match the Red Raiders, who were No. 1 in the nation in Ken Pomeroy’s defensive efficiency metric before losing to Duke.
But Arkansas is No. 11 in the same metric, having allowed .904 points per possession.
Of course, Duke shredded Texas Tech, particularly in the second half, by shooting 70% and hitting its final eight shots from the field.
With star center Chet Holmgren limited due to foul trouble, Gonzaga scored just 0.88 points per possession in its loss to Arkansas.
New Mexico State produced a measly 0.67 points per possession, shooting 33.9% from the field in its second-round loss to Arkansas.
Duke, of course, is No. 2 nationally in offensive efficiency, scoring 1.209 points per possession.
In their three NCAA tournament games, the Blue Devils produced 1.2 points per possession while beating Cal State Fullerton, 78-61, followed by 1.29 in the 85-76 win over Michigan State.
Duke’s points per possession against Texas Tech was 1.16.
So the Blue Devils have proven able to score against even the best defenses.
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 2:03 PM.