PORTLAND, Ore. — Arkansas basketball
led from start-to-finish and is one win away from a second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16.
The No. 4 Razorbacks
(27-8) downed No. 13 Hawaii
97-78 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament
on Thursday, March 19. Arkansas
continues its March Madness
journey Saturday against No. 12 High Point after the Panthers stunned No. 5 Wisconsin
earlier in the day.
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Despite going 4 for 20 from the 3-point line, the Hogs shot 53.5% from the field. They got whatever they wanted inside with 64 points in the paint and 11 dunks.
Arkansas
basketball starts, closes first half in a fury
The Razorbacks
wasted no time in asserting their will on the Rainbow Warriors.
Arkansas
jumped out to an 11-0 lead in just four minutes of action. Three layups complimented a 3-pointer from Darius Acuff Jr.
and a mid-range jumper by Meleek Thomas
.
The lead eventually ballooned to 19 before Hawaii landed a few punches of its own. The Warriors made 5-of-7 triples during a five-minute stretch to make it 46-36.
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But Arkansas closed the period in a similar fashion to how it began the game. An 8-0 run gave the Razorbacks an 18-point lead entering halftime. That success came with Darius Acuff Jr. on the bench in foul trouble.
Hawaii has no answers for Hogs' freshmen
Thomas was hot in the first period. Acuff picked up the pace after halftime.
Together, the two dominant first-year players ended Hawaii's season.
Acuff poured in 24 points with seven assists. Hawaii defenders couldn't stay in front of him with their normally reliable one-on-one defense.
Thomas filled the stat sheet with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He limped to the locker room early in the second half before returning to the game after a brief stint on the exercise bike.
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No Pringle, no problem
Arkansas starting center Nick Pringle
did not play in the win with a right leg injury.
A three-man rotation in the frontcourt dwindled to two, but Malique Ewin and Trevon Brazile
ensured Arkansas overcame Pringle's absence.
Ewin and Brazile combined to play 66 minutes. Ewin scored 16 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out six assists. Brazile had 19 points and six rebounds with three blocks.
Arkansas will need Pringle for a deep March run, but in the first round, the Hogs overcame another injury with Karter Knox
also sidelined since February.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him
@jacksonfuller16
on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record:
Arkansas vs Hawaii in 2026 March Madness: Razorbacks into second round
