9-seed Arkansas downs South Carolina 72-68, faces 8-seed Ole Miss in second round

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (KATV) — The No. 9-seed Arkansas Razorbacks are back in action on Thursday after beating South Carolina 72-68 to advance to the second round of the SEC Tournament.

The Razorbacks nearly squandered a 20-point lead in the second half as the Gamecocks pulled within one with 4:20 to go in the game. After a D.J. Wagner 3-pointer made it a 4-point lead for the Razorbacks, they never looked back.

Arkansas had four players in double figures while shooting 44.6% from the field and 31.8% from 3-point territory.

South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles had a strong outing, leading all scorers with 20 points as well as rebounds with 12. Hogs' forward Trevon Brazile led the Razorbacks in points with 16 on 5/9 shooting.

But, it wasn't enough for the Gamecocks as the Hogs were able to pull away late thanks to stout defense in the closing minutes.

Now, coach John Calipari's team shifts its focus to Ole Miss, who beat Arkansas in the regular-season matchup on Jan. 8, 73-66. The Rebels have compiled a 10-8 record in conference play this season to Arkansas's 9-10 standing.

The Razorbacks are 4-1 in their last five matchups including the win against South Carolina on Wednesday. For Ole Miss, they're 2-3 in their last five appearances. The Rebels' average scoring margin in those losses was -18.

Arkansas enters the contest on a hot streak after picking up ranked wins against Mississippi State and Missouri and losing close, gritty games against Auburn and Texas A&M.

Arkansas is 6-4 in its last 10 games averaging 75.8 points, 30.8 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 7.2 steals and 5.8 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. The Hogs have held opponents to an average of 75.4 points.

The Hogs will need to get big performances out of Wagner and forward Adou Thiero to match the high-scoring abilities of Ole Miss guard Sean Pedulla and forwards Jaemyn Brakefield and Malik Dia. Dia leads the Rebels in rebounds with 5.6 and is tied for fourth in scoring with 10.4 points per game.

The Razorbacks play Ole Miss at noon on SEC Network.

The Bet MGM Sportsbook Line has the Rebels -3.5; with the over/under set at 144.5.