The Arkansas Razorbacks (10-7, 1-3 SEC) led for more than 38 minutes on Tuesday night, but it took a game-winning jump shot from Tramon Mark on the last possession to secure a victory over the Texas A&M Aggies (10-7, 1-3 SEC).
Head coach Eric Musselman's squad was hot off the blocks to start the game, as it opened up a double-digit lead just seven minutes into the game and stretched its advantage to 20 points by the 8:00 mark – the largest lead of the game.
Texas A&M refused to quit, however. A strong start to the second half saw the deficit quickly trimmed to single digits. Texas A&M continued to hang around and eventually tied the game at 74 apiece in the final minute.
This surge was led by the heroics of junior guard Wade Taylor IV, the preseason SEC player of the year. Taylor scored a game-high 41 points on the night with 29 of those coming in the second half.
It was his two free throws that tied the game with 50 seconds left and his improbable three pointer with seven seconds left that gave Texas A&M its first lead of the night.
Taylor’s efforts were matched by a masterful performance from Arkansas guard Tramon Mark. The Houston transfer scored a career-high 35 points, as he shot 8-15 from the field and a clutch 17-22 from the free throw line.
“I know that all the analytics people talk about mid-range being a bad shot, it’s been a really good shot for us at Arkansas,” head coach Eric Musselman said after the game. “Jimmy Whitt, Ricky Council, T-Mark. It's a great shot for him, not a good shot. He’s a lethal pull-up jump shooter 12 to 17 feet…Our guys did a great job of finding him.”
After Taylor’s go-ahead three pointer, a hush fell over Bud Walton Arena. But Mark remained calm under pressure as he drove the ball towards the left elbow and nailed a short jumper to give the Hogs the win.
“Coach drew it up and I just went out and executed,” Mark said postgame. “I saw how they were playing me. I thought they were going to play me tighter but they just kind of let me get a full head of steam, so I just went and I got a good look.”
The game’s controversial officiating can't go without mention, as a crew featuring notorious SEC regulars in Doug Shows and Terry Oglesby blew their whistles for a combined 50 fouls over 40 minutes of play.
Prolonged by a combined 73 free throws and a myriad of confusing reviews – which included the ejection of Arkansas senior Davonte Davis on a flagrant two foul – the game was stretched out to 2 hours and 38 minutes total.
With a late-night tipoff, fans grew disgruntled with the referees during a second half that stretched well past 10 p.m. Many fans took to social media to voice their frustrations after the game finally came to an end. Those feelings were compounded by anxiety from the Aggies’ ongoing second-half comeback.
Despite the never-ending whistles and the Hogs blown 20-point lead, the narrow victory over the Aggies is one the Razorbacks needed desperately. After three consecutive double-digit defeats to open conference play, Musselman and his team were relieved.
“Yeah, I think confidence-wise we needed it for sure,” Musselman said. “It’s one game, it’s over. Up there is South Carolina’s depth chart right now. I can’t wait to get home and start digging into South Carolina. They’ve had an incredible season so far. I think even myself, you win a game it puts some extra juice in you.”
Up next, Arkansas will stay in Bud Walton Arena for a matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.
