Arkansas Razorbacks take down No. 1 Gonzaga to make Elite Eight in NCAA tournament

SAN FRANCISCO — Twenty years ago, Eric Musselman was introduced as the new head coach of the Golden State Warriors. And two years later, he was fired after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

On Thursday, however, Musselman found success in the Bay Area when he led his Arkansas squad to a 74-68 upset win over Gonzaga Bulldogs, the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament and last year's national runner-up.

Gonzaga made things interesting late, getting within three when Andrew Nembhard hit a 3-pointer with 16.5 seconds to play. But Chris Lykes, an 87 percent free throw shooter, made a pair of free throws to extend the Razorbacks' lead back to five. Au'Diese Toney's block on Nembhard's layup at the other end ended any hopes of a Bulldogs comeback. Toney's dunk with a second to play punctuated the moment.

Arkansas turned the corner in this game with a couple of significant runs.

In the first half, Chet Holmgren — a projected top-three pick this summer in ESPN's latest mock draft — picked up his second foul with Gonzaga leading 22-17 and didn't not return until the second half. Arkansas then went on a 15-7 run, turning the game in its favor.

Holmgren picked up his fourth foul midway through the second half, and Arkansas extended its lead to eight points shortly after he left the game. Holmgren eventually fouled out with 3:29 to play.

JD Notae, who scored 21 points, stole the show. Notae had averaged 17.5 PPG through his team's first- and second-round wins over Vermont and New Mexico State. He was lukewarm from the field, shooting just 9-for-29, but he seemed to be involved in every play on both ends of the floor. A pump-fake 3-pointer with 6:33 to play in the game extended Arkansas' lead to nine points.

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