FAYETTEVILLE — It seems like the Razorbacks will have one of their two injured players back for the highly anticipated Arkansas vs Duke showdown.
Big man Jalen Graham is dressed out and went through pregame warmups after not making the trip to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis last week, but guard Tramon Mark has officially been declared out for the matchup, which tips at 8:15 p.m. CT Wednesday and will be televised on ESPN. It is the first edition of the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Being without Mark is a big blow to a team searching for answers offensively, as he is the team’s leading scorer at 18.4 points per game and is coming off a career-high 34-point effort against North Carolina. However, he was injured late in that game when he fell hard on his back. He was spotted watching the pregame warmups from the sideline and walking gingerly back to the locker room.
Getting Graham back could potentially be a boost in that area because he’s a proven offensive threat, but has sometimes lacked in other areas of his game. Unfortunately, he has been limited to only 28 total minutes across three games this season because of back spasms. He’s averaged 4.7 points on 58% shooting in his limited action.
Regardless of player availability, it is expected to be a raucous crowd inside Bud Walton Arena, as hundreds of students camped outside the venue leading up to the game and tickets have been selling for well over face value.
Best of Arkansas Sports is in the building and will provide live updates from Arkansas vs Duke below…
(POST-GAME UPDATE: Rules Flaunting Proves to Be Order of the Day in Hogs’ Historic Win over Duke)
LIVE UPDATES — Arkansas vs Duke
15:00, 1H – Arkansas 10, Duke 10
Duke won the opening tip, but Lawson blocked a shot. It led to an open look by Davenport, but he couldn’t connect from 3.
On Duke’s next possession, Lawson knocked the ball loose for a steal. This time it led to a layup by Davis that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
The Blue Devils quieted the crowd some by knocking down a 3. It was by Proctor.
Tremendous drive and dish by Davenport. Lawson finished it with a relatively easy layup. Just a great pass by Davenport.
Brazile knocks down a corner 3 and BWA erupts, but Duke answered with a 3 of its own.
On the Hogs’ next possession, Brazile knocked down a mid-range shot despite getting fouled. He made the free throw to convert the old-fashioned 3-point play. He’s got six early points after going scoreless against North Carolina.
He had a chance to make another 3 and really bring the house down. It led to a long rebound and a fast break layup by the Blue Devils.
Filipowski’s second foul comes at the 15:00 mark and sends us to the U16 media timeout.
11:46, 1H – Arkansas 13, Duke 13
Khalif Battle checked in and promptly knocked down a 3 from the right corner – which might be his favorite spot on the floor.
Makhi Mitchell also checked in, but he picked up two quick fouls within 11 seconds. The second came at the 12:56 mark. That leads to Jalen Graham checking in.
Duke just had a 5-on-4 advantage because Battle fell driving to the basket, but air balled an open 3.
A bailout foul on Graham will send the Blue Devils to the free throw line when play resumes after the U12 media timeout.
8:27, 1H – Arkansas 19, Duke 19
Duke knocked down both free throws to regain the lead. It’s the ninth lead change already. There have also been three ties, with neither team leading by more than two.
Davis is holding a towel to his face and heading to the locker room after diving for a loose ball. He may have gotten a cut or something because it looks like they’re cleaning up blood from the court.
Blocker has struggled to finish around the rim so far this season, but he just made a really tough layup on a baseline drive.
Graham picked up his second foul at the 10:42 mark and will be replaced by Lawson. Duke missed both of the free throws, though.
After grabbing a tough rebound on the missed free throw, Battle got fouled going to the basket. He made 1 of 2.
Baye Fall checks in at the 10:23 mark.
Duke got an Mark Mitchell grabbed an offensive rebound on his own miss and then made the second chance opportunity to push Duke’s lead to 3 – the largest by either team.
Ryan Young picks up his third foul at the 9:07 mark. Meanwhile, Davis has returned to the bench.
Blocker came to play. He just threw down a dunk on a nice feed by Battle and BWA erupts, leading to a Duke timeout.
3:49, 1H – Arkansas 27, Duke 27
Filipowski checks back in for Duke out of the timeout. He’ll be playing with two fouls.
Davis checks back in at the 7:52 mark. He replaces Ellis, who just threw the ball out of bounds for the Hogs’ second turnover.
The Razorbacks immediately forced a turnover and Battle converted the tough transition layup.
Lawson, like he did against Purdue and Zach Edey, has been excellent so far against Filipowski.
Blocker’s second foul comes when he reaches in on Filipowski driving to the basket at the 6:04 mark. He made 1 of 2 free throws to tie it up again.
Duke has shifted to a zone and the Hogs are having a hard to getting good looks. Battle actually had an open look from the left corner, but missed it. It led to a fast break layup by Duke.
The Razorbacks beat the Blue Devils back down the floor their next possession and Brazile got a layup out of it. However, TJ Power answered with a 3 for Duke.
Battle just drove and kicked out to an open Brazile in the corner and he knocked down the 3 to tie it up at 27-27.
Lawson blocked another shot – his third – and nearly got the rebound, but his foot was on the line. That sends us to the U4 media timeout.
Brazile is up to 11 points on 4 of 5 shooting (including 2 of 3 from deep) and has 5 rebounds. Lawson is struggling offensively, as he’s just 1 of 5 shooting, but he’s got 4 rebounds and 3 blocks.
HALF – Arkansas 33, Duke 32
Out of the timeout, Arkansas forced an air ball and shot clock violation thanks to some great defense by Davenport. Davenport also blocked a shot on the next possession, but the Hogs failed to capitalize on either opportunity.
Davenport finally gets a shot to fall on the other end, knocking down a corner 3. That puts the Hogs up by one.
Duke missed the front end of a 1 and 1 on the other end, giving Arkansas a chance to extend its lead, but Davis turned it over trying to force a pass. It led to an open 3 by the Blue Devils.
Arkansas answered with another Davenport 3, which was made possible by an offensive rebound by Davis.
13:32, 2H – Arkansas 44, Duke 43
Nolan Richardson is shown on the video board to start the second half and hype up the crowd.
After missing 14 straight shots over the last 3.5 games, Ellis opened the half with a layup.
Lawson blocked his fourth shot of the game and it led to a great feed from Ellis to Lawson for a dunk. Arkansas leads by 5, the largest margin for either team.
Filipowski is really struggling. After missing a wide open 3, he couldn’t convert a second-chance opportunity the next possession. He’s 1 of 7.
It took more than 3 minutes, but Duke finally scored its first points of the half via an offensive board.
Ellis answered with another bucket. He seems like an entirely different player after halftime.
Lawson just picked up a cheap foul and it eventually led to a bucket for Duke when a pair of Arkansas players went for an rebound and it knocked the ball loose, allowing Duke to get the offensive board.
Brazile knocked down a corner 3, but Roach immediately answered with one of his own.
Some beautiful ball movement by Arkansas beat the zone, with Davis dishing to Lawson for a layup.
Lawson’s second foul sends us to the U16 media timeout. Like his first a couple minutes ago, it comes going for a rebound.
12:13, 2H – Arkansas 51, Duke 43
Ellis knocks down a deep 2 and then Battle makes two free throws on the next possession to push the lead back out to five.
After a block by Blocker, Battle knocked down an off-balance 3 and it brought the house down. This place is going bonkers and Duke calls a timeout.
10:55, 2H – Arkansas 55, Duke 45
Filipowski scored out of the timeout, but Arkansas immediately answered with a tremendous pass from Ellis to Mitchell cutting to the basket for a layup.
Battle also scored on a tough layup after a defensive stop to make it a 10-point game, but Duke was fouled to send us to the U12 media timeout. That was Lawson’s fourth foul. Not ideal.
7:28, 2H – Arkansas 65, Duke 51
Wow. Brazile just got called for a B.S. foul on a play that would have given the ball back to Arkansas. However, on the very next play, Ellis blocked a shot and the ball was called out of bounds on Duke, giving the ball back to the Hogs. Ball don’t lie.
Battle missed a step-back 3, but was fouled. He made all three free throws and has 16 points. The Hogs lead by 11.
Holy cow. Brazile just had an emphatic block and Blocker grabbed the tough rebound, then took it coast-to-coast for a tough layup. Duke called a timeout with the place going crazy.
Filipowski scored out of the timeout, but Battled answered with a 3 to once again send the crowd into a frenzy.
Another Filipowski bucket is answered by Mitchell, who knocked down a jumper from the elbow.
Battle picked up his third foul at the 8:02 mark. Caleb Foster missed both free throws for Duke, though.
Musselman is not happy about a foul on Ellis, which sends us to the U8 media timeout.
2:47, 2H – Arkansas 70, Duke 61
Ellis nearly had his seventh assist of the night on a great kick out to a wide open Brazile, but he couldn’t connect on the 3.
Filipowski drew a foul on the next possession and made both free throws. He hasn’t played great tonight, but still has 15 points on 6 of 16 shooting to go with 8 rebounds.
Duke dialed up the full-court pressure and Arkansas had to call a timeout with 6:54 left.
Mitchell just backed Filipowski down and made a reverse layup. Wow. He’s up to 6 points on 3 of 3 shooting.
There are going to be a lot of free throws over the last six minutes of this game. Both teams already in the bonus.
Duke has cut the lead to 10, but missed a good look at a corner 3 that would have made it a 7-point game. Brazile grabbed a monster rebound to give him a double-double.
Blocker drew a foul and knocked down both of the free throws to push it back to 12. Then Mitchell immediately picks up his fourth foul when Duke feeds it to Filipowski and he drives against him. Weak call.
Lawson checked in for Mitchell. He’ll be playing with four fouls.
Duke has missed its last four shots. That streak ended following a turnover and fast break layup by the Blue Devils, making it a 9-point game. Arkansas turned it over again on the next possession, but Blocker forced a steal, sending us to the U4 media timeout. Couldn’t come at a better time for the Hogs.
FINAL – Arkansas 80, Duke 75
Brazile just knocked down a 3 late in the shot clock to push the lead back to 12 with 2:16 left.
Battle picks up his fourth foul on a 3-point shooter. Unnecessary foul. Roach made only 2 of 3 free throws, missing the last one, and Brazile grabbed the rebound.
Another stall-ball turnover leads to a layup by Duke, cutting the lead to 9.
The Hogs managed to beat the press, barely, and Battle was fouled. He made only 1 of 2.
Filipowski drains his first 3 of the night and Duke immediately calls a timeout. It’s a 7-point game with 1:11 remaining.
Arkansas commits a 10-second violation and Filipowski scores. Five-point game.
Another turnover and Roach is fouled. He made 1 of 2. Four-point game.
The Hogs barely get it across the line in time and Ellis is fouled with 37.9 seconds left. He made both.
Roach missed a layup, but Filipowski tipped it back in. Back to a four-point game.
Ellis splits a double-team and is fouled with 24.2 seconds left. He made only 1 of 2. Five-point game.
Filipowski is fouled on a drive to the basket with 17.4 seconds left. He made both free throws. Three-point game.
Arkansas breaks the press and Davis is fouled with 15.4 seconds left. He made 1 of 2. Four-point game.
Duke missed a 3 and Battle came down with the rebound. He’s immediately fouled with 5.0 seconds remaining. He made only 1 of 2. Five-point game.
Arkansas steals the long in bound and that’s the game.
FINAL STATS


HALFTIME STATS


Starting Lineups
Duke Basketball | Arkansas Basketball |
---|---|
#0 – Jared McCain – G | #3 – El Ellis – G |
#3 – Jeremy Roach – G | #4 – Davonte Davis – G |
#5 – Tyrese Proctor – G | #24 – Jeremiah Davenport – G |
#25 – Mark Mitchell – F | #2 – Trevon Brazile – F |
#30 – Kyle Filipowski – C | #8 – Chandler Lawson – F |
How to Watch Arkansas vs Duke
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 29
Location: Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Tipoff Time/TV: 8:15 p.m. CT (ESPN)
ESPN BPI: Duke has a 52.3% chance of winning, favored by 0.6 points.
Betting Line: Duke, -4.5 | O/U 149.5 (BetSaracen)
ACC/SEC Challenge Schedule and Scores
Tuesday
- South Carolina 65, Notre Dame 53
- Georgia Tech 67, Mississippi State 59
- Syracuse 80, LSU 57
- Kentucky 95, Miami 73
- Missouri 71, Pitt 64
- Ole Miss 72, North Carolina State 52
- Clemson 85, Alabama 77
Wednesday
- Florida vs Wake Forest
- Texas A&M vs Virginia
- Tennessee vs North Carolina
- Vanderbilt vs Boston College
- Georgia vs Florida State
- Auburn vs Virginia Tech
- Arkansas vs Duke
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