Arkansas stuns No. 1 seed Kansas, advances to Sweet Sixteen of NCAA Tournament

For the second time in as many days, a No. 1 seed has been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. This time, it was Arkansas pulling off the upset — and in thrilling fashion.

The Razorbacks stunned No. 1 seed Kansas 72-71 in Des Moines Saturday night to punch their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen. It wasn’t easy, but they completed the comeback and will play on to the second weekend.

This will be the Razorbacks’ third straight trip to the second weekend.

ARKANSAS TAKES DOWN 1-SEED AND DEFENDING CHAMPION KANSAS! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/3pqO3Wvpek

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 18, 2023

The two teams traded blows late in the second half, both trying to create separation to survive and advance. Arkansas then grabbed the lead, 67-65, after a huge put-back from Kamani Johnson with 51 seconds left. But a Razorbacks foul led to two free throws from Jalen Wilson to tie things back up.

Ricky Council IV shot two free throws of his own after that, but missed the first one. However, he followed the shot and wound up getting the offensive rebound — and drew another foul in the process. He hit both ensuing foul shots to put Arkansas up three.

Wilson shot two more free throws with eight seconds left to cut it to 70-69, and Council went back to the line after that and made it a three-point game again. Although Wilson made two free throws at the end, Kansas never got another shot after that and ended up falling short. The Jayhawks are heading home, and the Razorbacks are moving on.

Inside the box score: Arkansas upsets Kansas

Kansas took a 35-27 lead into halftime and led by as many as 12 points. But the Razorbacks kicked things into gear in the second half, outscoring the Jayhawks 45-36 after the break to punch their ticket to Las Vegas for the regional semifinals.

Council and Davonte Davis led the charge for Arkansas on offense, combining for 46 points. Davis led all scorers with 25 points, including 21 in the second half. Council added 21 of his own to go with six rebounds and four assists.

Wilson did all he could to keep Kansas in the driver’s seat, leading the Jayhawks with 20 points. KJ Adams added 14 and Kevin McCullar had 13 as Kansas shot 48% from the field.

This marks Arkansas’ third straight trip to the Sweet Sixteen under Musselman and the second consecutive tournament the Razorbacks beat a No. 1 seed. They beat Gonzaga last year in the Sweet Sixteen, and they did it again by beating Kansas in this year’s Round of 32.

Now, Arkansas will await its next opponent. The Razorbacks will face the winner of No. 4 seed UConn vs. No. 5 seed St. Mary’s, which tips off Sunday at 6:10 p.m. ET on TNT.