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Arkansas advances to quarterfinal round of SEC Tournament with close win over Auburn
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Arkansas managed to will its way to a hard fought win over Auburn on Thursday. The Razorbacks escaped with a 76-73 victory to advance to the next round of the SEC Tournament.
While Nick Smith Jr. didn’t lead his team in scoring, he made his fair share of big time shots when it counted most. Arkansas used Smith’s talents well on an alley-oop finish during the opening minutes of the second half.
This sequence topped off with a Nick Smith Jr. alley-oop finish ?@lif3nick | @RazorbackMBB pic.twitter.com/l32o8AoQMr
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 10, 2023
The Razorbacks used their defense to create some offense as Smith capitalized on some soft defense from Auburn. Smith went on to finish the game with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Hot start pic.twitter.com/7urCv4DPZk
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball ? (@RazorbackMBB) March 10, 2023
Whenever Arkansas found some momentum on offense Smith was at the forefront. It’s not hard to see how Smith was able to average a little over 13 points per game this season.
Time and time again Smith answered the call, stepping up when his team needed him. Shots like this are why the Razorbacks were able to keep pace.
RESPONSE pic.twitter.com/FJloEL2TL1
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball ? (@RazorbackMBB) March 10, 2023
Smith eventually made a go-ahead midrange bucket with under a minute to go in the second half to put the game on ice. Arkansas added two more points off of free throws to seal the deal.
Nick Smith Jr. is CLUTCH‼️@lif3nick | @RazorbackMBB pic.twitter.com/EHYM7bhkIf
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 10, 2023
Arkansas will be playing Texas A&M in the next round of the SEC Tournament on Friday. Tipoff from Nashville, Tennessee will be at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
Grant Bricker was a former freelancer for The News TN in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. He now freelances for Saturday Football. Follow on Twitter @GrantBricker.
