Indiana outlasts Arkansas to advance in NIT

Devonte Green put up 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead top-seeded Indiana past fifth-seeded Arkansas 63-60 in an NIT second-round game on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, Ind. The Hoosiers (19-15) advanced to the tournament quarterfinals, where they'll meet the winner of Sunday afternoon's second-round game between No. 2 Clemson and No. 6 Wichita State. Indiana went without a field goal for the last 5:50, while Arkansas' field goal drought extended to the final 6:58. A long 3-point attempt from Jalen Harris at the buzzer was no good for the Razorbacks. Mason Jones made a pair of free throws with 6.1 seconds left to pull Arkansas to within 61-60 with 6.1 seconds to go. Green made a pair moments later to account for the final margin. Juwan Morgan added 15 points and De'Ron Davis chipped in 10 points for the Hoosiers, who avenged a regular season loss to the Razorbacks (18-16). Desi Sills scored 18 points and Isaiah Joe added 12 for Arkansas, which shot 19 for 55 (34.5 percent) compared to 21 for 51 (41.2 percent) for Indiana. The Razorbacks grabbed a 43-37 lead on Jalen Harris' second-chance layup with 15:57 to go, but the Hoosiers' Rob Phinisee helped steer Indiana back, scoring or assisting on 10 straight Indiana points over the next 3:56. Sills drilled a 3-pointer off an offensive rebound to put the Razorbacks in front 51-49 at the 9:10 mark. But Arkansas never led again. The Hoosiers' largest advantage was seven points down the stretch. Indiana held on despite making just 15 of 24 free throws (62.5 percent). Arkansas led by as many as nine points in the first half. Morgan split a pair of free throws with 4:34 to go before halftime to tie the game at 25. Two more Morgan free throws capped a 10-3 Indiana run that allowed the Hoosiers to take a 30-28 lead into the break. Arkansas edged visiting Indiana 73-72 when the teams met in the regular season on Nov. 18, as a Mason Jones free throw with 2.5 seconds to go provided the final margin. The Razorbacks, who led by 10 with just over 15:06 to play, withstood a late rally from the Hoosiers, who won nine of their next 10 games following the loss. --Field Level Media