FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Coming off a convincing 91-71 win over Indiana State in the first round of the 2014 NIT bracket, No. 3 seed Arkansas will now head west to take on No. 2 seed California in the second round on Monday at 10 p.m. CT on ESPN2. The Golden Bears defeated Utah Valley on Wednesday night to earn a home showdown with the Razorbacks.
Monday’s meeting will be the second between the two teams this season, as they met in the opener of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational in November. California (20-13) got the best of Arkansas by an 85-77 margin and went on to finish in a tie for third in the Pac-12 standings.
Arkansas earned its 22nd win over the season on Monday night behind a program NIT record and career-high 28 points from sophomore Anthlon Bell that included six three-pointers. Bell’s career-night highlighted a season-high six players in double figures for the Razorbacks as they picked up their first postseason win since 2008.
The NIT appearance is the third in program history for the Razorbacks, as they are 5-3 all-time in the NIT. All five wins have come in Fayetteville, while Arkansas advanced to Madison Square Garden in its last NIT appearance in 1997.
Through the first two nights of postseason play in the NCAA Tournament, NIT and CBI combined, the SEC is 6-0. The SEC accounts for four of the 16 teams remaining in the NIT field.
AT A GLANCE
After facing California just one time over the first 90 years in program history, Arkansas will take on the Golden Bears for the second time this season on Monday in the second round of the NIT at Haas Pavilion. Led by a program NIT record and career-high 28 points from sophomore ANTHLON BELL, the No. 3 seed Razorbacks defeated No. 6 seed Indiana State, 91-71, in the first round of the NIT. The postseason win was the first since 2008 for the Razorbacks.
Razorback FAST BREAK FACTS
OFFENSE
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THE #FASTEST40
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coach Anderson.
teams accomplish the feat.
season.
AGAINST THE NIT FIELD
The Razorbacks squared off against eight teams in the 32-team NIT field this season, going 6-5 over the 11 games. Of those eight teams, seven advanced to the second round. All four SEC teams in the field advanced to the second round, marking the first time in league history four teams have survived the first round.
Arkansas
California
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA
• Advanced to the postseason all six years under head coach Mike Montgomery.
• Cal is the only team in the Pac-12 that has finished in the top 4 in the league standings each of the
last six years under Montgomery.
• Defeated Utah Valley 77-64 in the first round of the NIT.
• Won the NIT in 1999 and reached Madison Square Garden in 1987 and 2000.
• Own a 14-4 record at Haas Pavilion this season.
• Six players averaging 7.5 points or better, including four in double figures.
• Senior Justin Cobbs earned All-Pac-12 first team honors and is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award.
• Cobbs is the Pac-12 active assist leader and third in Cal program history after recently passing
Jason Kidd.
• All-Pac-12 honorable mention choice Richard Solomon missed Cal’s last game with a concussion.
• Solomon is one of just three players in the six BCS conferences to average a double-double at 11.0
points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
STARTING 5 QUICK 5 HITS
#00 Rashad Madden (G)
• Team leader at 12.6 points per game and 2.9 assists.
• Reached double figures 24 times vs. 12 total in first two years.
• Led in scoring a team-best 10 times.
• Has 48 threes after 24 combined his first two years.
• Team-high 142 free throw attempts, making 59 of last 68.
#05 Anthlon Bell (G)
• Coming off a program NIT record 28-point game vs. Indiana St.
• Averaging 12.8 points over the last seven games.
• Has 90 points in 116 minutes played the last seven games.
• Set career-high for points three times in the last seven games.
• Team leader with 49 three-pointers, making 14 of his last 23.
#12 Fred Gulley III (G)
• Hasn’t committed a turnover in the last month.
• Has just 12 turnovers in his last 576 minutes played.
• No turnovers in 15 of the last 19 games, including seven straight.
• Has a positive or equal assist/turnover ratio in all but two games.
• Committed no turnovers in 22 games.
#04 Coty Clarke (F)
• Reached double figures in nine of the last 11 games.
• Averaging 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
• Named SEC Player of the Week on March 3.
• Top four scoring performances came in SEC play – 23 vs. Georgia.
• Has team-bests for boards (14), assists (7) & steals (5) in a game.
#10 Bobby Portis (F)
• Set a new Arkansas freshman record for rebounds with 220.
• All-SEC second team choice and All-Freshman team selection.
• Named to the USBWA All-District VII team.
• Three-time SEC Freshman of the Week – Dec. 9, Jan. 6 & Feb. 10.
• Only Razorback to start all 33 games.
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Third among SEC freshman and eighth overall at a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game, BOBBY PORTIS recently broke the Arkansas freshman single-season record for rebounds and currently has 220. Portis broke the record in style, hauling in a season-high 13 caroms against Indiana State in the first round of the NIT. Portis grabbed 123 rebounds over 18 league games, good for the sixth-best total in program SEC single-season history.