FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Missouri basketball program had never beaten three straight nationally ranked opponents before coming to Arkansas this week — and still hasn’t. The No. 20 Tigers’ quest to vanquish three consecutive ranked foes collapsed Wednesday under a smothering red wave at Bud Walton Arena, where No. 13 Arkansas erased a 17-point first-half deficit in a 74-68 victory.
In the early candidate for the best SEC game of the young conference season, Arkansas did just enough at the free throw line and on the defensive end to outlast the Tigers in front of a deafening BWA crowd.
The Tigers traveled south hoping to start 2-0 in SEC play for the first time since joining the league, but in a game that got chippy at times and pivotal fouls helped swing momentum, Dennis Gates’ team couldn’t hold off Arkansas’ second-half surge. The Razorbacks (12-2, 1-1 SEC) won their fifth straight in the series — with the rematch just around the corner on Jan. 18 at Mizzou Arena.
