Riley right at home in Walton

Mykal Riley of Pine Bluff was unable to push Alabama over the top in the Crimson Tide’s comeback attempt, but he came close in the Razorbacks’ 71-67 overtime victory Sunday.

After picking up his fourth foul less than two minutes into the second half, Riley still managed to play a pivotal role in helping Alabama overcome a 12-point deficit. He scored seven consecutive points late in the game, including a game-tying three-pointer with 18. 7 seconds left in regulation and the Tide’s first four points in overtime.

Riley, a 6-6 senior guard, hit 4 of 6 three-pointers to finish with 16 points and 6 rebounds.

“I was trying to zero in and play hard to get the win,” Riley said. “I tried to get that fourth foul out of my mind. I had to play smart, and I did.

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“ I’ve got to give credit to Arkansas. They stepped up at the end, and we just came up a little short.”

After his last three-pointer sent the game into overtime, Riley hit two free throws and scored on a runner to give Alabama its only leads of the game.

Riley had about 25 relatives and friends in attendance, including his parents. A graduate of Pine Bluff High School, Riley played at Panola Junior College in Carthage, Texas, for two years before joining the Tide and said the Razorbacks offered him a scholarship after he had already committed to Alabama.

“It’s kind of exciting,” Riley said. “I didn’t play for Arkansas, but I’m glad I still got to play here at Bud Walton.” January madness

EA Sports led off its “NCAA March Madness” project with a visit to Walton Arena on Sunday.

Tyler Vaught, a 2002 Arkansas graduate who serves as a product manager for EA Sports, began his tour of five universities around the nation with a stop at his alma mater. His goal is to glean enough details about each of the arenas for the company to accurately reproduce them for its college basketball video game, “NCAA March Madness 09.”

Vaught lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, where the company produces all of its basketball games. He said he helped decide which arenas EA Sports will incorporate into this year’s version of the game. “I had a little say, but it

s to be there,” Vaught said of Walton Arena. “I’ve been to hundreds of games here. I always remember coming here and it being not just a basketball game but an event.” Steele around Ronald Steele, a preseason All-America guard for Alabama last year, is sitting out the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on both knees for a condition that hampered him the entire 2006-2007 season. Steele accompanied the Crimson Tide on its first SEC road trip of the year. Steele’s rehabilitation has progressed to the point where he has begun practicing with the team. “I think this way will work out for the best,” Steele said, pointing out he will be able to play his senior season with his brother, Andrew Steele, a Tide signee. Crashing the boards

Patrick Beverley cooled off in the shooting and scoring departments Sunday, but he still found a way to make his mark for the Razorbacks.

After hitting 9 of 14 threepointers and averaging 15 points over the past two games, Beverley scored just 6 points against Alabama. However, he tied his career high of 13 rebounds set on Dec. 12, 2007, against Texas-San Antonio.

“We talked before the game about how [Richard ] Hendrix and [Alonzo ] Gee are both averaging four offensive rebounds a game,” Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey said. “I said some guard had to get 8-10 rebounds, and Patrick goes out and gets 13.”

Beverley dislocated his jaw in the first half but still played a productive 15 minutes after halftime. Pelphrey said he expects Beverley not to miss any time with the injury.

Odds and ends Sunday’s victory represented Arkansas’ first overtime game since the Razorbacks defeated Southern Illinois 61-53 at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 23, 2006.... Alabama assistant James Holland played alongside legendary figures Curly Neal and Geese Ausbie with the Harlem Globetrotters from 1982-1983. Holland has 23 years of experience as an assistant coach and spent a year as an NBA scout with the Washington Wizards in 2003-2004.