PORTLAND, Ore. — Two-hundred fifty one days later and 2,678 miles away, Arkansas will get its rematch with North Carolina.
The Razorbacks’ 92-83 win over Oklahoma and North Carolina’s 102-78 victory over Portland on Thursday in the opening round of the Phil Knight Invitational set the stage for a Victory Bracket semifinal showdown between two teams that met in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Greenville, S.C., in March.
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North Carolina rallied late in that meeting, scoring the final 12 points in a 72-65 win on its way to winning the national title. Arkansas will have its chance for some Portland payback, but downplayed that narrative after beating OU.
“This game has nothing to do with what took place last year,” coach Mike Anderson said. “They’re the national championship team. That’s what they are. There won’t be (another) crowned until at the end of the year, so it’s a tremendous opportunity for us.
“We know the challenge, but it’s a great opportunity and it’s one I’m sure our guys are looking forward to.”
Arkansas senior guards Daryl Macon, Anton Beard and Jaylen Barford combined for 38 points in the matchup a year ago. The Razorbacks have released videos featuring the loss and stressing the resulting motivation on social media for the last few months, but Macon was reserved when asked about the rematch after the victory over the Sooners.
“We’re just going to take it as another game,” Macon said. “Yeah, we played them last year. We lost to them. But we also have to give them their respect. They’re national champions. So we’re just going to go out there tomorrow and just play with the same intensity we played with tonight.”