So many times before, Gary Ervin had come up short in the clutch. There was the 78-76 loss to Texas last season when he drove to the basket and was fouled, but missed two free throws.

And who could forget the ill-fated shot attempt near the end of regulation he launched in a 74-72 loss at Ole Miss last January, when he challenged two players more than a foot taller than him ?

However, when it mattered most Sunday in Arkansas' 71-67 overtime victory over Alabama at Bud Walton Arena, Ervin came up big not once, but twice.

With the Razorbacks trailing 64-62, Ervin connected on a 3-pointer with 1: 29 left in the overtime period. On Arkansas' ensuing possession, Ervin caught a pass from Sonny Weems on a fast break and then banked in a layup while being fouled by Alabama guard Mykal Riley. Ervin made the ensuing free throw to give the Razorbacks a 67-64 lead and enough momentum to hang on for the victory.

" He has confidence, " said senior guard Sonny Weems. " The coaches have confidence in him. We have confidence in him. We're behind him 100 percent, even if he doesn't make a shot the whole day. But that was a big one for us. "

Ervin wasn't a likely candidate to play the role of hero Sunday. Before making the 3-pointer, he had only converted two of his previous 11 field goal attempts. Ervin, though, was determined to leave his mark on the game.

" I definitely was having a bad shooting night, " said Ervin, who scored 12 points and made three steals. " I had missed a lot of wide-open shots. It was hard to stay confident. I was really looking for a pick-and-roll. But once their big guy didn't step out, I thought I had wideopen shot. And I was still confident enough to take it. "

Had it been last season, though, the shot would have likely caromed off the rim. It was last year when Ervin earned a reputation for failing to produce in late-game situations - so much so that former Arkansas coach Stan Heath had ordered the point guard to not take any last-second shots when the game's outcome was on the line.

That's one of the reasons why Alabama coach Mark Gottfried wasn't too disappointed when Ervin released the 3-point shot that provided Arkansas with its last lead of the game.

" You play the percentages a little bit, " Gottfried said. " We weren't backing off of him intentionally. His 3-pointer was a big shot. He stepped up and did it. "

For Ervin, it was some sweet redemption, and his teammates recognized that.

" He hit the big shot, " Weems yelled at reporters as he left the media room following the game.

But Arkansas coach John Pelphrey wasn't quite as enthusiastic when asked about Ervin's heroics. He said his senior point guard must keep his performance down the stretch in perspective.

" For him to keep playing and make that three, good for him, " Pelphrey said. " I don't want to place labels on him. It's one basket. "

But it was a big one and for one night at least Ervin can relish the fact he came through when it counted.