Duke vs Arkansas: 2022 NCAA Tournament game preview, TV schedule

Both Duke and Arkansas overcame some big-time opponents in their respective Sweet 16 matchups. But which of them will get the spot in the Final Four?

TV schedule: Saturday, March 26th, 8:49 pm ET. TBS

Arena: Chase Center in San Francisco, California

While there was a ton of upsets in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the top teams in the West Region all were all still alive by the Sweet 16, setting up a pair of big matchups between Arkansas vs Gonzaga and Duke vs Texas Tech.

In the first game, Gonzaga looked to be in somewhat control early on but the Razorbacks made a run to get back and eventually take the leading heading into halftime. While the Bulldogs came into the game with a top-tier scoring offense, Arkansas’ defense flustered them enough to force turnovers and go cold from deep.

JD Notae took a ton of shots (29) but made enough of them to lead the Razorbacks to a 74-68 upset win. He had 21 points and six assists, while big man Jaylin Williams had 15 points and 12 rebounds while holding his own against Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren. The unsung hero of the game was Trey Wade, who had 15 points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes, 10 more than he played in the first two games of the NCAA Tournament.

That makes it back-to-back Elite 8 appearances for Arkansas, who now has the tough task of ending Coach K’s career at Duke. The Blue Devils were the 2 seed in the West Region but technically were underdogs against Texas Tech on betting odds. Many thought the matchup was to the Red Raiders’ advantage and it looked that way early on with a 10-2 lead in the first couple of minutes.

But Duke refused to go away, quickly tying it up and going blow-for-blow with Texas Tech. All five starters finished the game in double figures and each played a big role throughout the game. Paolo Banchero had a game-high 22 points, while big man Mark Williams had 12 second-half points (16 total). In the end though, it was sophomore guard, Jeremy Roach that had the shots of the game late to allow the Blue Devils to prevail, 78-73 to make the Elite 8. Roach finished with 15 points and five assists on 7/11 shooting from the field.

The most impressive part was the Blue Devils not missing a shot in the final few minutes of the game, finding a way to push through the “no middle” defense. That’s a good size against another strong defense in Arkansas, who is good in their own right but doesn’t have the length inside to prevent Banchero and Williams from going off.

Notae will need to go for 25+ to get the win and I think Trevor Keels and Wendell Moore will hold him in check. Never doubt head coach Eric Musselman and the Razorbacks but there’s no way Coach K’s career doesn’t end at least in the Final Four, which is where they’ll end up after this game.

Prediction: Duke 80, Arkansas 68