I don't like mentioning I am right a lot (because I am not), but I told you all in my scout notes that Arkansas was a poor shooting team. They shot 2-10 from 3 and 65% from the FT line. Alabama's sag defense worked extremely well and their length caused so many problems. The refs made most of the game about them with 45 combined fouls called and 59 free throws shot, but overall it was a very competitive game.
In the first half, Arkansas faceguarded Brandon Miller and he didn't half a single shot attempt, yet was tied 33-33. Nate Oats made an awesome adjustment on getting Miller the ball more, and he ended up with 14 points on 4 shots. Mark Sears is incredible. He shot 10-10 from the FT line and scored 26 points with 3 steals. He has become a very good two way player and has carried the team at times. Noah Clowney also played a great game, especially when Bediako picked up his 4th foul in the second half. He led a mini-run that put Alabama back up by 11 and it never got close again.
Alabama is a better team all-around than Arkansas and you saw that tonight. They're deeper, more talented, and can shoot a lot better as well. You just had to hope the stage wasn't too big for them, but they have been battle tested so much that this doesn't faze them anymore. What a win for the Tide.