DES MOINES, Iowa – In a game that came down to the final minute, Kansas fell to Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, 72-71, inside of Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
No. 1 seeded Kansas led for nearly 35 minutes, but the No. 8 seeded Arkansas Razorbacks outscored the Jayhawks down the stretch, including 45-36 in the second half. Arkansas overcame a 12-point second half deficit led by 25 points from Davonte Davis to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16.
Kansas outshot Arkansas, as the Jayhawks shot 48% (24-of-50), while the Razorbacks shot 41% (24-of-58). Kansas ends the season 24-3 when outshooting its opponent.
Kansas was led by 20 points from redshirt junior Jalen Wilson, who registered his seventh-straight 20+ point performance, which was the longest streak in the NCAA Tournament. Wilson was joined in double-figures scoring by sophomore forward KJ Adams Jr. (14 points), redshirt senior Kevin McCullar Jr. (13 points) and redshirt junior Dajuan Harris Jr. (12 points).
The loss ends Kansas’ season at 28-8, after winning the National Championship in 2022. The Jayhawks were crowned Big 12 Regular Season Champions with a 13-5 record in Big 12 play.
Arkansas will advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 to play the winner of No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s and No. 4 seed UConn in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 23-24.
