Fayetteville-Billy Richmond III played the role of Savior while the Basketball of Arkansas beat the Mississippi State 93-92 on Saturday.
The recruit scored 10 points and collected six assists, but it also provided a final defensive game in the last seconds.
With the Razorbacks (19-12, 8-10 seconds) leading 93-92 after a frank lance made by Jonas Aidoo, Riley Kugel rushed towards the basket in search of a winning basket, to be blocked by Richmond at the edge. The 6 -feet 5 -inch goalkeeper denied the shot with his weak hand, and the attempted follow -up of RJ Melendez missed like Arkansa Has hung a victory that could be enough to push this team into the NCAA tournament.
“I thought Billy was great,” said John Calipari. “The last block wins a match, has shot.”
More: Where is Arkansas basketball in March Madness Bracketology entering the regular season final
More: Jonas Aidoo offers domination in the victory of Arkansas basketball over the state of Mississippi
Richmond’s defense was a constant throughout the season, so his winning block was not a surprise, but his rise on the offensive side provided the pigs an essential boost.
Richmond managed to go and finish around the basket. The three of his goals on the ground led the Layups, and he went 4 out of 4 of the Franc Lunches.
“Each time he rides in the match, we are running. We are starting to get stops and things like that. He therefore played very well,” said Dj Wagner, who scored a 24 -point summit in victory.
Wagner is the starting point of the absence of a fland boogie, but Richmond is the backup. It was from top to bottom in this role this season, sometimes mixing too many reversals with its explosive game.
There was no shortage of discharge dunks this year, and Saturday, Calipari was again impressed by his first year player.
“Billy, once again, go. By doing each frank throw. Then make a fault. Go to the basket like him, be able to play the leader,” said Calipari. “He was never a leader. But you are at seven, who else?”
He also fought cramps in the last minutes, and Richmond had to be swept away by his teammates when the final buzzer struck.
His colleagues Razorbacks appreciated the dedication.
“It’s just the type of teammate he is,” said Wagner. “The type of person he is. He’s going to give everything on the line, while playing for his teammates.”
Jackson Fuller covers football, basketball and Arkansas baseball for the Southwest Times Record, which is part of the USA Today network. Join it at jugler@gannett.com or follow it @ jacksonfuller16 On X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: The Billy Richmond block saves Arkansas basketball against the state of the Mississippi
(Tagstranslate) Mississippi State (T) John Calipari (T) Arkansas (T) Jonas Aidoo (T) thought that Billy (T) Meneur (T) Richmond (T) Billy Richmond (T) Razorbacks (T) Riley Kugel (T) RJ Melendez (T) DJ Wagner (T)
