Live Blog: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. TCU Horned Frogs

Hogs travel to Dickies Arena in Fort Worth for exhibition showdown

The Arkansas Razorbacks take in the final moments of their warm-up at Dickies Arena 45 minutes before an exhibition game against the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth. / Kent Smith | Hogs on SI Images

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Arkansas Razorbacks are in Fort Worth to see if they can replicate last week's surprising blowout win over No. 1 Kansas in exhibition play.

The thought was this would be the first opportunity for the Hogs to see how they hold together in front of a road crowd. However, at 6 p.m., the line out front was all Razorbacks and with a half hour to go before the game, there are two purple shirts in a large contingent of red.

Arkansas fans fill up the line outside Dickies Arena an hour before an exhibition game against the TCU Horned Frogs on Nov. 1, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. / Kent Smith | Hogs on SI Images

One fan in the arena will get to ask a question of Arkansas coach John Calipari by scanning a QR code on the video board. They are supposed to do that for TCU also, but there didn't appear to be an TCU fans in the building when that promo ran.

STARTING LINE-UP

Arkansas starting line-up / Statbroadcast.com

TCU starting line-up / Statbroadcast.com

Five minutes until tip and the official count is 18 TCU fans and maybe 1,000 Razorbacks fans. The crowd is now being treated to the Razorbacks' home arena hype video just with less sound quality than in Bud Walton as they're trying to keep it down so the Horned Frogs don't feel so bad a couple of miles from their campus.

First quarter

Boogie Fland is already up to no good as he almosts comes up with the steal and a fast break before knocking it away out of bounds near mid-court on the Horned Frogs' opening possession. Ivisic then blocked TCU's opening shot.

However, it's the Hogs who give up the first turnover leading to an ally-oop before Ivisic gives the Razorbacks the lead by banking a three from the top of the key. Arkansas leads it 3-2 with 8:19 to play in the first quarter.

Thiero then takes the fast break pass down the right side to the rim for the dunk to make it 5-3. He then continues his hot streak by blowing past two Horned frogs before laying it off the glass while being fouled by Noah Reynolds. Arkansas had a lane violation, but it didn't matter because the free throw was missed anyway, leaving the Hogs up 7-2.

Oh my 😮 pic.twitter.com/1SSHWmDgt6

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) November 2, 2024

Whilte knocks down a three for TCU, then Allette hits another and it's now a 9-8 game as the outside shots aren't falling for the Hogs. Punch then hits a reverse lay-up over Ivisic and TCU has clawed back into the lead 10-9.

Collins hits another three for the Horned Frogs and the Arkansas perimeter game has disappeared on both ends of the floor. Thiero is able to roll a jumper in the paint through the net to keep the Hogs close at 13-11.

During the timeout, the arena put the TCU coach on the video board showing all of his plays and blasting everything he is telling his players to do as load as possible. It doesn't get more exhibition than that.

A lil and 1 action from Adou pic.twitter.com/Vq9wniDxuA

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) November 2, 2024

Arkansas is finally back in the lead. Theiro, who has eight of the Hogs' 15 points knocks down a three. He then misses a tomahawk jam that goes out to Fland who dishes it to Davis in the corner for three and Arkansas leads 19-17 with 19.9 left in the corner, giving what is now a somewhat sizeable Razorbacks crowd the chance to call the Hogs.

By the end of the first quarter, the Arkansas crowd had grown, but the TCU supporters didn't. / Kent Smith | Hogs on SI Images

Second Quarter

Thiero takes a defender down the baseline and dishes it off to a charging Billy Richmond for the lay-up, but the Hogs give up a lay-up on the other end to Allette as TCU holds onto the lead 25-22.

Davis finds Thiero for the dunk while being fouled in the process and as much as it was Fland's coming out last week, it's Thiero's party tonight. He has 14. And there's Richmond making himself known on the ally-oop and the Hogs lead 29-27.

Thats a badddd man pic.twitter.com/V7deNDEaMK

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) November 2, 2024

During the timeout, Calipari pointed at Knox and told his assistants that if he doesn't guard, he's not going to play. The players have noticed Calipari is on the board and he told his players it's OK because he's not swearing and punching before asking "Are they watching us?" before covering his mouth with both hands as the crowd got loud in response to his question.

Arkansas guard Boogie Fland knocks down a free throw against TCU at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. / Cannon Smith | Hogs on SI Images

Knox may be getting judged on his defense, but his catch and shoot three from the right corner looked silky smooth to put Arkansas up 35-31 in the final three minutes of the half. Knox hits a jumper with 22 seconds left to send the Hogs into the break up 39-31.

Have to admit, the Arkansas crowd outnumbers TCU several hundred to one, but it is as dead in Fort Worth as a 3-day-old crushed armadillo on Highway 63. Just no buzz to this Texas based Razorbacks bunch.

Halftime Stats

Arkansas first half stats vs. TCU / Statbroadcast.com

TCU first half stats vs. Arkansas / Statbroadcast.com

3rd Quarter

During the break, Arkansas fans and TCU fans, which rarely show animosity toward one another, were bonding in the lobby over their disdain of both Texas and Texas A&M. The language was colorful to say the least.

Johnell Davis hits a three on the fast break to put the Hogs up 49-38 midway through the quarter. Davis now has six points on 2-of-5 shooting, but has an encouraging 2-for-2 mark from beyond the arc tonight.

During a break a pair of softball questions "from the fans" were asked of TCU's Coach Dixon. He was asked for his favorite barbecue joint in Fort Worth.

Trying to win a little love with the arena sponsor, he said it was Dickey's Barbecue. There's only one problem. The arena is sponsored by Dickies, the apparel company.

Thiero responds by doing what he's done all night — put points on the board. He goes baseline for the reverse lay-up while being fould and knocks down the free throw to put Arkansas up 52-41. Davis then accepts his challenges and raises him with his first lay-up of the night and for the first time all night, a respectable Hog Call has risen up with the fans as the Razorbacks stretch it to 13 with 1:48 to play in the third quarter.

Theiro currently leads all scorers with 18 points. It should be noted that before the third quarter could end, Trevon Brazile got his fifth foul to go with four points.

The Horned Frogs score eight straight to close out the final minute and change of the quarter to make this interesting going into the fourth quarter with the Hogs up, 54-49.

Fourth Quarter

Ivisic blocks a shot by Allette basically with his elbow, but Theiro got off his feet and was called for the foul just prior to the block. Although Allette missed the free throw, he took advantage of an Arkansas turnover by Ivisic for a lay-up, then hit a three seconds later to cut the lead to 56-54 and the Hogs are on their heels.

Calipari has seen enough. He wants a word with his players and there is a lot of pointed teaching going on down in that huddle.

Fland, who has been somewhat quiet tonight after a big debut, drives the paint and appears to float up a lob, but it gets swatted and Collins cruises in for the lay-up on the other end to make it 60-58 as the Hogs cling to a lead they've been nursing since early in the second quarter.

During the timeout, instead of talking to his players, Calipari had to take his own softball question from a fan. This one was what is he most looking forward to as Arkansas coach.

His response was these types of games where he can see what type of players he has. He then praised TCU for how well they are playing.

"Who can throw some daggers?" Calipari closed. "Who can make the easy play?"

Fland answers Calipari's remarks with a three before shouting out to the Arkansas crowd, but the Hogs allow TCU to run down the floor and throw another ally-oop to make it 63-60 before fans can even acknowledge Fland.

Brazile gets power blocked from behind by Udeh, then Udeh issues another swat, this time for Wagner, on the next possession, then Ivisic blocks one for Arkansas before the Hogs turn it over, then the Frogs turn it over, then the Hogs turn it over, then the Hogs kick it out of bounds trying for another steal. It's just getting ugly in here.

It's 65-63 Arkansas heading into the final 1:30 and the DJ just took a blah crowd and got everyone dancing around. It's going to be an interesting finish.

Green down the baseline, swings it out to Davis in the corner adn it's off the front of the rim. Ivisic misses a three from up top on the next possession, but Wenzel buries a three over Fland to make it 66-65 TCU with under 10 seconds to play.

Arkansas gets a timeout on its end of the floor and will try to set up a final shot. TCU wants a little gamesmanship and calls its own timeout after the Hogs line up to take it in with 5.9 left to play.

Ball in to Fland and it's the second team foul, so no way to go to the line. Hogs will inbound with four seconds now. It goes to Fland and they foul him again. Arkansas throws it in with 1.8, don't get much of a look and that's the game.

Hogs fans are quickly making their way out of the arena after watching a 1-point loss that won't count.

Arkansas Final Stats / statbroadcast.com

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