Colgate men’s basketball overwhelmed by Arkansas during first-round NCAA tournament loss

Colgate hadn’t seen anything close to this. The Raiders put a brief scare into Arkansas anyway.

After playing just five Patriot League opponents in preparation for the NCAA tournament, No. 14 seed Colgate battled during an 85-68 first-round loss to No. 3 seed Arkansas (23-6) in Indianapolis.

Ultimately, Arkansas’ athleticism gave it a gear the Raiders (14-2) couldn’t match, a useful tool to both erase a 14-point first-half deficit and pull away over the game’s final nine minutes.

Unlike most seasons, when Colgate would have faced a few opponents with Arkansas’ level of athleticism during the non-conference portion of its season, the Raiders’ preparation included turning the ball over infrequently against a mix of five different Patriot League opponents, a limited schedule put in place to minimize travel during the coronavirus.

Playing against a different level of competition, Colgate committed 22 turnovers against Arkansas, many during the critical conclusions of each half.

Arkansas outscored Colgate 27-10 over the final 8 minutes and 33 seconds, pulling away for the win. It was a similar pattern in the first half when Colgate worked to build a 14-point lead, only to watch the Razorbacks erase it over the final 5 minutes of the half.

Despite leading 33-19 with 5:30 remaining in the first half, Colgate found itself trailing by three at halftime and saddled with foul trouble to star Jordan Burns and center Jeff Woodward.

While Colgate played at a fast tempo against the Patriot League peers, Arkansas delivered a different level of challenge.

That was especially true of 6-foot-7 forward Justin Smith, who scored a game-high 29 points, taking advantage of Colgate’s lack of an athletic interior player. He added 13 rebounds and five steals. Jalen Tate, a 6-foot-6 guard and former Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, also was critical, helping limit Colgate star Jordan Burns to 4-for-13 shooting.

After slow starts by both teams, Colgate gave the game a jolt of drama by building an early 14-point lead and capitalizing on strong low-post play and strong shooting.

Jack Ferguson, one of three seniors on the team whose only Division I offer out of high school was Colgate, delivered 11 points in the first half, making 3 of 4 3-pointers. Colgate’s center rotation of Keegan Records and Woodward combined for 10 points before halftime.

Colgate’s three seniors, including Burns, the Patriot League Player of the Year, will leave school as the winningest class in Colgate history with 82 wins. They are also the only group in Patriot League history to play in four straight championship games. They have been part of half of the school’s four NCAA tournament appearances.

While they accomplished more than any group in Colgate history, they fell short of the program’s first NCAA tournament win.

Entering the game, No. 14 seeds were just 21-119 all-time against No. 3 seeds.

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