Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 22, 1991 TAG: 9103220384
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
In an NCAA Southeast Region semifinal, second-ranked Arkansas bolted away from the Crimson Tide to a 93-70 victory at the Charlotte Coliseum.
The Razorbacks (34-3), the region's top seed, will play Kansas, an 83-65 winner over Indiana, on Saturday for their second straight Final Four berth after another of the Razorbacks' hurrying and harrying performances rolled the Tide.
Arkansas joins the Crimson Tide in the Southeastern Conference next season.
"For 25-28 minutes, we hung in there pretty well," Sanderson said. "Then, the double-teaming got to us. . . . The last 10 minutes, they controlled us completely."
Alabama (23-10) never has advanced past the NCAA regional semifinals, but for a half it appeared Sanderson's fifth Sweet 16 team in seven years might pull the upset.
Then the Razorbacks, who held a slim lead through most of the first 20 minutes despite the foul-created absence of massive center Oliver Miller, clinched their 11th victory in 12 games with minimal defensive pressure.
Alabama cut the Razorbacks' lead to 49-47 with 16 minutes left, and Arkansas was trying to recover from a technical foul called on coach Nolan Richardson.
In the next five minutes, however, Arkansas outscored the Tide 17-5 to build a 66-52 lead. In a span of eight possessions, Sanderson's team had one basket, five turnovers, a loose-ball rebounding foul, an airball and a reinjury to center Robert Horry's groin pull.
Miller, the 6-foot-9, 285-pounder who sat out the last 15 minutes of the first half after getting two quick personal fouls, dominated the Razorbacks' offensive rebounding, and guards Lee Mayberry and Todd Day - whose 15 points kept Arkansas in front in the opening half - were slashing through and shooting over Alabama's dying defense.
"Our offense wasn't that good," Day said. "It was our defense that got to them. When we started forcing turnovers in the second half, we knew it would be tough for them to catch up."
Alabama's 26 turnovers were a season high. It also didn't help that Tide senior playmaker Gary Wites tried to play through a bad cold. He scored two points and had five turnovers in 35 minutes.
"Their defense forces you to make mistakes," said Alabama forward Melvin Cheatum. "When we beat the press and double teams, we shot layups. Then, we got sloppy."
Alabama and Arkansas will play in the same SEC division when Richardson's program - with only one senior starter - moves from the Southwest Conference for the 1991-92 season.
"We couldn't have pressed them because they're quicker than we are," Sanderson said of Arkansas, which averages 100 points per game. "If we had gotten the tempo any faster, it would have hurt us.
"We were fine when we got through the press. It was the double-teaming that hurt us. I have no alibis or excuses. We just got beat by a team that was better than we were."
see microfilm for box score NOTE: Slightly different version ran in the State edition
by CNB