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Arkansas wins NCAA opener

Worth Sparkman

photo of basketball game — Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas, No. 1, high fives guard Amere Brown, No. 2, before the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Thursday in Portland, Ore. Photo: C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Arkansas' 97-78 defeat of Hawai'i in the NCAA Tournament opening round Thursday continues a recent run of postseason successes for the Razorbacks.

What's next: Arkansas advances to face No. 12 High Point in the second round on Saturday in Portland.

The big picture: Arkansas entered with momentum, winning the SEC Tournament on Sunday and earning its 38th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks are seeded No. 4.

It was the first SEC Championship for Arkansas since 2000 under former head coach Nolan Richardson.

State of play: This team, led by unanimous All-American Darius Acuff Jr., is one of the SEC's hottest — winning six straight games and 11 of its last 13.

Head coach John Calipari, one of the most accomplished postseason coaches now in his second year at Arkansas improved his career 59-23 NCAA Tournament record.

Flashback: In his first year, Calipari led the Razorbacks to the NCAA Sweet 16, beating Kansas and No. 2 St. John's before falling to No. 3 Texas Tech in overtime.

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Arkansas wins NCAA opener

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