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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Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be out Nov. 10 with "Unapologetic: Clarity and Conviction in a World Gone Crazy," billed as a "no-nonsense account of fighting for conservative values, taking on the status quo, and laying out her bold vision for the future."

• "It's easy to be pessimistic about the future," says Sanders, 43. "But if you take a break from the news and social media, and actually go look for it, you'll still find a lot more good than evil in Arkansas and across this country. There is still hope — I see it every day in the state I lead."

Why it matters: The book drops a week after this year's epic midterms. Sanders, who was White House press secretary in the first Trump administration, is a likely future GOP candidate for president or vice president.

📖 Behind the scenes: Sanders told me that when she was growing up, her dad — former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, now U.S. ambassador to Israel — "always talked about how much he loved this job."

• "After a tough first week in this job, I asked my dad: 'You know how you always said governor is the best job in the world? When exactly does that start?'"

Sanders recalls that he laughed and replied: "Sarah, when you least expect it, a mom who was at her breaking point will approach you and thank you for the work you're doing. That's when you'll know."

• His daughter says now: "As governor, I get to meet people every day whose lives are a little bit better than when I started, and felt called to share my story — and their moments full of adversity, perseverance and ultimately hope."

More on the book

🚨 Joseph Duggar, a member of the Arkansas family known for the "19 Kids and Counting" reality show, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of molestation of a child under 12 and lewd and lascivious behavior. A 14-year-old girl reported Duggar molested her in 2020 when she was 9 while on a family vacation in Florida. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

• Duggar's brother, Josh Duggar, was convicted in 2021 of possessing child pornography.

🚫 A Little Rock restaurant named The Croissanterie asked Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave last week, a decision the restaurant said in a statement was "to support our employees and guests who expressed they were uncomfortable." (THV11)

🚲 The new bike park in Bella Vista will open in June. (5News)

Enjoy the first weekend of spring.

🇺🇸 "America 250: Common Threads" — This new temporary art exhibition at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville commemorates the United States turning 250 this year.

• Get tickets for $15. Tickets are free to museum members, people under 18 years old, veterans and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants.

😂 Comedy shows — See Erica Rhodes at The Grove in Lowell at 6:30pm tonight or Saturday or 9pm Saturday. Get tickets for $22.

• See Joe Means at The Music Depot in Rogers Saturday for $22.

🏀 Big Bracket Watch Party — Downtown Bentonville Inc. is hosting an NCAA watch party at 8th Street Market in Bentonville starting at 11am Saturday. Grab beers from Bike Rack Brewing Co. and food from food trucks.

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