Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Basketball Beat Reporter
Fourth-year guard Omari Moore went for a season-high 21 points, but a potential SJSU men’s basketball (6-3, 0-0 MW) upset bid over No.11 ranked Arkansas (7-2, 0-0 SEC) fell short by a lopsided 99-58 final.
Razorbacks’ true freshman Nick Smith Jr., the No. 3 ranked prospect in his 2022 high school class, had 17 points in his first full game. Second-year forward Trevon Brazile led the floor with 23 points on 8 of 9 shooting.
The Spartans were outscored 59-23 in the second half, but showed great fight early. At halftime, they only trailed the Razorbacks 40-35.
Moore hit a 3-pointer to give SJSU a 31-29 lead with 3:05 left in the first half, but unfortunately that would be the Spartans’ last lead of the game.
There were 12 lead changes in the first half, but a different story ensued in the second.
The Razorbacks, led by double-digit second-half scoring efforts from Ricky Council IV (10), Brazile (14) and Jalen Graham (11), shot 21-27 from the field, 5 of 6 from three and made 10 of their 12 free throw attempts.
SJSU shot a stout 4 of 8 from 3-point range in the first, but went 2-11 in the second. The Spartans’ collective field goal percentage dipped from 45% to 34% between the two halves.
No member of SJSU men’s basketball finished with a positive plus-minus. Moore and fourth-year forward Trey Anderson tied for a team-worst -31.
The Spartans turned the ball over 18 times and the Razorbacks capitalized for 32 points off turnovers. Arkansas’ bench outscored SJSU’s a ridiculous 44-4.
Arkansas took it to the Spartans both inside and outside. They outscored SJSU 52-30 in the paint and outshot SJSU 62% to 32% from three, making some history along the way:
Sage Tolbert III had his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
SJSU men’s basketball is set to face CSU Bakersfield at home this Tuesday at 7 p.m. and lucky for them, the Roadrunners are nowhere near in the same pedigree as the Razorbacks.