SAN FRANCISCO – Dallion Williams was able to barely take the shot for the first 30 minutes. He didn't miss when it was most important, sending Texas technology to the unlikely location of the Elite 8.
Williams scored a go-ahead basket with 7.3 seconds remaining in overtime after tied the game with three pointers at the end of regulation as he made Arkansas 85-83 win Thursday night.
“The team is at the heart of Dallion Williams,” coach Grant McCusland said. “He's just a resilient guy. I can't even explain it. I put my faith in him because I believe he finds a way in a one-game scenario to do whatever it takes to win. Anything to do honestly.”
The madness first overtime game in March came from a furious comeback from 13 points on the ferocious comeback by the third Seed Red Raiders (28-8) with less than five minutes left against John Calipari's 10th seed razorback (22-14).
Texas Tech has now got a chance in the school's second final after losing the title game to Virginia in 2019 and progressed to play top-seeded Florida in Saturday's Western Regional Final.
The idea seemed very unobtrusive for most of the game as Arkansas broke into a double-digit lead early, controlled most ways, leading by 16 points in the second half.
“In the huddle, the coach said he was going to find a way to beat this no matter how many times he fell,” Guard Christian Anderson said. “As a team like that, we're not losing to this game no matter what the game was… we had to find a way to make it happen. Finally, that was it.”
Williams lost 13 of his 15 shots in front of a massive condition of friends and family from Sacramento for the match, and the Red Raiders dropped the stretch after opening the game.
However, the Red Raiders closed regulations and ran 16-3 behind Anderson's three-pointers and Williams' three baskets.
The biggest came when Jonas Aidoo rattled with 3 with 9.7 seconds left after missing a 1-1 frontend.
Williams had missed eight of his first nine attempts before that.
“It was obviously not in, but I was filming something open,” Williams said. “They'll fall.”
JT Toppin then began working overtime, giving Texas Tech their first lead since the opening minutes, and from there they went back and forth.
Williams then gave the Texas engineer the lead, earning the front rim on Wagner's final shot, sending the Red Raiders wild celebrations in the midcourt when Williams pointed to the crowd.
Calipari could only leave the court with a lip-sigh as his first season in Arkansas ended with a broken heart after becoming the first coach to take four schools to the Elite Eight.
“We're all disappointed here,” Calipari said. “But I told them, there's nothing my team can do to disappoint me for what they've done this year. I'm very proud of them.”
Anderson led the Texas Tech with 22 points, with Toppin and Williams adding 20 each.
Jonell Davis scored 30 points for the Razorbacks, while Carter Knox added 20.
