Jonas Aidoo helps Arkansas defeat Kansas in West Region

Jonas Aidoo nearly quadrupled his scoring average Thursday night with a game-high 22 points and 10th-seeded Arkansas canned eight straight foul shots in the final minute to clinch a 79-72 win over 7th-seeded Kansas in a first round West Region game of the NCAA Tournament in Providence, R.I.

Johnell Davis added 18, including two free throws with 10.4 seconds left for a 77-72 advantage. D.J. Wagner scored 14 points and dished out six assists, while Trevor Brazile chipped in an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double.

While the Razorbacks (21-13) advance to a second-round matchup on Saturday against either No. 15 Omaha or second-seeded St. John's, the Jayhawks (21-13) went one-and-done after starting the season as the No. 1 team in the country.

Zeke Mayo scored 18 points to lead Kansas, while AJ Storr came off the bench to add 15. KJ Adams hit for 13 points and Hunter Dickinson contributed 11 points, although he was held to 4 of 13 shooting.

The Jayhawks owned a 67-64 edge with 4:55 left after Adams canned a jumper but committed six turnovers in a 3 1/2-minute span. Arkansas took the lead for good on two foul shots by Aidoo with 2:14 remaining and salted the game away at the line.

The game matched two storied programs who finished with lower seeds than some might have predicted for them in October, given the star power on the floor and the sidelines. And the first half, in stark contrast to the second half rockfight, was free-flowing and high-scoring.

Aidoo couldn't be stopped by any defensive scheme Kansas tried, going 8 of 13 from the field on his way to 16 points. Meanwhile, Mayo had a perfect half, ringing up 13 points on just four shot attempts. He made all three of his 3-pointers and canned both foul shots.

Aidoo capped his big half with a jump hook in the lane, followed by a Wagner floater with 48 seconds left that helped Arkansas take a 47-44 edge to the locker room.

--Field Level Media