There were plenty of memories at Bud Walton Arena this season, but the final game was one to remember. JD Notae’s two free throws with 8.6 seconds left delivered a 77-76 come-from-behind win for the Hogs, who played their worst game defensively in a long time but found a way to win despite that.

Arkansas moves to 24-6 (13-4) and remains in second place in the SEC, with a chance to lock up the 2-seed with a trip to Tennessee on Saturday. Notae struggled, scoring just 12 points on 3 of 12 shooting, forcing the Hogs to look for other options. Those came in the form of Stanley Umude (23 points, 3 of 8 from beyond the arc) and Au’Diese Toney (18 points), who were critical down the stretch.

Things appeared desperate with Jaylin Williams (19 points, 10 rebounds) fouled out with 4:27 to go and the Hogs trailing 65-63. But Kamani Johnson stepped in admirably, securing a critical offensive rebound and drawing a flagrant foul with 47 seconds left and the Hogs down 76-74.

Johnson made 1 of 2 free throws, then Notae turned it over with 42 seconds left. But a wild sequence ended with LSU missing two shots and Notae being fouled while driving for the lead. He made both, and a final Xavier Pinson layup was no good.

The game was tied at halftime but LSU opened the second half on a 7-0 run, allowing the Tigers to lead for more of the second half. But the Hogs whittled it down: LSU’s final six-point lead came with 6:31 to play, their final five-point lead came with 5:13 left, and their final four-point lead with just 1:47 to go.

LSU’s Tari Eason put on a show, scoring 24 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Fellow big Darius Days (19 points) also caused problems. LSU grabbed a staggering 22 offensive rebounds, allowing them to take 18 more shots than Arkansas. But he also fouled out late, leaving the Tigers with limited options at the end of the game.

Instant Analysis

• Defense takes a step back. Arkansas’ defense has been at an incredible level this season, but this game was one to forget. In the preview, we discussed how LSU’s offense depends on offensive rebounds to survive. This was no exception: LSU shot just 36 percent from the floor, but used 22 offensive rebounds (almost half of their missed shots) to stay in the game. Perhaps even more concerning was the fact that Arkansas couldn’t force LSU’s turnover-prone offense to turn it over. The Tigers had just 3 second-half turnovers and 10 for the game. The Hogs actually had more. It’s almost unthinkable that the Hogs could win despite that.
• Another foul fest. LSU fouls a ton: they are one of the one of the 15 worst teams in college basketball in putting the opponent on the line. Arkansas his 24 of 28 free throws and LSU was whistled for 25 fouls, with Eason and forward Mwani Wilkinson both fouling out. But Williams also fouled out for Arkansas, with Eason and Days causing him problems by getting to the rim and drawing contact.
• Guard shutdown. It’s clear at this point that Arkansas’ defense likes to see guard-oriented teams, not forward-oriented ones. That makes LSU’s offense a difficult matchup. Eason and Days combined for 43 points on just 27 shots. The Hogs continued their recent dominance against guards: LSU’s guards combined to score 22 points on 10 of 38 shooting.

Thursday’s Box Score Breakdown will take a deeper dive into this game before we start to look ahead to the season finale at Tennessee.