Once again, the Hogs are elite.

The Razorbacks out-muscled top-seeded Gonzaga for a 74-68 win in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night in San Francisco. After a back-and-forth first half, the Razorbacks took a 32-29 halftime lead and led nearly the entire second half. Gonzaga’s final lead was 33-32 with 18:25 left in the game.

JD Notae had 21 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks. Jaylin Williams had 15 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and zero turnovers. The Hogs were +7 in turnovers and held Gonzaga, the nation’s top shooting team, to 37.5 percent from the floor and 5 of 21 from beyond the arc.

Arkansas got a monster performance from Trey Wade, who had 15 points and seven rebounds, hitting six of 10 from the field and three of four from downtown. It’s Wade’s second-highest-scoring game of the year.

The Hogs will face the winner of Texas Tech and Duke for a chance at the Final Four.

Instant Analysis

Hogs get physical.

Arkansas’ physicality was the story of the game. The Razorbacks were at a size disadvantage for most of the night, but fought for rebounds and battled at the rim, forcing Gonzaga into an ugly game where they could not get comfortable.

Same formula as Auburn.

We discussed in the preview how Gonzaga’s lineup is similar to Auburn’s: a 7’0 and 6’10 big, plus the guards. To beat Auburn, Arkansas focused on shutting down the guards, starting with the point guard, and let the bigs eat until the Hogs could foul them out. Against Gonzaga, the strategy worked again. Drew Timme had 25 points for Gonzaga but could never take control of the game. Big man Chet Holmgren had 11 points and 14 rebounds but fouled out in 23 minutes. Meanwhile, the Hogs won this game on the perimeter, where Au’Diese Toney shut down Andrew Nembhard, holding him to seven points on two of 11 shooting, with a wild off-balance 3-pointer as his lone make beyond the arc. Gonzaga’s three starting guards combined to score 27 points on 7 of 30 from the field.

A real chance at a title.

During last year’s Elite Eight run, I’m not sure Hog fans seriously considered that this team could win a national title. After all, Baylor was mowing everyone down on their side of the bracket. That’s all changed with the top overall seed gone at the hands of the Hogs. No 1-seeds are left in Arkansas’ path to the national title game (Baylor is out of the East Regional, as is 2-seed Kentucky). A Final Four or more is absolutely in play.