Arkansas' late surge not enough to take down No. 3 Alabama

No. 3 Alabama found a way to hold off a resurgent Arkansas squad on Saturday, earning a hard-fought 85-81 road win inside Bud Walton Arena. 

The Crimson Tide led by six at halftime and pulled away to start the final 20 minutes. Arkansas still trailed by 15 with five minutes to go, and it seemed as if the Hogs could do nothing except trade baskets. 

However, a 14-2 run gave a raucous Fayetteville crowd — at least, what was left of it — life, and John Calipari's squad suddenly had a chance to pull off a massive upset. 

After being down by as many as 20 points in the second half, Arkansas was only down by three with 7.3 seconds to play. 

The Razorbacks had possession with a chance to tie the game, but a series of unfortunate events in the closing seconds served as the death knell for Arkansas. 

Zvonimir Ivisic was intentionally fouled by Alabama, but a missed free throw meant Arkansas was still down by two when Alabama went to the free-throw line with 4.5 seconds to play. 

After making his first free throw, Chris Youngblood missed his second — only for the ball to bounce off of Ivisic, giving the ball back to Alabama and essentially sealing an 85-81 victory that should lift the Crimson Tide to the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll. 

Alabama's victory comes on a day where both No. 1 Auburn and No. 2 Duke both fell in conference contests. 

North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson made several clutch plays down the stretch for Alabama and co-led the Crimson Tide in scoring with 15 points. After a stellar defensive effort against Texas on Wednesday, Ivisic played his best game in a Razorback jersey, pouring in 27 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Fellow Kentucky transfer Adou Thiero added 22, but it wasn't enough to clinch a third straight SEC win. 

Alabama will travel to Texas on Tuesday, while Arkansas will look to rebound against LSU inside Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday. The Razorbacks still have a decent shot to make their way into the NCAA Tournament, but avenging their loss to LSU in Baton Rouge is a must if those hopes are to survive.