Louisville showed plenty of fight, but never fully recovered from Arkansas’ early second half surge, falling 89–80 in a road matchup defined by cold perimeter shooting and a Razorbacks frontcourt that controlled the glass. The Cardinals hung around late, but a 20-point Arkansas lead at the 17:30 mark of the second half proved too steep to climb, even as Louisville pieced together an 8–0 burst to momentarily steady itself.
Louisville’s offense ran almost entirely through Mike Brown Jr., who poured in 22 points on 7-of-19 shooting, but his 2 for 13 night from deep embodied the Cards’ biggest problem. As a team, Louisville managed just 8 for 37 from beyond the arc; good for 22-percent and repeatedly came up empty during stretches when momentum was within reach. Ryan Conwell added 15 points and four assists, but his own 3 for 12 clip from three underscored the perimeter struggles. Still, center Sananda Fru was a bright spot, finishing an efficient 7-of-9 for 14 points while grabbing eight rebounds and throwing down Louisville’s final bucket, a dunk at the 1:01 mark.
Arkansas, meanwhile, found answers in nearly every key moment. Trevon Brazile led the Hogs with 21 points on a hyper efficient 8 for 11 shooting night, drilling three of his four attempts from deep and providing the kind of floor spacing Louisville couldn’t match. Point guard Darrian Acuff Jr. quarterbacked the victory with 17 points and 10 assists, repeatedly carving up the defense and keeping Arkansas steady when Louisville threatened. The Razorbacks’ 46–36 rebounding edge, bolstered by 18 offensive boards, turned several empty possessions into second-chance points that kept the Cardinals at bay.
Even as Louisville trimmed the margin inside single digits in the closing minutes, Arkansas maintained control helped by a parade to the free throw line. The Razorbacks earned 35 free throw attempts, converting 27, while Louisville made just 18 trips. The Cards’ late run fizzled with a series of missed threes, including Brown Jr.’s final attempt at the :19 mark which Arkansas cleaned up with one last defensive rebound.
For Louisville, the effort was there, but the shooting wasn’t and against an Arkansas team that found its rhythm early and punished the Cards inside, that combination spelled trouble. The Cardinals will look for cleaner execution and more reliable perimeter production as they try to turn the page from a night when the shots simply didn’t fall.
Louisville travels to Indy on Saturday, December 6 to face Indiana.
