FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas senior guard Jaylen Barford was among five players to earn All-Tournament team honors from the Victory Bracket this weekend in the star-studded Phil Knight Invitational tournament.
Barford averaged 21.3 points as Arkansas went 2-1 against Oklahoma (4-1), No. 9 North Carolina (5-1) and UConn (4-2) over the course of four days. The Hogs' 102-67 defeat of UConn was the Huskies' worst loss in 40 years.
The "PK80" was held in Portland, Ore., in honor of Nike co-founder Phil Knight's 80th birthday. No. 3 Michigan State (5-1) beat North Carolina 63-45 Sunday to win the Victory Bracket.
Barford scored 19 points in a 92-83 win over the Sooners and 21 against the Tar Heels when most of the Hogs struggled in an 87-68 loss. He added 24 points against UConn to finish 9-for-18 from 3-point in the tournament. Barford currently ranks third in the Southeastern Conference in points per game with 20.8.
Fellow senior guard and junior college transfer Daryl Macon is shortly behind at 11th in the conference with 16.3 points per game after two strong games in the tournament. Macon made six of eight from 3-point against Oklahoma on the way to 27 points before scoring just seven points against the Tar Heels. He scored 16 points for the Razorbacks in their tournament finale.
Barford was the only senior named to the Victory Bracket's All-Tournament Team. Michigan State sophomore Cassius Winston was named MVP and was joined on the team by a fellow sophomore teammate, Joshua Langford. The other selections were Luke Maye, a junior for North Carolina, and Trae Young, a freshman for Oklahoma.
No. 1 Duke (8-0) edged No. 6 Florida (5-1) 87-84 Sunday evening to win the Motion Bracket.
Arkansas is 5-1 and averaging 90.2 points per game, 15th-most in the country, but only received 17 votes in Monday's Associated Press Top 25 Poll. The 17 votes put the Hogs at No. 33 in the AP Poll and their 25 votes in the Coaches Poll was good for No. 30.
The Razorbacks next play Saturday on the road at Houston (4-1), who Arkansas defeated 84-72 a year ago in Fayetteville. The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network (Resort Ch. 32).
Sports on 11/28/2017