NCAA South Regional roundup: Arkansas rallies to shake off Seton Hall

Arkansas did just enough in the final minute to push its way through the NCAA tournament's first round — aided by a couple of eye-catching calls and noncalls by the officiating crew, too.

Jaylen Barford hit the go-ahead layup with 57.8 seconds left to help the Razorbacks hold off Seton Hall 77-71 on Friday in the first round of the South Regional in Greenville, S.C.

Barford had 12 of his 20 points after halftime for the eighth-seeded Razorbacks (26-9), who erased an eight-point second-half hole against the Pirates (21-12) and scored the final seven points of the game to earn the program's third consecutive opening-game NCAA victory.

"Coach [Mike Anderson] told us to keep chipping away," said Dusty Hannahs, who scored 14. "He knows we don't lose our head. We've been down a lot this year."

Barford's layup off Khadeen Carrington's turnover at the other end pushed Arkansas ahead for good. Then came a critical sequence, which started with Carrington's travel while being harassed by a double team near midcourt with 24.6 seconds left.

Wichita State 64, Dayton 58: The high-flying offense of the Shockers (31-4) didn't get off the ground until the closing minutes, when they played like the more tournament-experienced team and pulled away from the Flyers (24-8) in Indianapolis. The 10th-seeded Shockers won their 16th in a row — the second-longest streak in school history — by clamping down on defense and swatting away shots down the stretch.

Kentucky 79, Northern Kentucky 70: Bam Adebayo had 15 points and 18 rebounds as the Wildcats (30-5) showed the new kids on their block how it's done at tournament time by gritting out a victory over the stubborn Norse (24-11) in Indianapolis. The second-seeded Wildcats won their 12th in a row and wound up with a surprisingly close finish after pulling ahead by 18 points in the second half.

Cincinnati 75, Kansas State 61: Troy Caupain scored 23 points, Kyle Washington added 16 and the defensive-minded Bearcats (30-5) shot their way past the Wildcats (21-14) in Sacramento, Calif. Cincinnati was knocked out in the first round a year ago and No. 6 seeds were 0-3 before the Bearcats took the floor, with Maryland, Creighton and SMU all losing to No. 11 seeds. The Bearcats took care of their business and the No. 6 jinx by shooting 62 percent.