INDIANAPOLIS – Justin Smith had 29 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 10 Arkansas shut down high-scoring Colgate to open the NCAA Tournament with an 85-68 win on Friday.
The 14th-seeded Raiders (14-2) had upset pickers out of their seats early in the South Region opener with a slew of 3-pointers and a 16-2 run to go up 14.
The No. 3 Razorbacks (23-6) restored some bracket order with a 19-0 run spanning halftime and scored 10 straight points late to pull away.
Arkansas' defense became the deciding factor. The Razorbacks, at times, snatched the ball right out of the Raiders' hands to set up shots in transition, scoring 34 points off Colgate's 22 turnovers.