NWADG Basketball

2017

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It's one of the best home-court advan- tages in the country without question." Missouri junior forward Kevin Pur- year has played in Walton Arena the previous two seasons. "Every time we go to Bud Walton it's crazy," Puryear said. "It's actually one of my favorite road games because the environment is so good. "To me, it seems like a new arena be- cause of the scoreboard and how well they keep the place up." Auburn Arena, which opened in 2010, cost $86 million and has 9,121 seats. The Pavilion at Ole Miss, with a capacity of 9,500, opened two years ago and cost $96 million. Oregon's Matthew Knight Arena, which opened in 2011 and has a capacity of 12,364, cost $227 million. Nebraska's Pinnacle Bank Arena, with a capacity of 15,500, opened in 2013 and cost $180 million. According to inflation calculation websites, the $30 million spent on Wal- ton Arena in 1993 today would be worth $51 million, making the building quite a bargain. "From the standpoint of any oth- er new facility opening up around the country, I don't think they can out- do what we've already had here for 25 years with Bud Walton," Richardson said. "We've got something really special and to duplicate it you'd have to spend at least four or five times what it cost if not more. "I don't think there's a bad seat in the house. Even at the tip top. As a matter of fact, I used to go up there sometimes during practice, because you can see ev- erything from that area." Walton Arena has the SEC's third-larg- est capacity behind Rupp Arena (23,000) Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678). "You can go to Kentucky and Ten- nessee, and they've got some bad seats up at the top sections," Richardson said. "People in the top seats at those places, they're just in the building. "But when you come into Bud Wal- ton, no matter where you're sitting, 28th & Moberly Lane Bentonville/Rogers 479.273.5555 HOME OF THE 3 YEAR OR 36,000 MILE FREE OIL CHANGE! www.JustTryMe.com With over 250 combined Year's Experience, Experience the Diff erence at Our Parts and Service Dept. Celebrating 31 Years in NWA! Family owned and operated since 1986 Parts/Service open from 7:00 to 5:30 M-F Open Saturday 8:00-12:00 for your convenience. 6 2017 Northwest Arkansas Basketball Sunday, November 5, 2017 SWEET 16 Here is one ranking of Arkansas' 16 top victories at Bud Walton Arena: 1. No. 9 Arkansas 94-92 over No. 5 Kentucky Jan. 29, 1995 COMMENT: Scotty Thurman's jumper with 10.6 seconds left was the game winner on Super Bowl Sunday. 2. Arkansas 87-85 over No. 13 Kentucky in overtime Jan. 14, 2014 COMMENT: Michael Qualls' dunk beat the Wildcats and the buzzer as he rebounded a Ky Madden miss. 3. No. 2 Arkansas 120-68 over Missouri Dec. 2, 1993 COMMENT: The Razorbacks dedicated Walton Arena by handing Missouri its most-lopsided loss ever. 4. Arkansas 104-88 over No. 2 Auburn Feb. 24, 1999 COMMENT: A memorable senior night for Pat Bradley, Kareem Reid and Derek Hood, who combined for 51 points. 5. Arkansas 80-69 over No. 2 Florida Feb. 5, 2013 COMMENT: The Razorbacks hit 14 of their first 18 shots, including 7 of 9 three-pointers, and led by as many as 27 points. 6. Arkansas 74-70 over No. 6 Kentucky Feb. 20, 1999 COMMENT: Pat Bradley and Kareem Reid each scored 17 points as the Razorbacks ended a six-game losing streak to the Wildcats. 7. Arkansas 67-59 over No. 5 Alabama Feb. 20, 2002 COMMENT: No one knew it at the time, but this was Nolan Richardson's last home game as the Razorbacks' coach. 8. Arkansas 74-71 over No. 5 Texas A&M Jan. 27, 2016 COMMENT: Moses Kingsley led the Razorbacks with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Anthlon Bell and Dusty Hannahs added 17 points each. 9. Arkansas 94-92 over No. 5 Florida in overtime Jan. 26, 2002 COMMENT: Jannero Pargo scored 35 points and hit 10 of 16 shots, in- cluding 7 of 8 three-pointers. 10. Arkansas 82-78 over No. 13 Kentucky Feb. 25, 2001 COMMENT: Joe Johnson had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Kentucky hit just 4 of 19 three-point attempts. 11. Arkansas 96-88 over No. 4 Oklahoma Dec. 30, 2008 COMMENT: Michael Washington had 24 points and 11 rebounds as the Razorbacks beat No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Blake Griffin. 12. Arkansas over No. 8 Alabama 88-61 Jan. 6, 2007 COMMENT: Patrick Beverley, Gary Ervin and Sonny Weems each scored 18 points to lead the Razorbacks. 13. Arkansas over No. 10 Florida 85-81 in overtime Feb. 18, 2006 COMMENT: Ronnie Brewer scored 24 points and Jonathan Modica added 22 for the Razorbacks. 14. Arkansas 93-91 in over Alabama in overtime Jan. 22, 2015 COMMENT: Bobby Portis tipped in a miss by Ky Madden at the buzzer to win the game and Michael Qualls scored 30 points. 15. Arkansas 67-61 over No. 7 Texas Jan. 6, 2009 COMMENT: Michael Washington led the Razorbacks with 22 points and Stefan Welsh added 20. 16. Arkansas 77-76 over No. 22 Kentucky in overtime Feb. 23, 2011 COMMENT: Razorbacks Coach John Pelphrey got a victory over his alma mater as Rotnei Clarke scored 26 points. — Games ranked by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette beat writer Bob Holt Bud Walton v Continued from Page 5 See 25 YEARS, Page 8A

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