KU basketball vs. Arkansas recap: Jayhawks' season ends with NCAA tournament loss

DES MOINES, Iowa — Kansas men’s basketball’s NCAA tournament stay continued Saturday with a round of 32 matchup against Arkansas.

The 1-seed Jayhawks came in after a win against 16-seed Howard. The 8-seed Razorbacks came in after a win against 9-seed Illinois. Both Kansas and Arkansas competed for a chance to reach the Sweet 16.

Were the Jayhawks able to further their effort to defend their national championship? Were the Razorbacks able to knock off the defending champs? Norm Roberts was Kansas’ acting head coach again, as Bill Self continued to be unavailable due to health reasons.

RELATED:Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self will miss NCAA tournament game against Arkansas

RELATED:Here are 5 things to consider before KU basketball’s NCAA tournament game against Arkansas

Here's what happened at Wells Fargo Arena:

FINAL: Arkansas 72, Kansas 71

The teams battled down the stretch, with Arkansas taking control late and the Jayhawks having to play from behind. Kansas wasn't able to get enough to win or force overtime. The Jayhawks' season is over.

Kansas leads 64-61 against Arkansas with 3:05 left in 2nd half

It's a back-and-forth game now. Kansas has a slim lead with just more than three minutes left. Kevin McCullar Jr. gave them that lead with a clutch 3-pointer.

McCullar and KJ Adams Jr. both have four fouls for Kansas, as does Ernest Udeh Jr. The Jayhawks need McCullar and Adams to stay on the floor. If they don't have one or both of them, Arkansas could very well take over.

Arkansas leads 52-51 against Kansas with 8:51 left in 2nd half

Make that an 11-0 run for Arkansas. Kansas is really struggling. And now the Razorbacks have the lead back.

The Jayhawks are going to be in the bonus the rest of the way. So, that's a positive for Kansas right now. But they need to hit those opportunities when they come.

Kansas leads 51-43 against Arkansas with 12:14 left in 2nd half

Arkansas isn't going anywhere. Kansas has led by double digits in the second half, but the Razorbacks are still being aggressive and certainly have a chance. Davonte Davis has 14 points to lead Arkansas.

On the other end, Jalen Wilson has 14 points to lead Kansas. Gradey Dick has seven after he just hit his first 3-pointer of the game. And Kevin McCullar Jr. is the team's second-leading scorer with nine points.

Kansas leads 46-34 against Arkansas with 15:17 left in 2nd half

Dajuan Harris Jr. is back on the court for the Jayhawks, and he's thriving right now. He's a big reason why they're leading by 12 points now with 15:17 left in the second half. For the game, he has eight points, five assists and three rebounds.

Kansas does have an issue, though. Both KJ Adams Jr. and Ernest Udeh Jr. have four fouls. So, Zuby Ejiofor is playing some key minutes here with depth at the 5-spot an issue.

Here's an update on Dajuan Harris Jr.'s status

HALFTIME: Kansas 35, Arkansas 27

Kansas leads 28-21 against Arkansas with 3:52 left in 1st half

Arkansas coach Eric Musselman is incredibly frustrated with the officials. It's not a new development, but it's something to continue to monitor. He's been in their ears all game, and if this game starts to get away from the Razorbacks could very well be in trouble when it comes to potentially getting a technical foul called on him.

On the Kansas end of things, Dajuan Harris Jr. has been great so far for the Jayhawks. He's got four points, four assists and three rebounds. And if he can keep playing like this, Kansas will be in a great position to win this game.

Kansas leads 20-15 against Arkansas with 7:54 left in 1st half

The Razorbacks have been doing much better lately moving the ball and creating quality looks. Their 3-point shooting remains poor, of course. But that overall improvement has allowed them to make this a game again.

The Jayhawks were lucky just a moment ago to see Joseph Yesufu nail a 3-pointer from way, way, way behind the 3-point line. That came as the shot clock was winding down. It was also Kansas' first 3-pointer of the game.

Kansas leads 13-6 against Arkansas with 11:55 left in 1st half

Now Kansas is also struggling to hit shots from the field. The Jayhawks haven't hit one in almost three minutes. But their defense is still great so far, so they're still up seven points with a little less than 12 minutes left in the first half.

The teams are a combined 0-for-8 from behind the arc right now. Kansas is 0-for-3, while Arkansas is 0-for-5. If the Jayhawks can start to rectify that on their end, they could really pull away early.

Kansas leads 9-2 against Arkansas with 15:53 left in 1st half

The Jayhawks are rolling right now, and are on a 9-0 run. Although the Razorbacks scored first, they haven't in more than two and a half minutes and have missed their last four shots from the field. Arkansas is 0-for-4 from behind the arc, and settling for shots Kansas wants the Razorbacks to take.

Two more things to watch right now are the statuses of Arkansas guards Nick Smith Jr. and Anthony Black. Smith has already picked up two fouls. Black just exited the game due to an apparent injury.

The game has started

The opening tip-off went to Arkansas, and this one is underway.

Here's when the game should tip off

Here's who will likely start

Here's more on Bill Self's status

Check out Arkansas getting ready

No surprises in who's available so far for Kansas

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: KU basketball vs. Arkansas recap: Jayhawks played in NCAA tournament