THE ARKANSAS Razorbacks rallied from 15 points down to overrun the Michigan Wolverines and claim a thrilling two-point triumph at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday afternoon.

The Wolverines looked in a strong position in the first half, before the Razorbacks slashed that to four by the main break. Arkansas held an 18-point buffer in the second half, but Michigan came home extremely strong, producing a remarkable comeback to almost pull off the miracle, but fell painstakingly short.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will be casting an eye over how the key players performed in the match, as some of the NCAAM’s best and brightest display their craft on a nightly basis.

Arkansas Razorbacks (89) def. Michigan Wolverines (87)

Michigan

#1 Danny Wolf

Wolf stuffed the stat sheet in the loss to the Wolverines, doing a bit of everything to almost drag the Razorbacks over the line. The Junior big man put his skills to the test against Michigan and showed a deep bag and an ability to impact the game in a plethora of ways. He poured in 14 points on 6/11 shooting from the field, doing his best work close to the basket as he finished off plays set up by his teammates. As expected, the center was a presence on the glass, using his strength and size to get first hands on the ball and pull down nine boards. One of the most impressive aspect of his game was his passing, with Wolf recording a whopping nine dimes to nearly post a triple double. He showed tremendous composure and a deft touch to find his teammates more often than not.

#50 Vladislav Goldin

The big man made an impact on both sides of the ball in Wednesday’s loss, making his presence known throughout his 28 minutes of court time. A vintage stay-home center, the Senior used all of his seven-foot-one stature to be physically imposing whenever he got the opportunity. Goldin was efficient when scoring the ball, making seven shots on nine attempts and was Michigan’s leading scorer in a balanced team performance. He also had one of his finest performances on the glass, pulling down nine rebounds for the match and flying high wherever possible. To top it all off, Goldin protected the paint perfectly with two blocks and many other shots affected.

Arkansas

#7 Boogie Fland

The most impactful player in the match, Fland stuffed the stat sheet with a tremendous performance that got his side over the line. Fland was everywhere in the impressive to Arkansas, and helped spark an excellent comeback in the first half with an inspiring performance. He was looking to ignite offence wherever he could and although Fland was not the most efficient player (6/18 FG, 2/7 3PT), he had some crucial baskets in the context of the match en route to a game-high 20 points. He was also extremely active as a passer, waiting for the exact right moment to dish off the ball and helping set up his teammates with seven assists.

#21 D.J. Wagner

Another standout for the Razorbacks in a great result, Wagner certainly cracked in on the offensive end as his side got within striking distance late in the piece. Wagner had a high usage rate, but was rarely wasteful with the ball and looked composed even in the big moments. The Sophomore guard shot 7/12 from the field and 2/3 from behind the arc, always taking an extra second to ensure he was taking the best shot for the team. Wagner also excelled as a passer, dishing out five assists and getting his frontcourt teammates involved.