How Hogs’ Roller Coaster Season Helped vs Kansas + More from First-Round Upset

photo credit: Craven WhitlowPROVIDENCE, R.I. — Arkansas opened up March Madness by following a familiar script Thursday night.

Seemingly in control of their first-round matchup with an 11-point lead early in the second half, the Razorbacks went cold. They closed the game strong, though, and pulled out a 79-72 win over Kansas that was a lot closer than that at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I.

The Jayhawks actually completely erased their double-digit deficit and led by three with about 3 minutes remaining, but Arkansas ended the game on a 15-5 run to do what it had previously done against the likes of Michigan, Texas, Missouri, Vanderbilt and South Carolina by hanging on and keeping…