LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — No. 8 seed University of Arkansas is moving on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after handling No. 9 seed Illinois 73-63 Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
Junior guard Ricky Council scored a team-high 18 points and had a game-high 10 rebounds for the Razorbacks, while junior guard Davonte Davis added 16 points, six rebounds and four steals.
Arkansas's defense set the tone early.
After the Razorbacks took a 4-2 lead with 17:18 to play in the first half, they held the Fighting Illini scoreless for 4:56, which gave the Hogs time to settle in on offense.
Arkansas held Illinois to 38.5% shooting from the field and 27.3% from three. The Razorbacks scored 19 points on 17 turnovers.
Davis scored six of Arkansas's first 10 points, including a jumper to give Arkansas a 10-5 lead with 13:16 to play in the first half.
The Razorbacks led 36-26 at the half and pushed its advantage to as many as 17 points in the victory.
Arkansas will battle No. 1 seed Kansas in the second round on Saturday. Coverage from Wells Fargo Arena begins at 4:15 p.m. Central on CBS.