Qualls, Portis come up big, Arkansas falls short against UNC

Jacksonville, Fla. (AP) — Michael Qualls and Bobby Portis did their part against North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas' two-man show accounted for more than half the Razorbacks' points, rebounds and steals.

They just needed more help.

Qualls had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Portis added 18 points and 14 boards in Arkansas' 87-78 loss to the fourth-seeded Tar Heels on Saturday night in the West Region.

Now, the dynamic duo could be NBA-bound.

"We haven't had that conversation," coach Mike Anderson said. "Now that the season is over with, we'll sit down and we'll visit. Right now, these guys, they just lost on the big stage. They're very, very disappointed. And so the worst thing to do is go to them right now. But we'll sit down, we'll have some dialogue, and it'll be some productive dialogue, I'm sure."

It might be more surprising to see Qualls and Portis stay in school.

Qualls has been a highlight-reel regular because of his thunderous dunks. Portis was named the Southeastern Conference player of the year because of his ability to put up big numbers just about every time out.

Together, they carried the Hogs to the SEC title game and to the NCAA's round of 32.

Then they ran into a deeper, more complete team.

"They had a few more players," Anderson said.

The Tar Heels (26-11) got 22 points from Marcus Paige and 16 from freshman Justin Jackson as they advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in three years.

Paige missed seven of eight shots in the first half, including all three from 3-point range, and was pretty much a non-factor as the Razorbacks kept things close.

But he took over in the second half, scoring 13 of his team's 17 points during a 5-minute stretch that helped North Carolina build a double-digit lead. The Tar Heels held on from there.

"He just did what big-time players do, stepped up for their basketball team when they needed him to," Portis said. "In the first half, he kind of struggled. But in the second half, he came in for his basketball team and started being a leader and started being more dynamic on the court. Congrats to him for stepping up and being that leader for his basketball team."

UNC will play either No. 1 seed Wisconsin or eighth-seeded Oregon in the West Regional next week in Los Angeles. It will be Carolina's 26th appearance in the Sweet 16.

The Razorbacks played to their strengths in a fast-paced first half that included a combined 79 shots, but things slowed down considerably after the break — and that favored North Carolina.

"I thought the thing that really disrupted the game was a lot of free throws, a lot of whistles," Anderson said. "It was almost opposite of the first half. The first half they let them play, and I guess in the second half they said, 'Let's slow this down. We can't keep up with them. Let's slow it down.'"

Arkansas had hoped to force North Carolina into as many or more turnovers than it had in a nail-biter against Harvard.

But the Tar Heels responded with a relatively clean game, turning it over just six times in the first half and 16 total. They broke the press early, getting easy shots in transition and at the rim.

The biggest difference came in the second half. Arkansas took a 59-58 lead on Jabril Durham's 3-pointer from the corner, but Paige took over from there. He drove by three defenders and got fouled as he made a circus shot. He capped the three-point play and then added consecutive 3s a few minutes later that proved to be daggers.

"Marcus was sensational in the second half," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said.

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Meeks hurt

North Carolina sophomore forward Kennedy Meeks sprained his left knee late in the game and will be re-evaluated when the team gets back to Chapel Hill.

Tip-ins

Arkansas: Former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson attended the game. The Razorbacks lost despite getting 20 offensive rebounds, nine steals, hitting eight 3s and making 22 of 27 free throws.

North Carolina: Coach Roy Williams improved to 32-8 in the NCAA Tournament with his alma mater, tying late coach Dean Smith for the program's most wins in the tourney. Williams also notched his 750th career win, becoming the 15th coach in Division I history to accomplish the feat.

By Mark Long, AP Sports Writer. Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Gayly – March 22, 2015 @ 10:55am.