FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) – Daryl Macon came back to Arkansas for his senior year for a number of reasons, from bettering his professional prospects to improving on a second-round NCAA Tournament appearance last season.
None of those reasons meant as much to Macon as the environment in Bud Walton Arena on Saturday.
Led by Macon’s career-best 33 points, the Razorbacks (11-2, 1-0) rallied for a wild 95-93 overtime win over No. 19 Tennessee to open Southeastern Conference play. They did so despite trailing by nine points late in regulation, thanks in large part to Macon’s 13 points in the extra period – along with a career-high 28 points from his backcourt partner, Jaylen Barford.
When Arkansas’ lead grew to as many as 12 points in the overtime period, even Macon took a moment to soak in the raucous atmosphere from the 18,696 fans in Bud Walton Arena.
“I came back for this, a sold-out crowd at 12 p.m.,” Macon said. “That’s crazy.”