John Calipari thinks this play saved Arkansas basketball vs Louisville

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari pointed to one play that "won the game" in the Hogs' top-25 showdown with Louisville.

After going up by as many as 20 points in the second half, the Cardinals rallied and trailed 70-65 with 8 minutes remaining. A jumper from Meleek Thomas pushed the lead back to seven, and that's when Trevon Brazile saved the day for the Razorbacks.

It looked like Sananda Fru had a one-way ticket to a dunk, but Brazile slid over from the weak side and met Fru at the rim. The 6-foot-10 Brazile won the showdown with the 6-11 Fru, using his right hand to swat away the dunk attempt and keep two Louisville points off the scoreboard.

From there, No. 23 Arkansas (6-2) kept No. 6 Louisville (7-1) at arm's length in an 89-80 victory inside a ramped-up Bud Walton Arena.

"Trevon's block out of nowhere. That, and again, you could say there's a skill there. No, it isn't. It's a will to win. He just went up and said, 'This kid ain't making this basket,'" Calipari said.

It was a fitting moment for Brazile, who was a dominant force as Arkansas built a comfortable lead in the first half. The senior forward scored 14 of his team-high 21 points across the first nine minutes of the contest.

Brazile made two 3-pointers and showed off his developed interior game, hitting driving layups through contact and punishing smaller defenders.

And Brazile's signature alley-oop slam finished off the Louisville threat. He skied above the defense on a pass from Darius Acuff Jr., using two hands to flush an easy basket through the net and give Arkansas an 83-76 advantage with 2:27 remaining.

"There are points in the game where I know the crowd is going to explode if I make the dunk," Brazile said. "Last one I got, when I was in the air, I felt it. It's always a good reaction."

On the season, Brazile is averaging 13.9 points and 7.3 rebounds. He's shooting 31.6% from 3-point range and has been the only consistent presence in the Arkansas frontcourt.

But Brazile got help from his fellow big men against Louisville. Malique Ewin had his best game as a Razorback with 12 points and nine rebounds. Ewin went 6 for 8 from the free-throw line and scored 10 points in the second half.

"Malique Ewin, doing what he did today got me going more than the (win) because we got his life," Calipari said. "All the stuff and what he did now, he did it, he performed."

Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: John Calipari thinks this play saved Arkansas basketball vs Louisville