Arkansas Upset Duke in Front of Record Crowd, and College Basketball Fans Loved It
A disruptive start to the 2023-24 college basketball season continued Wednesday night in Fayetteville, Ark., as No. 7 Duke was defeated by Arkansas, 80–75, in front of a record-setting crowd at Bud Walton Arena.
The Razorbacks (5–3) achieved the upset victory without leading scorer Travon Fall, who was stretchered off the court after a hard fall against North Carolina. Senior Khalif Battle scored a team-high 21 points off the bench. Sophomore Trevon Brazile, who played only nine games last season due to a knee injury, added 19 points while hitting four of seven three-point shots.
Duke was led by Kyle Filipowski, who recorded 26 points and 10 rebounds. Jeremy Roach added 22 points for the Blue Devils, who suffered their second loss of the young season.
Arkansas managed to cram 20,344 fans in a gym with an official capacity of 19,200. And many of them stormed the court after the Razorbacks’ victory. Hosting one of college basketball’s powerhouses for the ACC/SEC Challenge clearly created quite a buzz in Fayetteville.
Many college hoops fans were excited about seeing the vaunted Blue Devils go down. Here’s a sampling of the best reactions from social media:
ARKANSAS HAS BEAT DUKE AND STORMED THE COURT! pic.twitter.com/oPek3wyVPn
— Tera Talmadge (@TeraTalmadge) November 30, 2023
Congratulations to Arkansas and their fans. As a Duke fan, I congratulate a team that beats Duke. No excuses, you deserve and earned this victory! Enjoy your evening, Arkansas fans.
— Dan Sonnenfeldt (@DanSonnenfeldt) November 30, 2023
Arkansas, fresh off of a loss to UNC and without their best player tonight, hands #7 Duke their 2nd loss of the season pic.twitter.com/WnYhuEZNE1
— Tar Heel Nation (@UNC_TarHeelFan) November 30, 2023
Happy for Arkansas, it’s really tough to beat blue bloods even at home. They’ve now done it twice in 3 seasons. You definitely storm the court when you beat bloods like Auburn and Duke.
— Fan of the 5x ???? National Champion Auburn Tigers (@_ethanlowrey_) November 30, 2023
Y'all don't know or forgot Duke already was awarded the annual preseason trophy by voters back in October. Nobody told the Hogs.
— Heat Miser (@HeatMis46503672) November 30, 2023
Arkansas takes down No. 7 Duke 80-75.
— Jacob Morris (@JacobMorrisTV) November 30, 2023
20,344 strong inside the Palace tonight.
The largest crowd in Bud Walton Arena history. Razorback Nation never disappoints. #WPS pic.twitter.com/y3zLU8jdWe
AYYYE THEY GOIN CRAZY
— Josh Teeter (@joshteeter01) November 30, 2023
pic.twitter.com/h81SCY5a2O