The storylines for No. 2 Duke (32-6) vs. No. 4 Arkansas (28-9) within the Elite 8 of the West Area wrote themselves.
The final remaining SEC workforce seeking to knock off a blue blood program to succeed in its first Ultimate 4 in 27 years. The potential closing recreation of Mike Krzyzewski's historic profession. Alas, another person — somebody carrying a distinct uniform opted to steal the second.
Final week, it was Indiana cheerleader Cassidy Cerny. This week, it was an Arkansas cheerleader who supplied the help of the sport, when the sport ball was caught above the backboard.
Like Cerny earlier than her, the Arkansas cheerleader who retrieved the ball obtained one of many ovations of the night time. Now she hopes {that a} identify, picture and likeness (NIL) deal will observe.
For Cerny's laborious work, she earned an NIL cope with Breaking T, who commemorated the second with a t-shirt of her grabbing the ball with the slogan, “The cheerleader saves the day.”
Sadly, the cheerleader's help wound up being probably the most noteworthy play of the sport for the Razorbacks, as Arkansas was defeated by Duke, 78-69.
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