Tuesday, March 18, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Arkansas' smallest player made the biggest plays in the Razorbacks' 76-71 victory over Pittsburgh at Fayetteville in the second round of the NIT.
Kareem Reid made several clutch plays in the final 2:11, including a steal and pass to set up Pat Bradley's go-ahead 3-pointer.
The 5-foot-10 Reid also fired a pass to Ali Thompson for a basket that made it 71-67, stole a pass and flipped it behind his back as he was going out of bounds, and got the ball to Derek Hood for a basket that made it 73-67.
Reid finished with 10 assists and 15 points, including a 3-pointer that gave the Razorbacks a 61-58 lead.
"That is a great game for him," said Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson, whose 17-12 team will play host to UNLV Wednesday night in the quarterfinals.
Pitt coach Ralph Willard said Reid's play down the stretch made the difference.
"Those plays were probably the most critical ...," Willard said.
Reid sneaked around 6-foot-11 Gerald Jordan, swiped the ball and got it to Bradley for a 3-pointer that put Arkansas ahead for good, 64-62, with 4:53 left.
The game was played before a raucous Arkansas crowd of 17,068 that included many fans who couldn't get tickets to regular-season games.
"I never dared to think we would have a crowd like we had," Richardson said. "They are the reason our players played their hearts out."
Jason Maile, who led Pitt with 18 points, scored five straight points to tie it at 55. Tarik Wallace then hit a 3-pointer for Arkansas, but Chad Varga's three-point play for Pitt (18-15) tied it again.
The game was tied nine times. Arkansas' biggest lead was seven, and Pitt never led by more than two.
Arkansas hit five of its first seven shots for an 11-5 lead. Jordan's three-point play gave the Panthers their first lead, 13-11, and neither team led by more than two for the next 7 1/2 minutes.
Jordan's layup cut Arkansas' lead to 31-27 at halftime.
* FLORIDA STATE 68, MICHIGAN STATE 63: At Tallahassee, Fla., LaMarr Greer's 3-pointer with 64 seconds left helped the Seminoles beat the Wolverines. Michigan State scored eight straight points to close to 60-59 on a 3-pointer by Ray Weathers, but Greer's jumper from the top of the circle as the shot clock expired gave Florida State a 63-59 lead with 1:04 left. "Greer's 3-pointer was really the backbreaker," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "It came down to experience at the end. Half of the time we had three freshmen in the game, and they made some mistakes." Randell Jackson had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Florida State, including two clinching free throws in the final 11 seconds. Jackson had 20 points and 11 rebounds in Florida State's opening-round victory at Syracuse.
* WEST VIRGINIA 76, NC STATE 73: At Raleigh, N.C., West Virginia now has a full appreciation for what teams like North Carolina and Duke face when they play at North Carolina State's raucous Reynolds Coliseum. But despite facing their toughest crowd of the season, the Mountaineers placed five players in double figures and hit 13 of 15 free throws in the final 1:33 to edge the Wolfpack. "I don't think we've played in a more hostile place," said West Virginia guard Jarrod West, who scored 10 points and. "The Carrier Dome in Syracuse is loud, but the fans are not as close to the court as they are here. "After they hit that first shot and the crowd erupted ... man, my ears are still ringing," West said. West Virginia hosts Florida State Wednesday night.
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