Arkansas' double-edged sword sliced Mississippi State's zone defense to pieces.
Ben Howland, the first-year head coach of the Bulldogs, came out in a zone and, whatever the reasons, he stayed with it even when Anthlon Bell and Dusty Hannahs were scorching from long range.
As soon as the zone shifted, one of the two usually was open on the other side of the floor. Down the stretch, it was bombs away.
State got within 62-59 with 5:22 to play. But with 2:17 to play, the Hogs had raced to a 80-63 lead behind five three-pointers. Hannahs, who finished 8 of 13 from three-point range and scored a game- and career-high 26 points, hit three of them.