Shaq Shined in One of Greatest Games in Hogs Hoop History

Another Arkansas-LSU showdown was overshadowed by what happened after the game

Former LSU Tigers All-American Shaquille O'Neal attends a football game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., on Nov. 23, 2019. O'Neal was a two-time All-American and twice SEC Player of the Year during his three seasons at LSU. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Shaquille O'Neal was a centerpiece of perhaps the greatest game in the history of Arkansas' basketball rivalry with LSU. But the following year's game provided an even greater landmark in Razorback lore.

O'Neal is the legendary Hall of Fame center who was feared in arenas throughout the SEC during his three seasons with the Tigers. He was a two-time All-American and twice SEC Player of the Year.

In a high-octane showdown in Fayetteville between the No. 7 Razorbacks and No. 23 Tigers, Shaq — a 7-foot-1, 294-pound behemoth — was outplayed by a Razorback who stood nearly a foot shorter.

A raucous sellout crowd watched in disappointment as LSU dominated the first half and led 51-36 at intermission. Not to worry, Hog fans figured, as this Arkansas team set the school record the year before by averaging 99.6 points a game.

The Hogs still trailed by 11 with just under 12 minutes to play, but a scrappy comeback was led by 6-2 point guard Lee Mayberry, who scored 23 in the second half. His three-pointer tied the game at 87 with 1:19 left and 6-foot-9 Oliver Miller blocked O'Neal's shot to force overtime.

Coach Nolan Richardson's Hogs dominated the extra five-minute period, outscoring LSU 19-5 for a 106-92 victory. Mayberry scored the first four of overtime and Todd Day added nine as Arkansas clinched the SEC title in its first season in the conference.

It was a game that grabbed the nation's attention as O'Neal was the most dominant force in college basketball and Arkansas had reached the Final Four and Elite Eight the two previous seasons.

O'Neal dominated the Hogs with 22 points in the first 23 minutes, but Richardson adjusted with a sagging defense to surround the big man and Shaq didn't score in the final 16-plus minutes.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Richardson said: “The only way to stop O’Neal was to put Lee in the middle of our defense in front of him.” Otherwise, the Arkansas coach said, O’Neal is “impossible to stop man to man.”

LSU coach Dale Brown paid Mayberry the highest possible compliment afterward.

“Lee Mayberry is the best player in the country,” Brown said.

Richardson would not have disagreed with Brown. Back then, and in recent years, he always praised the four-year starter — as were Day and Miller — as the most reliable and consistent player he ever coached.

Mayberry, perhaps the best point guard in Hogs history, finished with 35 points and seven assists while making a remarkable 9-of-12 from three. His nine treys were a school record, since broken five times, but always against a lower-level opponent:

1. 13 - Rotnei Clarke vs. Alcorn St. (11/13/2009) in Fayetteville
2. 12 - Alex Dillard vs. Delaware St. (12/11/1993) in Fayetteville
3. 10 - Isaiah Joe vs. Florida International (12/1/2018) in Fayetteville
4. 10 - Rotnei Clarke vs. East Tennessee St. (11/27/2009) in Fayetteville
5. 10 - Pat Bradley vs. North Texas (12/30/1998) in Fayetteville

Day totaled 27 points, after torching the Tigers for 43 in a 101-90 victory in Baton Rouge earlier that season. Day, like Mayberry and Miller, was a first-round NBA pick in the '92 draft.

O'Neal was held to 22 points and 14 rebounds in the game in Fayetteville. He had 27 and 16 at LSU, the game marred by a brief skirmish after he was fouled hard by Day.

O'Neal was passed over for the "Dream Team," the 1992 U.S. Olympic hoops squad, the first to welcome pros into the fold. The team held one place for a college player and Christian Laettner was picked instead of O'Neal.

Laettner had been the most successful collegian of his time, winning consecutive national titles and reaching a third Final Four in 1990, when he led Duke to a 97-83 win over Arkansas' "MayDay" team in Denver.

Shaq had the best pro career of everyone mentioned here. He was the overall No. 1 pick in the 1992 NBA draft and won four championships, including three with the Los Angeles Lakers and another with the Miami Heat. He was MVP of the Finals all three times with the Lakers.

The year after the Hogs' huge second-half comeback to beat the Tigers, LSU was back in Fayetteville for another big game that made news around the country. It was the Razorbacks' final game at Barnhill Arena.

Barnhill had become nationally known as one of the top homecourt advantages in the country. Always sold out since coach Eddie Sutton transformed the program in the mid-1970s, it had become an "event" as much as a basketball game.

Sutton had recruited young band leader Jim Robken to start a basketball pep band and it became much more than even Sutton had envisioned.

At a crucial timeout, when Arkansas had a team on the ropes or was mounting a comeback, Robken would seize the moment and have his band play their signature piece, the William Tell Overture.

As fans cheered, Robken would race around the arena, imploring the older crowd to stand and cheer. The place would go nuts and teams would invariably fold as the Hogs led by Sutton and then Richardson would finish off another exciting victory.

Robken would even do his act during the Southwest Conference Tournament at Reunion Arena in Dallas — known as Barnhill South as Hog fans dominated the crowd — sometimes while wearing a cowboy hat as he raced around the court and stands.

Arkansas didn't disappoint in that final game at Barnhill, beating LSU 88-75 after leading by 17 at halftime. Sutton was invited back and sat with Arkansas athletics director Frank Broyles during the game.

Robken, who had left Arkansas in 1991 to become director of bands at Louisiana Tech, his alma mater, also returned. Like Sutton, he was asked to speak and participate in post-game ceremonies orchestrated by Broyles.

A surprise speech came from LSU's coach as Brown asked if he could say a few words to the crowd. He was gracious and eloquent as always while praising Arkansas fans and Richardson's program.

LSU Tigers former coach Dale Brown during the semifinals of the Final Four at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on April 5, 2014. | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Robken was part of the mystical scheme to capture the spirit and energy of Barnhill Arena and transport it to the new hoops home known as Bud Walton Arena.

Twice as big as Barnhill, the new place has been the site of many exciting Razorback wins as Arkansas fans made Walton Arena just as feared a venue as Barnhill had been for over a decade.

Now LSU is back for another trip to Fayetteville. The Hogs and Tigers will tip off at 8 p.m. in Walton Arena, televised by ESPN2.

More than likely, many of the greats that made this series so fun to watch will tune in tonight to see the latest showdown between two teams desperate to win.

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