WATCH: Another Cheerleader Makes The Assist Of The Game, Dislodges Stuck Basketball

The storylines for No. 2 Duke (32-6) vs. No. 4 Arkansas (28-9) in the Elite 8 of the West Region wrote themselves.

The last remaining SEC team looking to knock off a blue blood program to reach its first Final Four in 27 years. The potential final game of Mike Krzyzewski's historic career. Alas, someone else -- someone wearing a different uniform opted to steal the moment.

Last week, it was Indiana cheerleader Cassidy Cerny. This week, it was an Arkansas cheerleader who provided the assist of the game, when the game ball was stuck above the backboard.

Like Cerny before her, the Arkansas cheerleader who retrieved the ball received one of the ovations of the night. Now she hopes that a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal will follow.

For Cerny's hard work, she earned an NIL deal with Breaking T, who commemorated the moment with a t-shirt of her grabbing the ball with the slogan, "The cheerleader saves the day.”

Unfortunately, the cheerleader's assist wound up being the most noteworthy play of the game for the Razorbacks, as Arkansas was defeated by Duke, 78-69.


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Nick Geddes is a 2021 graduate of the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. A life-long sports enthusiast, Nick shares a passion for sports writing and is proud to represent OutKick.