COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT : Syracuse Has No Time for Mistake : Midwest: Arkansas takes advantage of Moten’s error to win in overtime.

Now Michigan’s Chris Webber has company in the annals of big-time mistakes during the NCAA tournament.

Like Webber in closing moments of a tense final in 1993, Syracuse’s Lawrence Moten called a timeout when his team had none remaining.

The gaffe allowed Arkansas to tie the score near the end of regulation, and the defending national champions went on to defeat Syracuse, 96-94, in overtime Sunday to advance to the regional semifinals.

With Syracuse leading 82-81, Lucious Jackson stole Arkansas’ inbounds pass and was eventually tied up by Alex Dillard. But Moten called a timeout with 4.3 seconds left--just before Dillard got into the scramble--and a technical foul was called.

“I guess I thought we had one (timeout),” Moten said.

Webber did the same thing with Michigan trailing by a point late in the championship game at New Orleans. North Carolina eventually won, 77-71.

Scotty Thurman made one of two technical free throws to tie the score, 82-82, and Dillard missed a shot at the buzzer after Arkansas got the ball.

Announcers on CBS told a national television audience that Jackson had called the timeout, but it was actually Moten, who was standing away from the ball.

“I thought it was a jump ball, I thought it was a tie-up,” Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim said. “If nobody has possession of the ball, I don’t know how you can get a timeout.”

If Moten had not called a timeout and the play was ruled a jump ball, Syracuse had the possession arrow.

Boeheim said he had warned the team that they had no timeouts left.

“We found a way to win,” Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson said. “Mental mistakes can cost you as well as physical mistakes. I don’t know if the ball was tied up or not. A timeout is a timeout, I don’t care whether it’s at the time of the tie-up or not.”

In overtime, Thurman made a three-point shot, a two-point basket and a free throw in the last 2:07. Syracuse fouled him with 12.6 seconds left after letting several precious seconds run off the clock, and Thurman made one of two.

Michael Lloyd missed a three-point shot for Syracuse with four seconds left in overtime. Jackson rebounded, but his three-point attempt at the buzzer bounced off the rim.

“I felt I had to carry the team because we were having so many players foul out,” Thurman said. “I had to do my part to take care of the team.”

Arkansas (29-6) will play Memphis in the Midwest Regional semifinal at Kansas City, Mo., on Friday.

Thurman scored 27 points and Corliss Williamson had 25 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 2:29 left in regulation. Lee Wilson added 18 for Arkansas.

“I felt helpless on the bench,” Williamson said. “I couldn’t believe it when Moten called time out. “

Moten said: “If I was to end my college basketball career, I would end it against the defending national champions.”

Thurman said: “I felt sorry for Moten, but he had nothing to be ashamed of.”

John Wallace led Syracuse (20-10) with 29 points, Moten had 27 and Jackson added 21.

Moten made back-to-back three-point shots to tie the score at 77 with 3:41 left to complete Syracuse’s comeback from a 12-point deficit.

Arkansas came out running in the second half, building a 62-50 lead with 14:20 left on the inside-outside play of Williamson and Thurman.

Syracuse led, 42-39, at halftime with Wallace, who averages 16 points per game, scoring 15 in the first 20 minutes. Williamson kept the Razorbacks close with 12 points.