Adonis Jordan, grinning from earlobe to earlobe, uttered one of the pithiest postgame statements in Kansas University men’s basketball history on that astonishing day.

“Down by 12, win by 12,” Jordan stated matter-of-factly.

Jordan was a Kansas University guard March 23, 1991 — a day that will live in Arkansas University basketball infamy. That was the day Kansas cut 20 minutes off UA coach Nolan Richardson’s self-described “40 minutes of hell.”

To put that 93-81 KU victory over the Razorbacks into historical perspective, it was:

1) the most impressive comeback by a KU team in its NCAA Tournament history.

2) the game that skyrocketed young KU coach Roy Williams into the national consciousness, sending him to his first NCAA Final Four, where he coached for the first time against long-time mentor Dean Smith.

3) the high-water mark of KU’s Alonzo Jamison, a defensive specialist who scored a career-high 26 points.

Let me set the stage for that memorable meeting because it was the last time Kansas faced the buzzsaw, fullcourt pressure defense they’ll see Friday night in St. Louis when Richardson protege Mike Anderson unleashes his “fastest 40 minutes of basketball” on the Jayhawks.

That 1990-91 KU edition — Williams’ third on Mount Oread — had earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament despite losing to Nebraska (Nebraska???) in the semifinals of the Big Eight tournament, and was hardly a juggernaut.

Off to Louisville, the Jayhawks had little difficulty disposing of New Orleans in the first round and Pittsburgh in the second. The prospects for future advancement, however, looked grim with Arkansas and Indiana, the region’s top two seeds respectively, on the horizon at the Charlotte Coliseum in Williams’ native North Carolina.

Surprisingly, the Jayhawks had no problem at all with Indiana, drilling one of Bob Knight’s best teams, 83-65, in the Round of 16, but Arkansas would be another story. The Hogs were 34-3 and were ranked No. 2 in the wire-service polls.

How could the Jayhawks possibly stand up under 40 minutes of that withering Arkansas defensive pressure?

Well, for 20 minutes they couldn’t. Arkansas was dynamite. The Hogs forced 10 turnovers and standout guard Todd Day drained three of four three-point attempts and scored 21 points. I can still remember the Arkansas players running off the floor with a 47-35 halftime lead and thinking this was a team destined for a national championship.

What I didn’t know at the time was that Arkansas would come out supremely overconfident in the second half. Kansas scored the first eight points after the break and recaptured the momentum. Soon the Jayhawks were off to the races, leaving the Razorbacks in a world of hurt.

Kansas outscored Arkansas, 58-34, in arguably the best half ever played by a KU basketball team in NCAA Tournament annals. Arkansas was shell-shocked. All Richardson could do was praise the Jayhawks. What else could he do?

Off the top of my head, the only comparable game I can recall occurred last season in Allen Fieldhouse and Kansas was the victim. Remember when the Jayhawks rocketed to a 52-39 halftime lead over Arizona, then were blown away? As KU fans sat stunned, the Wildcats dropped a 52-22 bomb on the Jayhawks in the last 20 minutes and won, 91-74.

If that wasn’t the worst second half in KU basketball history — particularly at home, then it certainly ranked in the top three. Conversely, that second half against Arkansas on that late March day in the Charlotte Coliseum had to be one of the best of all time.

With Kansas scheduled to face a team very similar to that Arkansas powerhouse this weekend at the Edward Jones Dome, it’s interesting to note what Williams said prior to that fateful meeting with the Hogs 13 years ago.

“To beat Arkansas,” Williams said, “you’ve got to beat an attitude.”

In other words, you have to believe you can slice 40 minutes of hell into 20 minutes at the most.