NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An SEC trophy is coming back to Fayetteville for the first time in 26 years.
Arkansas basketball knocked off Vanderbilt 86-75 to win the SEC Tournament championship on Sunday, March 15. In just his second season with the program, John Calipari has a significant breakthrough. He also became the first coach in the league’s history to win a tournament title with two schools.
The No. 3 Razorbacks (26-8) led No. 4 Vanderbilt (26-8) 74-72 with 3:40 remaining when the Commodores called a timeout to set up a final stretch that was dominated by Arkansas. The Hogs went on a 12-0 run, and Trevon Brazile was at the heart of it.
The senior forward made two 3-pointers, blocked two shots and had a two-handed jam with 41.1 seconds left to send the Arkansas fans inside Bridgestone Arena into a frenzy.
“Coach Cal calling out in the huddle, I was going to hit the dagger again, like I did at Mizzou.” Brazile said. “Him having that confidence in me, my confidence in myself, it feels good.”
In the final SEC game of his career, Brazile finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.
The first half was neck-and-neck. The largest lead was a seven-point advantage for Arkansas, but Vanderbilt never let that type of advantage last long. The Commodores made six 3-pointers and forced Arkansas into an unusual seven first-half turnovers.
The Hogs built their early advantage through Billy Richmond, who made two 3-pointers and had 14 first-half points while Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas got off to slow starts. Eventually, Acuff found his groove. Vanderbilt took a lead inside the final two minutes, but Acuff hit back-to-back 3s on the Hogs’ final two possessions to give Arkansas a 41-39 lead at halftime.
Vanderbilt punched first after the intermission. A 6-0 run forced Calipari to call a timeout with 14:50 on the clock, and the Commodores led 55-49.
But the lack of separation remained. Arkansas responded with an 11-0 spurt, powered by two 3-pointers from D.J. Wagner.
Eventually, Vanderbilt called its timeout that set up the decisive final burst.
Acuff was once again spectacular, notching a double-double with 30 points and 11 assists. Richmond finished with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists. His 91 points on the weekend are the third-most ever scored in an SEC Tournament.
“Just my teammates believing in me. I have to give credit to them. They trust me with the ball and I got to go make the plays. Downhill was working all weekend and today.
Now, the Hogs await their seeding on Selection Sunday.
The Southwest Times Record provided updates throughout the game. Our recap is below.
It’s going to be another tight one, but the Razorbacks have the best player on the floor, and that will push them across the finish line. Darius Acuff Jr. and John Calipari will deliver a trophy to Fayetteville in the Hall of Fame coach’s second season with the program. Arkansas 85, Vanderbilt 81.
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Saturday night.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him@jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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