Vanderbilt basketball falls in SEC tournament final as Arkansas pulls away – The Tennessean

Vanderbilt basketball fell in the SEC tournament final, 86-75, to Arkansas on March 15 at Bridgestone Arena.
The first half was a barn-burner as the two teams traded off big shots. Darius Acuff hit a 3-pointer to give Arkansas a 41-39 lead at halftime as Arkansas made seven threes and Vanderbilt made six in the first half.
No. 4 seed Vanderbilt (26-8) went on a run early in the second half to take the lead back, building up as much as a six-point advantage, but No. 3 seed Arkansas (26-8) took it back with an 11-0 run. The Commodores went over eight minutes without making a field goal though stayed in the game by making free throws, and the basket that broke the drought, a 3-pointer by Tyler Nickel, tied the game.
Arkansas made a number of big plays down the stretch, with 3-pointers, steals and blocked shots. The Razorbacks went on a 12-0 run within the final three minutes of the game.
Darius Acuff (30 points, 11 assists) and Billy Richmond III (18 points) made a significant scoring impact for the Razorbacks. Tyler Nickel (19 points) and Duke Miles (19 points, nine assists) were Vanderbilt’s top scorers.
Vanderbilt will await its NCAA tournament fate in the selection show (5 p.m. CT, CBS).
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Arkansas extended its lead to 10 points with an 8-0 run to go up 82-72 with 1:07 remaining.
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Arkansas leads, 74-72, at the under-4 timeout as Vanderbilt called timeout after a made basket by Duke Miles. There are 3:40 to go in the game.
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Vanderbilt has missed 11 straight shots as Arkansas leads, 64-61, at the under-8 timeout with 7:39 to go in the second half. The Commodores have gone over seven minutes without a field goal.
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Nick Pringle was called for a flagrant foul as he attempted to block a layup by Jalen Washington.
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Though Arkansas’ lead is just 60-58, Vanderbilt has gone over five minutes without a field goal, making only free throws in that span.
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Arkansas went on an 11-0 run to retake the lead, only broken up with a pair of AK Okereke free throws. Arkansas leads, 60-57, with 10:21 to go.
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Vanderbilt went on a 6-0 run capped off by a jumper by Jalen Washington to put Vanderbilt up 55-49 with 14:50 left in the game.
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Devin McGlockton was called for a flagrant foul on drive to the basket by Darius Acuff, originally called a common foul and upgraded on review to give Arkansas two shots and the ball. Acuff made 1-of-2 free throws.
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Both teams made a flurry of 3-pointers as the first half ticked down. Arkansas leads, 31-28, with 3:42 left in the first half at the under-4 timeout after a triple by Meleek Thomas.
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Back-to-back 3-pointers by Tyler Tanner and Tyler Nickel drew Vanderbilt to within 24-23, prompting Arkansas to call timeout with 5:46 left in the first half.
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Billy Richmond was already up to 12 points at the under-8 timeout as Arkansas led, 24-17, with 7:53 to go in the first half.
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All are available for Vanderbilt. Karter Knox is out for Arkansas.
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See here for the latest bracketology updates on Vanderbilt.
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