NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 15: Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Arkansas Razorbacks drives around Tyler Tanner #3 of the Vanderbilt Commodores in the first half of 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship game at Bridgestone Arena on March 15, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 15: Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Arkansas Razorbacks drives around Tyler Tanner #3 of the Vanderbilt Commodores in the first half of 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship game at Bridgestone Arena on March 15, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
Vanderbilt was unable to earn the program’s third-ever SEC Tournament title on Sunday as the No. 4 seed Commodores (26-8) fell to the third-seeded Arkansas 86-75 in the conference championship game at Bridgestone Arena.
The Razorbacks’ Darius Acuff Jr. was named tournament MVP after another huge outing. The freshman star notched game highs for both points with 30 and assists with 11 to lead Arkansas (26-8) to the program’s second SEC Tournament title.
“Sometimes it doesn’t go your way,” Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington told reporters after the game. “Acuff was terrific. Our guys competed. They played hard. We played the right way. It was a great tournament run.”
The win is a familiar feeling for Arkansas head coach John Calipari, who has now won seven SEC Tournament championships, five of which took place at Bridgestone Arena. The legendary coach owns a house in Nashville, and his daughter Erin serves as an associate professor of pharmacology at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences.
Trevon Brazile joined Acuff on the all-tournament team. The senior compiled 16 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Billy Richmond III (18) and D.J. Wagner (11) also scored in double figures.
Duke Miles led Vanderbilt with another strong performance to lock up an all-tournament team spot. The senior had 19 points, four rebounds, a team-high nine assists and four steals.
Sharpshooter Tyler Nickel broke out of his conference tournament slump, tying Miles for the team lead with 19 points on 7-12 shooting, including 5-7 from three-point range. He also grabbed a team-high nine boards.
“Seeing the ball go through the net always makes you feel a little more comfortable,” Nickel said. “At the end of the day, we can try and bring as much confidence into it. Right now, obviously, it stings. We wanted that chip, but we know there’s a lot more for us in the future. Our biggest games are in front of us.”
Despite a rough shooting afternoon (3 of 15 from the field), Brentwood native Tyler Tanner finished with 15 points, five rebounds and two steals to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Ole Miss’s AJ Storr was the final member of the all-tournament team.
Vanderbilt will now have a few hours until Selection Sunday, where it will find out its seed, matchup and destination for the round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament, which begins this week. Most bracketologists have the Commodores slotted in as a No. 4 seed.
“Our program is about ‘we get knocked down, we get back up,'” Byington said. “We’re dejected. We wanted this. We put everything into it. We’ll get back up, and we’re excited about the NCAA Tournament coming up next week.”
The ‘Dores will be joined by Tennessee State in the men’s big dance. The Tigers are projected to be a 15 seed. The Vanderbilt women will also be dancing. It was announced on Saturday that the ‘Dores will be hosting an opening weekend pod in the women’s tournament.
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