Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Why Arkansas Lost
It would be easy to point to a 16-point deficit and say the Razorbacks did “too little too late.” Actually, they did enough to put themselves in position to win until two late turnovers gave Tennessee easy scores. Arkansas’ miscues in the final 1:10 led to the Volunteers turning a tie game (68 all) into a victory. Arkansas committed 15 turnovers, which led to 20 points. Marshawn Powell was a non-factor and the Razorbacks had no answer for Tennessee inside players as the Vols scored 44 points in the paint. For a third game in a row, the Razorbacks shot well, but didn’t defend or rebound well enough to win.

Turning Point
Arkansas (18-13) used a 16-0 run to tie the game at 68 with 2:08 remaining. Center Delvon Johnson was called for a walk at the 1:10 mark and Tennessee scored inside to take the lead for good. Razorback point guard Julysses Nobles coughed the ball up on the next play, and the Volunteers (19-13) turned that turnover into a pair of free throws, eliminating any chance for an Arkansas win.

Slow Start
Rotnei Clarke finished with 18 points for the Razorbacks. He had only five in the first half as Tennessee made a concerted effort to slow down Arkansas’ leading scorer.

Clarke shot just 3 of 10 from behind the 3-point line. He was shooting 56 percent from behind the arc in the previous seven games.

Dry Spell
Scoring droughts happen. But the Razorbacks were especially ineffective in the first half.

They failed to score a field goal during two stretches totaling 13:30. Arkansas shot 29 percent in the first half.

Progress?
This is the third consecutive season for the Razorbacks to be eliminated from the SEC Tournament in the opening round. Each season, though, the deficit has decreased.

Florida eliminated Arkansas by 15 in 2008-09. Georgia knocked out the Razorbacks with a 13-point victory in 2009-10.

Non-Factor
Forward Marshawn Powell struggled throughout the night. He finished with four points and one rebound.

Speaking Out
“We'll talk about our team tonight, and we'll talk about the SEC tournament. There will be a time for that reflection here  at  some  point  in time. I look forward to it.”
—Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey on his job security

Speaking Out II
“It's very disappointing. We felt like we shouldn't have been in that position in the first place, but that's how it was. But we didn't quit. We fought.”
—Arkansas guard Rotnei Clarke