New Headline: UAB's Challenging Season Ends as Razorbacks Dominate in Final SEC Matchup!
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Darius Acuff Jr. scored 30 points and handed out 11 assists, leading No.
17 Arkansas to its first Southeastern Conference Tournament championship and first automatic NCAA Tournament berth since 2000, beating 22nd-ranked Vanderbilt 86-75 Sunday. With the win, John Calipari became the first coach in SEC history to win tournament titles at two different programs. He won six with Kentucky with the last in 2018, including the 2017 title over Arkansas.
Calipari now has 16 combined conference tournament titles in his career. This title game featured a duel of All-SEC guards in Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner defending Acuff, the SEC player and freshman of the year. Acuff put on a show finding teammates with passes, dropping fadeaway jumpers and 3s or layups.
The Razorbacks (26-8) sealed the win with a 12-0 spurt in the final minutes to snap a skid of four straight losses in this game with the program’s second SEC Tournament title. Billy Richmond III added 18 points for Arkansas. Trevon Brazile had 16 and D.
J. Wagner 11. Vanderbilt (26-8) was looking for its first title in this tournament since 2012 when the Commodores beat Calipari and Kentucky.