It’s officially championship season, and that means trophies are on the line. After taking down Tennessee in the quarterfinals and Florida in the semifinals, No. 4-seed Vanderbilt had a date with No. 3-seed Arkansas in the SEC Tournament championship game on Sunday, March 15.  

It was not meant to be for the Commodores, though, as they fell at Bridgestone Arena, 86-75, in a tightly contested game. Both teams traded consistent blows throughout the 40 minutes (with 12 lead changes), but several scoring droughts for the Commodores in the second half were simply too much to overcome. The Razorbacks also shot 15-for-24 from deep, an incredibly efficient mark that was tough for Vanderbilt to compete with.  

Head coach John Calipari, who has now won seven SEC Tournament titles with 10 finals appearances, led his Razorbacks to their first SEC Tournament victory since 2000, while Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington and Co. left Bridgestone Arena empty handed.  

Now, as Vanderbilt enters the NCAA Tournament, it’ll hope to learn from this tournament run to extend its season. Let’s dive into some takeaways from the Commodores’ loss to Arkansas.

Acuff’s too much 

Everyone knew that Arkansas guard Darius Acuff would be a player to watch in this game. The freshman has been exceptional all year, averaging 22.7 points per game — good enough for eighth-best in all of Division I — while racking up several postseason accolades, including SEC Freshman and Player of the Year. Not to mention, he’s been extremely hot as of late, dropping 37 points in the Razorbacks’ victory over Oklahoma earlier this week in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Byington knew it would be a priority to contain Acuff in transition and on the perimeter.

But the Commodores failed to do so, allowing Acuff to score with ease and take over the game. He was, simply put, the best player on the court on Sunday afternoon. The 19-year-old dropped 30 points on 45% shooting while also knocking in a whopping five 3-pointers. He did much more than just score the ball, too. He facilitated Arkansas’ offense to perfection, finding 11 assists to help spread the ball around. The projected lottery pick was too much to handle for Tyler Tanner and Chandler Bing — the two guys Byington tasked to guard him. Bing is Vanderbilt’s best defender but even he struggled to contain him. 

It was clear that Acuff had an advantage on Sunday afternoon, and he willed the Razorbacks to a victory. Vanderbilt played relatively sound defense on him, but he was too good to be kept quiet. 

Droughts

Vanderbilt went ice cold for long periods of the second half. From the 15:00 to 6:40 mark of the second half, the Commodores didn’t make a single field goal. In the final three minutes, Vanderbilt just scored one basket. These periods of offensive inefficiency allowed the Razorbacks to take a comfortable lead as the clock ticked down. 

None of Vanderbilt’s usual playmakers were making shots down the stretch, and in a game that was extremely close for 35 minutes, the Commodores fell by 11 in the end. It certainly helped that Arkansas made some clutch shots, primarily from Acuff, but it seemed Vanderbilt’s offense was too cold for long stretches, particularly when it mattered late in the game. Tanner and Miles combined for just a 25% field goal clip in the second half, and for a team that’s led by its guards, that wasn’t good enough to get it done in Bridgestone. Jalen Washington went 1-for-6 while AK Okereke went 1-for-4 in the second half, marking a tough second 20 minutes for many of Vanderbilt’s usual contributors. 

Nickel is back 

Let’s talk about a clear positive from Sunday’s game: Tyler Nickel. The senior has been on a noticeable slump the last few games, shooting 23% in his last seven games before this final — a full 16 percentage points below his season average. Fans have been wondering when Nickel would get back to his normal self, and it seems that he finally found his groove again against Arkansas. The Virginia native scored 19 points — the most he’s scored since Feb. 14 — as well as grabbing nine rebounds.  

Nickel provides the perfect deep scoring threat and adds an extra dimension to Byington’s offense when he’s firing on all cylinders. He makes opposing guards think twice before leaving him open, and he spaces the floor. 

It was important that Nickel find his form once again before the NCAA Tournament begins next weekend. When the Commodores shoot well from beyond the arc, its offense seems to click — one only needs to look at Vanderbilt’s dominant win over Florida where it shot 47% from deep. When it doesn’t, it puts all the pressure on the guards to drive and make tough buckets on the inside.  

It seems Nickel has finally found his shot again. He’ll look to carry that momentum into the Big Dance next weekend.