Arkansas Downs Vanderbilt, Keeps NCAA Tournament Hopes Afloat

The Arkansas Razorbacks beat the Vanderbilt Commodores 90-77 inside of Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn. on Tuesday night, restoring its morale after getting annihilated by the South Carolina Gamecocks on March 1.

The Hogs were able to solidify their 18th overall win and seventh SEC win courtesy of a 21-point performance from senior guard Johnell Davis. Davis, a transfer from FAU, also grabbed four rebounds and had two assists in the much-needed win. The 6-foot-4, Indiana native ripped 18 shots from the field and nailed seven of them while also shooting 2-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arch.

Arkansas couldn’t afford to lose this game as it's currently fighting to the death for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, where it currently sits as a bubble team. Arkansas had to put its head down and compete and it did just that, entertaining a strong, gritty win on the road.

Accompanying Davis with a high amount of points was junior Trevon Brazile, who recorded a double-double, scoring 16 points while grabbing 14 boards. He also had two blocks and two steals. Davis also played significantly better this time around compared to last Saturday when he only put up seven points.

Former Kentucky teammates and now Arkansas teammates Zvonimir Ivisic and D.J. Wagner each stapled 14 points to their statlog, also contributing a combined total of seven rebounds and four assists, shooting a combined 11-of-20 from the field and a combined 3-of-9 from downtown.

As a whole, Arkansas shot 33-of-65 (50.8%) from the field and 8-of-24 (33.3%) from deep, a significant rise compared to this past Saturday’s beatdown in Columbia. The Hogs were able to amount 43 first half points, surging past their historically low 14 first half points against South Carolina.

The Razorbacks now sit five spots from the bottom in the SEC standings, also battling for a helpful seed in the upcoming SEC Tournament.

Arkansas looks ahead to its final regular season game of the year when it hosts the No. 24 Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, March 8 in Bud Walton Arena.

If the Razorbacks can upset the Bulldogs and steal a win, that would almost absolutely solidify them a spot in the big dance as long as they entertain a decent run in the NCAA Tournament.

Tipoff for Arkansas’ regular season finale is set for 11 a.m. CT and can be viewed on the SEC Network.