Arkansas Shines in Key Matchup Against Vanderbilt

The Arkansas Razorbacks keep their postseason dreams alive as they walk into Memorial Gymnasium and defeat the Vanderbilt Commodores on a 3-game winning streak before this matchup.

The Hogs got a much-needed spark from former standout transfer Johnell 'Nelly' Davis, who had a team-high 21 points in this game. Davis finished with a final stat line of 7-for-18 and went 5-of-7 from the free throw line. 

Arkansas also had Redshirt Junior Trevon Brazile, who had one of his biggest games of the season. He was the difference-maker for the Razorbacks, and he was the spark plug for the team tonight. Brazile finished this game on a 6-for-8 shooting performance, scoring 16 points and 14 rebounds in tonight's win.

The Hogs found a way to shut down prolific shooter Jason Edwards, who finished the game on a shooting drought, going 0-for-12 and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. The Commodores had a tough time shooting the ball tonight shooting 38% from the field compared to the Razorbacks' 50% field goal percentage. 

This was a monumental win for the Razorback's postseason chances, as the Razorbacks were coming off of a snoozefest where the Hogs lost 72-53. Following Arkansas' 5th Quad 1 win of the season brings their Quad 1 record to 5-9.

According to Joe Lunardi's Bracketology, the Hogs were seen on the bubble as one of the last four teams. They would have to travel to Dayton to take on Ohio State in the 11 Seed play-in game. If the Hogs went on to win the play-in game, they would travel to the Midwest Region to take on the 6th-seeded Louisville Cardinals in Indianapolis. 

The Razorbacks close out their regular season on Saturday when they take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs at 11 a.m. on the SEC Network. According to ESPN analytics the Razorbacks have a 55% chance to win in their season finale following the Bulldogs' disappointing loss to the Longhorns. The Hogs look to finish the regular season on a strong note and extend their winning streak to two games before traveling to Nashville, Tennessee, for the SEC Tournament, which starts next Wednesday. 

However, the Bulldogs are coming off a disappointing Senior Night. They lost to the Texas Longhorns in overtime by a final score of 87-82. The Razorbacks will need to have a carbon copy of the Longhorns defensive plan as they completely eliminated Josh Hubbard from the offense as they would double team him every time he touched the ball. Hubbard finished the game going for 16 points but had an abysmal shooting night with a stat line of 3-for-12 but went 9-for-10 from the free throw line. 

Coach John Calipari will get the Hogs in the right position to compete in this ballgame and have a chance to walk out of Bud Walton with a much-needed win.