The last time Arkansas played Vanderbilt, the result was one of the most depressing of the Razorbacks’ basketball season. And that’s saying something.
But the computers at ESPN don’t see that happening again. Arkansas is being given a 75% chance to knock off the Commodores in the first of the SEC Tournament when the teams meet for a rematch Wednesday.
Arkansas enters the conference tourney as the No. 12-seed, whereas Vanderbilt is No. 13. They tip at 6 p.m. from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and the winner will get 5-seed South Carolina on Thursday at about 2:30 p.m. The Gamecocks beat both teams during the regular season by double-digits.
The Hogs have to win the SEC Championship to make a fourth straight NCAA Tournament after finishing the regular season 15-16 overall and 6-12 in SEC play. Both marks yielded the team’s worst winning percentages since the 2008-09 season.
Arkansas has a shot, even if it’s a long one. Coach Eric Musselman’s team has plenty of talent on paper, having been picked to finish in the top four in the SEC during the regular season. Injuries and inconsistency put the Hogs on the back foot to start SEC play and every time it appeared Arkansas had fixed some things, a blight appeared. A blight like Vanderbilt, which beat the Razorbacks by three in Bud Walton Arena at the end of February.