The No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks claimed their first SEC Tournament championship since 2000, defeating the No. 22 Vanderbilt Commodores 86-75 on Sunday afternoon.
Key Takeaways
The No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks defeated the No. 22 Vanderbilt Commodores 86-75 to win their first SEC Tournament championship since 2000. Darius Acuff Jr. led with 30 points and 11 assists, while John Calipari became the first coach in SEC history to win tournament titles at two different programs.
- Arkansas wins SEC Championship over Vanderbilt 86-75
- Darius Acuff Jr. scores 30 points and has 11 assists
- John Calipari achieves historic milestone with title at two different programs
- Arkansas snaps a skid of four straight losses in the SEC title game
Darius Acuff Jr. led the Razorbacks with an impressive performance of 30 points and 11 assists. Arkansas sealed the victory with a decisive 12-0 spurt in the final minutes, snapping a skid of four straight losses in this game with their second-ever win in the SEC title game.
John Calipari made history as the first coach in SEC history to win tournament titles at two different programs. This victory adds to his impressive career total of 16 combined conference tournament titles, including stints at UMass and Memphis.
The Razorbacks had previously defeated Ole Miss by a score of 93-90 in overtime, with Acuff Jr. scoring five crucial points in the extra period. This set up their matchup against Vanderbilt, who had advanced to the final after ending Florida's 12-game winning streak with a 91-74 victory.
The Commodores were led by Tyler Tanner, who played a significant role in their semifinal win over Florida with 20 points. However, they couldn't replicate that success against Arkansas in the championship game.
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