With its NCAA Tournament hopes on life support, Arkansas did exactly what it needed to do to stay afloat. The Hogs gained their fifth quad-1 win against Vanderbilt, beating the Commodores on their home court, 90-77.
At the end of Tuesday's game against Vandy, the commentators asked themselves multiple times, "Is this the Arkansas team that played South Carolina." To be honest, Hog fans have been asking themselves that from game to game. Every time this team steps on the court, they look completely different.
The Razorbacks' game against Vanderbilt was the antithesis of the one against USC. Arkansas couldn't buy a bucket against the Gamecocks and couldn't miss against the Commodores. The Hogs shot 50.8 percent from the field (33 of 65), with five players scoring double-digit points.
As Trevon Brazile told the SEC Network's SEC NOW after the game, Arkansas took advantage of Vandy's small lineup.
“To be honest, we knew they don’t got nobody over like 6-foot-8." Said Brazile. "We got a lot of length on the team, lot of taller guys…that was definitely a point of emphasis.”
It was a point of emphasis, indeed. The Razorbacks scored 48 paint points, with a significant portion coming from dunks, including three vicious ones from Brazile. Arkansas also outrebounded Vanderbilt by 11 boards (42 to 31), with a third coming from (you guessed it) Trevon Brazile.
“A Night of Dunks” • Presented by @RazorbackMBB 🐗🏀 pic.twitter.com/j2mpPgE540
— Hawg Talk Podcast (@TheHawgTalk) March 5, 2025
The third-year Hoop Hog had his first double-double in over a year, scoring 16 points and cleaning up 14 boards. Johnell Davis led the team with 21 points, but no one else came close to reaching Brazile's rebound total, with Jonas Aidoo coming second with a respectable eight boards.
Tuesday was just the first of two crucial games for Arkansas. The next and final game of the regular season against Mississippi State could solidify Arkansas's place in the tournament. It's another quad-1 opportunity, and the Bulldogs are down after losing to Texas on Tuesday. If the Hogs were to drop their final home game, they may need to win one or two SEC Tournament games to feel safe.