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Arkansas punches ticket to SEC title game by downing Vandy

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Moses Kingsley had 12 points and 13 rebounds as third-seeded Arkansas beat Vanderbilt 76-62 on Saturday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals.

The Razorbacks (25-8) won their third straight to reach the championship for the seventh time. They will play No. 1 seed Kentucky, a 79-74 winner over Alabama, for the second time in three years Sunday.

Arkansas simply smothered Vanderbilt, especially in the paint where the Razorbacks had a 46-16 scoring edge.

Jaylen Barford led Arkansas with 18 points. Dusty Hannahs added 16 and Daryl Macon 15.

Playing a third game in as many days took its toll on seventh-seeded Vanderbilt (19-15). The Commodores saw a three-game winning streak end after reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2013.

Riley LaChance scored 12 points for Vanderbilt. Joe Toye added 12, and Jeff Roberson and Matthew Fisher-Davis each had 10.

These teams won on each other’s floor during the season with Vandy a blown 15-point lead away from sweeping Arkansas.

This time, the Razorbacks led 35-31 at halftime and took control with a 21-4 run to start the second half.

Vandy coach Bryce Drew tried to rest his starters where he could in the first half with Luke Kornet and Roberson playing only 12 minutes after each played at least 38 minutes in Friday’s overtime win over No. 17 Florida in the quarterfinals. It just wasn’t enough as the Commodores missed their first nine shots to start the game and the first six of the second.

Vandy used a 12-2 run to take its first lead but couldn’t hold it for long.

Barford scored seven of his 10 points in a quick spurt after a tie at 19 to put the Razorbacks ahead to stay.

Arkansas, outscored only three times in the second half all season, wound up leading by as much as 27. Vanderbilt used a 13-0 run late to make the final margin more respectable.

UP NEXT

The Razorbacks face No. 1 seed Kentucky in Sunday’s championship game at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Arkansas rolls by Ole Miss to advance to SEC semifinals

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Manuale Watkins drove for a layup with 1:28 left to put No. 3 seed Arkansas ahead, and the Razorbacks held off No. 6 seed Ole Miss 73-72 on Friday night in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

Watkins’ layup made it 71-70, and Daryl Macon hit two free throws with 23.8 seconds left to pad Arkansas’ lead. The Razorbacks needed every point as the Rebels took and missed a flurry of shots in the final 10 seconds before Justas Furmanavicius‘ layup just before the buzzer.

Officials reviewed the play before ruling the game over.

Ole Miss (20-13) snapped a two-game winning streak.

Macon finished with 17 points, including 9 of 10 at the free throw line. Jaylen Barford and Dusty Hannahs each added 13.

Terence Davis led Ole Miss with 26 points.

This was the first time these teams have played in the SEC Tournament, and they turned in a doozy after Arkansas routed Ole Miss 98-80 on Feb. 18.

Ole Miss, fresh off beating Missouri in the Rebels’ tournament opener, jumped out to a 17-8 lead on a 3-pointer by Davis. After that, neither team led by more than six in a game featuring 13 ties, including 40-40 at halftime, along with 12 lead changes.

Breein Tyree gave Ole Miss its last lead at 70-69 with a 3-pointer with 1:47 to go. The Rebels didn’t score again until a layup that was too little and too late.

With Moses Kingsley helping harass Sebastian Saiz, the Ole Miss senior who was the SEC’s only player to average a double-double this season, into just nine points and 17 rebounds.

Deandre Burnett added 16 points, and Tyree had 13 for Ole Miss.

BIG PICTURE

Ole Miss: The Rebels, who lead both the SEC and the nation with the most made free throws, just couldn’t get to the line enough with Saiz. He was just 1 of 2 at the line. They also didn’t help themselves from 3-point range, missing their first five in the second half trying to match the speedy Razorbacks up and down the court. They finished 1 of 10 beyond the arc in the second half and 8 of 28 for the game despite outrebounding Arkansas 49-39.

Arkansas: The Razorbacks already had their sights set on their second NCAA Tournament berth in three seasons for the first time in nine seasons. They improved to 23-24 in this tournament and now are a win away from playing in the title game for the second time in three years.

UP NEXT

Arkansas moves on to play in the second semifinal game against No. 7 seed Vanderbilt Saturday on ESPN. The Commodores-Razorbacks matchup will begin 25 minutes after the conclusion of the Alabama-Kentucky game, which tips off at noon.

Anderson talks about Razorbacks’ win over Ole Miss

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas coach Mike Anderson and senior Moses Kingsley discuss the Razorbacks’ 73-72 victory against the Rebels in the SEC Tournament.

Hogs set to kick off 11-game homestand against Louisiana-Monroe

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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After a five-game road trip, Arkansas returns home this week to begin an 11-game homestand at Baum Stadium starting with Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

The Warhawks will come to Fayetteville for a two-game midweek series, the first between the two teams since 2009.

Follow Live
Both games will be available on SEC Network+ with Alex Perlman (PXP) and Troy Eklund (Analyst) on the call. Phil Elson (PXP) and Rick Schaeffer (Analyst) will call both games for the Razorback Sports Network on the radio.

Probable Starters
Tue. | 3 p.m. | (ARK) RHP Dominic Taccolini vs. (ULM) RHP Cole Hendrix
Wed. | 3 p.m. | (ARK) TBA vs. (ULM) TBA

Feels Good To Be Back
Arkansas kicks off an 11-game homestand Tuesday against ULM. The Hogs will play two against the Warhawks in the midweek and three this weekend against Rhode Island. The Hogs are a perfect 6-0 at home this year with series sweeps over Miami (Ohio) and Bryant. The Razorbacks are one of six teams in the SEC still undefeated at home this year, but are one of three to have played six or more games at home and still be undefeated.

Shaddy Takes Home Top Tournament Honors
Redshirt junior Carson Shaddy had a week to remember. Over the five games last week, the Fayetteville native hit .438 with four of his seven hits going for doubles. He also had one home run coming against Louisiana Tech to give him two for the year. Being a tough out against some of the best pitching at the Frisco Classic, Shaddy hit a staggering .556 with six RBIs, including a career-high three doubles against Nebraska. His weekend performance outshined the rest to earn him Frisco Classic Most Outstanding Player honors.

Knight Goes Toe-to-Toe With No. 5 Arizona
Even though he was saddled with the loss Friday against No. 5 Arizona at the Frisco Classic, sophomore pitcher Blaine Knight threw, arguably, the best game of his young career. The Bryant, Arkansas native matched the Wildcats number one pitcher, lefty J.C. Cloney pitch for pitch through six innings and totaled a career-high 10 strikeouts. Knight set down 11 of the first 12 batters he faced and had his 10 strikeouts by the fifth inning. The 10 strikeouts is the most by a Hog pitcher since Dominic Taccolini’s 10-inning masterpiece against Kentucky last season. In his three starts this year, Knight has had at least four strikeouts or more and has only walked one batter in 15 innings. The walk total makes him one of five pitchers in the SEC with one walk or less this year.

The Return Of The Long Ball
After beating Nebraska at the Frisco Classic and splitting the midweek series at Louisiana Tech, the Hogs moved to 8-3 on the year and have done so by scoring in bunches. In six of their last nine games, Arkansas scored 10 or more runs. Through 11 games this year, the Razorbacks have touched the plate 97 times, third-most in the SEC and 21st in the nation. Much of how Arkansas seems to be getting their runs is by the home run ball. 15 home runs have been hit by Arkansas players this season, good for tops in the league and 15th in the nation. Grant Koch leads all Hogs with four home runs, followed by Carson Shaddy, Jake Arledge, and Dominic Fletcher, who each have two. At least one home run has been hit in eight of Arkansas’ 11 games this year.

Scouting ULM
Arkansas and ULM will face off for the second straight year starting on Tuesday at Baum Stadium. Last year, the Warhawks and Razorbacks played a single-game midweek contest at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Hogs took the 3-1 victory for its third win in four games over ULM. The last time ULM visited Fayetteville, the two teams split the midweek series with Arkansas winning 10-9 in the 10th inning in the final game on a Scott Lyons two-run walk-off home run. Arkansas currently leads the all-time series 8-7 with ULM, including 2-1 in Fayetteville.

Thanks to Ole Miss, Hogs now third seed in SEC Tournament

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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After winning six of its last seven games to end the regular season, Arkansas will be the No. 3 seed in the upcoming SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

Going into Saturday night’s game in Oxford, Miss., the Hogs were sitting at No. 4. But the Rebels shocked the Gamecocks, 75-70, lifting Arkansas to the No. 3 spot.

The advantage is the Hogs will not have to face No. 1 seed Kentucky until the championship game. Florida is the No. 2 seed for the tournament this week.

The Razorbacks will play their SEC Tournament opener on Friday, March 10 at approximately 8:30 p.m. against the winner of No. 6 seed Ole Miss versus No. 11 seed Auburn or No. 14 seed Missouri.

Arkansas is the No. 3 seed for the fifth time since joining the SEC, having advanced to the championship game two of the previous four times at the No. 3 spot. The Razorbacks hold an 8-3 overall record in the tournament as the No. 3 seed, including winning their only SEC Tournament Championship in 2000. Having a double bye in the tournament puts Arkansas in the quarterfinals, where it has a 12-2 all-time record.

Arkansas is making its 26th SEC Tournament appearance where it has an all-time record of 22-24, including a berth in the championship game two years ago.

After being voted to finish fifth in the league by the media, Arkansas finished higher than it was picked for the fourth straight season, ending the year with an 18-point rout of Georgia to post a 23-8 overall regular season record and a 12-6 mark in league play.

The Razorbacks have posted 23 regular season wins and 12 SEC victories for the second time in the last 22 years, joining the 2014-15 NCAA Tournament team as the only squads to accomplish the feat.

Information from Razorback Sports Communications contributed to this report.

Hogs’ seniors talk about career, ending season on high note against Georgia

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Fox talks about Bulldogs’ struggles against Hogs on Saturday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Seniors go out strong, promising Hogs ‘going dancing’

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Dusty Hannahs pumped his fist, Manuale Watkins raised his arms and Moses Kingsley hugged Arkansas coach Mike Anderson on his way off the court.

In their final game in Bud Walton Arena, the Razorbacks trio of seniors accomplished what they had hoped for all along — all but securing Arkansas’ return to the NCAA Tournament with an 85-67 win over Georgia to close out the regular season on Saturday.

“We just want to let you all know, we’re going dancing,” Hannahs excitedly told the fans at midcourt afterward.

The Razorbacks (23-8, 12-6 SEC) appeared on their way to missing the NCAAs for a fifth time in six years after back-to-back losses to Missouri and Vanderbilt early last month.

However, Saturday’s win was their sixth in the last seven games since those defeats — likely giving Arkansas its second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last three seasons thanks to its late-season surge.

Hannahs, Kingsley and Watkins combined for 42 points in their final home game for the Razorbacks, with Hannahs and Kingsley finishing with 15 each and Watkins 12. Junior Jaylen Barford added 15 points for Arkansas, which has now won 12 conference games for only the second time in 22 seasons and rebounded from a disappointing 16-16 record a season ago.

“We’ve done what we’re supposed to do,” Anderson said when asked if he felt Arkansas had earned an NCAA berth. “We’ve done what we’re supposed to do.”

Both teams entered Saturday looking to close out the regular season with a much-needed boost to their NCAA Tournament chances, with Arkansas 28th in the NCAA’s RPI ratings and Georgia 52nd.

The Razorbacks hit just five of their first 15 shots to open the game, falling behind 21-14, but they closed the first half by hitting nine of their last 13 shots to take a 38-37 halftime edge. Their hot shooting continued in the second half, with Arkansas hitting 55.7 percent (34 of 61) of its shots for the game.

The Bulldogs (18-13, 9-9) led by as many as seven points in the first half, but they were outscored 47-30 in the second. J.J. Frazier led the way with 24 points, hitting all 13 of his free throws, while Derek Ogbeide added 12 in the loss.

Georgia shot just 31.1 percent (19 of 61) in the game, 8 of 32 (25 percent) in the second half against an Arkansas team Bulldogs coach Mark Fox said “no doubt” had earned its NCAA Tournament spot — even before Saturday’s win.

“Arkansas is a very good club, and we could not find a lineup that could both score and get stops,” Fox said. “They’ve got a very good team, and we certainly couldn’t slow them down.”

BIG PICTURE

Georgia: The Bulldogs entered the game having won five of their last six games to help their postseason chances, but they now likely have to win the SEC Tournament next week to secure an NCAA berth. Under Fox, Georgia has won at least 20 games in each of the last three seasons — the first time the school has done that in its history.

Arkansas: The Razorbacks missed the NCAA Tournament in Anderson’s first three seasons, but they appear now to have all but secured the school’s second appearance in the last three seasons. Arkansas’ win followed a familiar trend on Saturday, with the Razorbacks outscoring Georgia by one point in the first half and 17 in the second. They entered game having outscored their opponents by one point in the first half for the season and 180 points in the second.

SENIOR STRENGTH

Hannahs, Kingsley and Watkins were each honored during a Senior Day ceremony before the game. The three then did everything they could to ensure they ended their Bud Walton Arena careers with a win, combining to hit 16 of 28 shots (57.1 percent).

UP NEXT

Both teams next play at the SEC Tournament, which begins on Wednesday.

With Dykes out, is it time for another ‘Long Reach?’

Andy Hodges
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Jimmy Dykes has resigned as the women’s basketball coach at Arkansas.

Whether he was asked to by Jeff Long is not known, but it should have been Long’s decision.

Dykes, one of the greatest people you’d ever want to meet, was really more qualified to be a head men’s coach … and his best qualification for that was analyzing games on ESPN.

It was a “Long Reach,” which describes most of the hires Long has made since taking over as athletics director.

“It was a tremendous honor to be the head coach at my alma mater for the past three years,” said Dykes. “I know in my heart, that God moved me into this position and I trust 100 percent that he is now moving me forward to something different.”

Dykes recently finished his third full season at Arkansas after joining the program in 2014.

In his three seasons, Dykes posted a record of 43-49, including a 16-36 record in SEC games (combined regular season and SEC Tournament). During his tenure, the Razorbacks made one appearance in the NCAA Tournament (2015), advancing to the second round.

“I am appreciative of the effort Jimmy has demonstrated over the past three years to our program,” Long said. “When we met following the completion of the women’s basketball season, Jimmy informed me that he would be stepping down from his position as head coach. I support his decision. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

There was no mention of Dykes receiving the $750,000 buyout he was due since he was under contract through 2020.

Now the fan base will be looking to Long to make a solid hire.

And hopefully it won’t be another Long Reach.

Katz says Hogs should be good for NCAA Tournament

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Another strong pitching performance lifts Arkansas to second win

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Making his Razorback debut on the mound, junior Trevor Stephan earned his first victory of the year and catcher Grant Koch delivered a key two RBI hit in the third inning to help lead Arkansas to the 5-1 win over Miami of Ohio Saturday afternoon at Baum Stadium.

In front of a huge crowd of 10,891 fans, the 11th-largest crowd in stadium history, the Hogs leaned on much of the same element that gave them Friday’s win, which was strong pitching. Stephan only threw four innings Saturday, but he struck out five batters and scattered three hits, while only giving up the one run, a home run in the fourth.

Over the last two games, Arkansas’ starting pitchers have thrown a combined eight innings and given up only six hits, one earned run, and struck out 10 batters. Neither starting pitcher gave up a walk, as well.

Offensively, Arkansas totaled 10 hits in the game, all singles with the exception of Koch’s two RBI double in the third inning. Eight different players recorded at least one hit, while Eric Cole and Dominic Fletcher turned in their second straight multi-hit day, each going 2-for-4 at the plate.

Moments That Mattered
The Hogs lit up the scoreboard in the first inning for the second straight day after Fletcher singled home Cole to take a 1-0 lead, but it wasn’t until the third inning that they were able to pad that lead to a more comfortable size.

Senior Jake Arledge led off the third with a single and, eventually, reached third base after a wild pitch and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Luke Bonfield. Bonfield was able to get into scoring position in the next at-bat on another wild pitch, leaving the scoring opportunity wide open for Koch.

The Fayetteville, Arkansas native laced a 1-1 pitch into the right-centerfield gap for his first hit of the year, driving in two runs in the process and giving the Razorbacks the 3-1 lead. He later scored on a Carson Shaddy single to make it 4-1.

After Stephan made it through four innings on the mound, the bullpen shutout the Redhawks for the remaining five innings. Dominic Taccolini, Weston Rogers and Cody Scroggins struck out a combined six batters and only allowed one hit the rest of the way. Taccolini did allow the first walk of the weekend in the seventh inning, snapping a streak of 56 consecutive batters without allowing a walk by the Arkansas pitching staff.

Razorback Quotables
“I think it’s great experience for our new guys. I think once you get used to it you know they (fans) are there, but you are not in awe of it. You are just appreciative more than anything that they come out to watch us in all kinds of weather. Today’s crowd was incredible. I mean I don’t know if I have ever seen that many people in the outfield.” – Dave Van Horn on the size of the crowds through the first two games

“He helped me out a lot. He calmed me down in the bullpen because I didn’t know what I was walking out to. He just talked me down and told me I was going to go. He had faith in me.” – Trevor Stephan on how catcher Grant Koch helped him through his first start

“I think it’s incredible. I think they are really confident up there and that’s the biggest thing.” – Grant Koch on the strong starts by the pitching staff over the first two games

Game Notes
• With Saturday’s 5-1 win, Arkansas improved to 5-0 all-time against Miami (Ohio).

• Arkansas is 2-0 to start a season for the sixth straight year, 13th overall under head coach Dave Van Horn.

• For the second straight year, Arkansas eclipsed the 10,000 mark in attendance in the second game of the season, bringing this year’s total to 20,334 fans in attendance so far.

• Before allowing a run in the fourth inning Sunday, Razorback pitchers threw 12 straight shutout innings, the longest streak to start the year since not allowing a run over 13.1 innings at the start of the 2011 season.

• For the second straight day, Arkansas struck out more than 10 Redhawk batters, bringing the total to 23 for the weekend.

• Arkansas’ one run allowed is the fewest through the first two games of a season since 2006.

Up Next
The Razorbacks and Redhawks will play their final game of the three-game opening weekend series Sunday afternoon at Baum Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1:02 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network+.

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