FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas will finally get some rest.
No doubt the Razorbacks need it riding a three-game losing streak after getting physically hammered in losses for two straight games against Tennessee and Kentucky.
Now they get a break until Thursday when they meet Auburn in the SEC Tournament at 6 p.m.
Hogs coach Eric Musselman doesn’t make excuses, but he probably knows this young team is still figuring out a lot of things and handling the physical grind is part of it.
“We just got fatigued,” freshman Nick Smith Jr. said Saturday after the physical loss to the Wildcats. “We played really hard the hold game. It was just making smart plays throughout the stretch that really hurt us.”
And missing free throws in addition to struggling around the rim on even layups.
“We missed a lot of free throws,” Smith said. “That’s very unacceptable for a team. We’ve got to come in tonight into the gym and work on finishing through contact and free throws.”
The winner will face No. 2 seed Texas A&M in the quarterfinals on Friday at 6 p.m.
Arkansas is 29-29 all-time in the SEC Tournament. This will be just the second time Arkansas has faced Auburn in the SEC Tournament.
The Razorbacks defeated the Tigers, 75-67, in the 2000 title game at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome for the Hogs’ lone SEC Tournament championship. (Arkansas has finished runner-up five times.)
This will be the 11th year the SEC Tournament will be held in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Arkansas is 8-9 all-time in Bridgestone Arena, reaching the finals twice (2015 and 2017) and the semifinals twice (2001 and 2021).
2023 SEC Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, March 8
Game 1: No. 12 South Carolina vs. No. 13 Ole Miss, 6 p.m., SEC Network
Game 2: No. 11 Georgia vs. No. 14 LSU, 8 p.m., SEC Network
Thursday, March 9
Game 3: No. 8 Florida vs. No. 9 Mississippi State, Noon, SEC Network
Game 4: No. 5 Tennessee vs. Winner Game 1, 2 p.m., SEC Network
Game 5: No. 7 Auburn vs. No. 10 Arkansas, 6 p.m., SEC Network
Game 6: No. 6 Vanderbilt vs. Winner Game 2, 8 p.m., SEC Network
Friday, March 10
Game 7: No. 1 Alabama vs. Winner Game 3, Noon, ESPN
Game 8: No. 4 Missouri vs. Winner Game 4, 2 p.m., ESPN
Game 9: No. 2 Texas A&M vs. Winner Game 5, 6 p.m., SEC Network
Game 10: No. 3 Kentucky vs. Winner Game 6, 8 p.m., SEC Network
Saturday, March 11
Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, Noon, ESPN
Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 2 p.m., ESPN
Sunday, March 12
Championship game, Noon, ESPN
