Vols overpower Razorbacks in SEC semifinals

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — No. 6 seed Arkansas fell to No. 2 seed Tennessee on Saturday afternoon 84-66 in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament.

The shots fell early for the Volunteers and the Razorbacks found themselves in a hole too large to climb out of.

Much like Arkansas’ opponent from the night before, Tennessee started hot from the field, connecting on five of its first six shots to take an 11-7 lead into the first media break.

Unlike Friday night, it did not stop there.

The Volunteers shot 19-of-25 (.760) from the floor in the first half, going 7-of-8 (.875) from deep to take a 48-29 lead at halftime.

After trading a couple three pointers out of the break, Arkansas showed some fight. The Razorbacks forced Tennessee to miss seven of its first eight shots of the second half, as Arkansas used an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 11.

The Volunteers would hit some timely shots to keep Arkansas from making a run, as 11 is as close the Razorbacks could get in the second half.

Despite slowing down in the second half, Tennessee still shot 57.1 percent from the field for the contest, including a 64.7 mark from behind the arc.

The Razorbacks were led by their three senior guards, as Daryl Macon led Arkansas with 19 points, going 7-of-7 from the free throw line and 5-of-10 from the field.

Jaylen Barford added 14, while Anton Beard posted 11. Freshman guard Darious Hall also added 11 points to go along with seven rebounds.

Arkansas now awaits its selection into the NCAA Tournament, as the Razorbacks will find out its seeding on Selection Sunday.