Razorbacks' Mystery Season Continues; Questions Deserved

Loss to 7-20 Vanderbilt was easily preventable from outside with defensive lapses

Author:
Jacob Davis
Updated:
Feb 28, 2024 11:31 AM EST
Original:
Feb 28, 2024

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When the final whistle blew in Arkansas' 85-82 loss to Vanderbilt on Tuesday night, the frustration of a wasted season continues to mount. The Razorbacks got off to a fantastic start shooting 7-of-10 from the field and led 20-10 to start the game. Then defensive lapses, including allowing the Commodores to score 50 second-half points gave Vanderbilt its first road win of the season.

A loss like this in Bud Walton Arena against a squad coming into tonight's game with a 7-20 overall record is unacceptable. There's no excuse to allow a team that's not scored 80 points the entirety of the season to come in and hit the mark easily. This isn't the first time the Hogs have been throttled by Jerry Stackhouse's team either. This is the third straight loss in the series.

Losing to the Commodores at home was a rare sight before Eric Musselman took the job. The Razorbacks are 16-5 at home all-time against the Commodores. Now two of the losses have come in the previous two meetings at Bud Walton.

Wasted Scoring Barrage

Khalif Battle went off again with 36 points and an efficient 9-of-17 from the field. He sunk four 3-pointers and led the team in rebounds with six. The reigning SEC Player of the Week was electric and nearly brought the Razorbacks all the way back from down 16 points in the second half.

At one point, the Hogs went on a 1-of-17 stretch in the first half when the team could not find the bottom of the net. It could be argued that the piping hot Battle wasn't getting the ball enough as he was credited with just four missed shots in that stretch.

Packing The Paint

Arkansas' late season surge has been credited to the nearly unstoppable Makhi Mitchell. The senior only played 18 minutes Tuesday night and was held scoreless with only five rebounds. Mitchell had scored in double figures in seven of the past eight ball games including career scoring marks the previous two games.

His ineffectiveness was a shocker considering how physical Mitchell has been of late. Vanderbilt packed the paint daring Arkansas guards to either settle for jumpers or drive toward the hoop. The Commodores dominated the paint, outscoring the Razorbacks to the tune of 26-12 in the second half.

Bonehead Mistakes

Low IQ basketball smarts continue to rear it's ugly head. Three straight Razorback possessions ended in bad passes during Vanderbilt's second half run stretched its lead to 60-46 and were able to set comfortably the rest of the way.

Recent history suggests Arkansas cannot overcome big leads, especially when a team cannot get out of its own way. The Razorbacks don't score in volume enough to compensate for bad decisions. Even against a terrible Vanderbilt squad, basketball smarts were tested and failed them down the stretch.

With the shot clock winding down and the Razorbacks down three with 22 ticks to go, Brazile bodied Vanderbilt's Tyrin Lawrence. The foul sent Lawrence to the free throw line with an opportunity to stretch the slim lead to a comfy two possesions.

No Arkansas player blocking out for a rebound after pair of missed free throws let Vanderbilt close out the shocker. The loss keep blood boiling for Razorback fans as they have seen this team record its most losses at home in a single season since the 2003-2004 season. Yes, continuing a historical in-season run for the Hogs.