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Brazile Makes Statement in Hogs' Victory Over Vanderbilt

Razorbacks boost NCAA Tournament resume with big performance from senior forward
Jacob Davis|
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (4) reacts after a made three point basket against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium.
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (4) reacts after a made three point basket against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas Razorbacks stretch forward Trevon Brazile's body language never shows him feeling high or low on the court which is perfect for team morale.

His performance in the Hogs' 90-77 road victory over Vanderbilt Tuesday night caused many to have flashbacks of his first nine games as a sophomore transfer.

Oh, the potential that the 6-foot-10, 235 pound rim runner displayed at the 2022 Maui Invitational was unforgettable. That small sample size of games pre-ACL injury pushed expectations so sky high that it might have impacted his confidence in a long journey back to impact play under coach John Calipari.

"I’m happy for Trevon, it’s been an up-and-down road," Calipari said after the game. "But, I keep telling him ‘You got stuff that a normal guy doesn’t have. Now bring it.’ And I told him ‘ I’m going to hold you accountable, even though you play well I’m still going to get on you to listen, to focus and lock in. To go after every ball.’"

Brazile finished the night with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor along with 3-of-5 from three. He crashed the boards hard, pulling down 14 boards for his seventh career double-double, his fifth with the Razorbacks.

It cannot be overstated how good of a coaching job Calipari has done with this team when things weren't going well at 0-5 in SEC play before star freshman Boogie Fland went down. Brazile could've let go of the rope with a career-bad game against No. 1 Auburn on the road in a game that could've solidified Arkansas as a NCAA Tournament team.

After such a surprisingly strong performance at home against Texas last Wednesday, Brazile and his teammates stumbled to a 'dud' against South Carolina. In sports, it's all about how a team responds and Arkansas did just that Tuesday night after Calipari said 'burn the tape' and watch this.

As the Commodores switched to a match-up zone defense early in the second half, Brazile could be seen in the high post moving across the lane, zigging to the elbow, zagging to the perimeter to keep the offense in motion. He was purely focused defensively altering shots in the paint, closing out on three-point shooters and playing with high energy leading to run outs off defensive stops.

Vanderbilt made things interesting under two minutes to go as they cut Arkansas' lead to nine points. The Razorbacks responded again with Brazile's corner three with two seconds left on the shot clock to push it the back to 12, securing a victory that was never in question in the second half.

Lessons learned from trials in sports can often translate into later situations. Of course, there have been a lot of issues Calipari and his Razorbacks have faced and ultimately learned from in just a matter of four short months.

"Well, what they've been through, we started 0 -5 [in SEC play]. Like, it's over, [Arkansas] stinks," Calipari said. "'He can't coach. They can't play. He stinks. That kid stinks.' [Fans and media] were taking bazooka shots at some of these kids and they withstood it, they persevered."

Every player, along with Brazile, has faced his fair share of struggles, some more than others. After one bad performance and talking heads ready to write them off, this team is ready and built to win in March even if it's with an abbreviated rotation.

"I kept telling them, when you get through this, you're going to be so much stronger, mentally tougher that there'll be things later in life that happen to you that won't faze you that would knock you on your back if you hadn't gone through this," Calipari said.

HOGS FEED:

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• Legislators take second shot at passing Arkansas raffles act

• Hogs pick up critical win over Vandy; keep NCAA Tournament hopes alive

• Legislators take second shot at passing Arkansas Raffles Act

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

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