Razorbacks drowned in relentless effort, energy by Tigers in first SEC loss

Arkansas couldn't recover from brutal start as Calipari says 'burn the tape'

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) calls a play as Auburn Tigers take on Arkansas Razorbacks at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas isn't used taken a beating like the one Saturday night at Auburn.

Razorbacks coach John Calipari said he never felt like his team had a chance against Houston last month, but were able to recover at a neutral site venue.

Saturday night's loss at a venue Auburn nicknamed "The Jungle" certainly lived up to its standard as the Tigers dispatched the Razorbacks with ease 95-73.

Arkansas went into the night seeking its first 3-0 start in SEC play since the 1997-1998 season but once the team was punched in the mouth they never stood a chance.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari talks with his team as Auburn Tigers take on Arkansas Razorbacks at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. Auburn Tigers defeated Arkansas Razorbacks 95-73. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Blowouts just happen now

Blowouts seem to occur more frequently in college basketball these days. Ranked teams, like Arkansas, are prone to have bad nights, but 20+ point drubbings for teams considered among the best in the nation is a concern.

Over the previous 10 seasons from 2015-2024, the SEC saw just 14.5% of its conference games end in blowout style, according to KenPom's analytical ratings. That number jumped nearly 10 points to 24.1% last season.

Through two two Saturday's of conference play, the SEC has seen only two conference games decided by 20+ points, another by 19 and five more between 12 to 18 points, respectively.

Conference	Blowout % (2015-2024)	Blowout % (2025)
SEC	14.5%	24.1%
Big 12	11.8%	27.8%
Big Ten	12.6%	22.6%

Point deferential can no longer be used as a major data point for NCAA Tournament resumes either because it's happening in leagues across the country, especially among the Power Conferences.

The Big 12 has seen four games decided by 20+ points, and another five by 12+ points.

There's the Big Ten (four 20+ point margins), and ACC (three 20+ point margins) this season. That's the nature of the sport due to various styles of play, volume of three point attempts and coaches have figured out that blowouts can inflate data metrics.

Sure, Arkansas' 22-point loss won't look good on paper, but a loss like that at home would've set the fire to the computer analytics anyway.

Hall Locked In

If there was anyone who was totally locked in Saturday at Neville Arena it was multi-time transfer Keyshawn Hall. He led all scorers with 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field, 4-of-5 from three and a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line.

Auburn Tigers forward Keyshawn Hall (7) dunks the ball as Auburn Tigers take on Arkansas Razorbacks at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Now I'll tell you, Hall played a heck of a game," Calipari said. "They went at them in the first half, and we didn't really have an answer."

The Razorbacks had no answer for him much of the game as the Tigers collectively made nearly 57% of its field goal attempts and 45% from three.

Burn the Tape

In similar fashion to last season's blowout road loss to South Carolina where Arkansas was out of it from the jump, Calipari demanded his team to "burn the tape" and regroup.

Well, he did exactly that Saturday after the Auburn game.

“This is a burn the tape game,” Calipari said following the game on the Razorback Sports Network postgame show. “That wasn’t my team. We haven’t played like that all year. We had some guys that came in with an attitude of, ‘I’m not going to have to fight, I’m just going to play basketball.’ When you’re playing a desperate team, you better be desperate."

Auburn was absolutely desperate to get in the SEC win column going into Saturday night's game against Arkansas. The Tigers had the will to win from the jump, limiting Arkansas in transition (13 fastbreak points) and scored 18 second chance points off nine offensive boards.

The Razorbacks' supporting cast outside of Darius Acuff, Meleek Thomas and Trevon Brazile contributed only eight points on just 4-of-13 from the field.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari on the sidelines against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. | Michael Morrison-allHOGS Images

"We've played other teams that played hard and were desperate and did it, and we were desperate back and ended up winning games," Calipari said. "They were good today. Give them credit. It's not like we are a bad team. We're a top 20 team who got spanked today."

It's easy in basketball to get complacent and play out of character when a game gets out of hand and that's exactly what happened to the Razorbacks Saturday night. Players rushed things that resulted in turnovers, and lacked a bit of energy and effort on the floor when especially in loose ball situations.

The Razorbacks must rebound quickly with South Carolina coming to Bud Waton Arena Wednesday, Jan. 14. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT and will air on the SEC Network.