Razorbacks Survive Rebels' Cinderella Bid, Advance to SEC Title Game

Thomas scores 29 as Arkansas defeats Ole Miss 93-90 in overtime to reach championship game

Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas (1) during their semifinal game of the 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, March 14, 2026. | DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On an afternoon where Darius Acuff wasn't quite up to snuff against Ole Miss, Arkansas still found a way to dispatch Cinderella-minded Ole Miss in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament 93-90 in overtime.

The Rebels refused to let its season end quietly, using multiple scoring runs throughout the game to stay within striking distance.

The Razorbacks took a 10-point lead with 5:43 left in the second half on a three by Meleek Thomas as the outcome appeared bleak for Ole Miss.

Arkansas holds on and will play Vanderbilt Sunday in its first SEC Championship Game since 2017.

Tip of the hat to Ole Miss and Chris Beard. Heck of a run this week.

— Jacob Davis (@jacobdaviscfb) March 14, 2026

Instead, Ole Miss used a 17-9 run in the final five minutes of regulation, including a game-tying layup by veteran guard A.J. Storr with one second to go to extend the game.

Rebels' coach Chris Beard continued to crowd the lane with extra bodies to not allow Acuff an opportunity to prevent him from creating in dribble drive situations.

Storr finished the game with 24 points on 10-of-18 from the field, but wasn't alone as Malik Dia (16 points), freshman wing Patton Pinkins (15 points) and Ilia Karmadine (13 points) combined to nearly lead the Rebels to a surprising tournament run to clinch an auto-bid in the NCAA Tournament despite 19 losses going into the day.

One night after Meleek Thomas struggled from the field against Oklahoma, he returned to his original look without the headband and became an immediate scoring threat again.

The freshman guard scored 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc while also adding five rebounds and five assists against the Rebels.

Thomas became just the fourth Razorback freshman in school history to score 500 points in a single-season, joining Acuff, Scotty Thurman and Moses Moody.

Arkansas freshman Meleek Thomas drops a career-high to send the Razorbacks to the SEC title game:

29 PTS | 9-15 FG | 4-7 3 PT | 5 AST pic.twitter.com/K8yJ9uh1N5

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 14, 2026

There have been times throughout the season where Arkansas has struggled to put any semblance of a post presence on the court. That wasn't the case Saturday as each of the Razorbacks big men in Trevon Brazile, Malique Ewin and Nick Pringle left an impact in the paint.

The trio combined to score 34 points, 14-of-23 from the floor, 27 rebounds, four steals and one blocked shot. If the Razorbacks can find a way to get that type of production during NCAA Tournament play, they will have a chance to matchup well against any team they are paired against.

For the game, Arkansas dominated the boards 44-31, outscored the Rebels 25-13 in second chance opportunities while also beating them in fast break points 23-15.

Beard brought a strong defensive gameplan that tested Arkansas' desire to get out and run while also having success on drives to the rim. His plan to keep Acuff and other willing drivers within a triangle of defenders in the paint forced Arkansas to one of its worst shooting nights in two-point territory, shooting just 10-of-21 on layups.

Matching March Legends

Unless someone has lived under a rock since October, any college basketball fan knows who Acuff is and what he's done on the floor at this point.

Acuff made history Saturday by becoming the latest Division I men's basketball player to reach 700+ points, 200+ assists and 100+ rebounds in a single season.

That type of stat line hasn't been met since former Murray State guard Ja Morant did so during the 2018-19 season.

Darius Acuff becomes the 28th player in D1 men's basketball history to reach 700+ points, 200+ assists, and 100+ rebounds in a season.

The last player to achieve this was Ja Morant in 2018-19. pic.twitter.com/9o91bHos3j

— Underdog (@Underdog) March 14, 2026

With a 24-point performance against Ole Miss, Acuff is drawing closer to Todd Day's mark for points in a single-season. He now has 727 points, 59 points from tying Day's record of 786 during the 1990-91 run to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

Sunday's Stakes

When Arkansas takes the court Sunday at 1 p.m. ET against Vanderbilt, Calipari will have a chance to lead his team to an SEC Championship. That's a title the Razorbacks have fallen short of a handful of times through the years, having not won the tournament since 2000.

Arkansas will have a chance to ultimately jump to the No. 4 seed line for good with a win, or likely stay on the No. 5 seed line in a loss to the Commodores.

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