Reaction: Tennessee falls to Arkansas in Fayetteville
Tennessee's chances at securing a postseason spot may have officially been put to rest in Fayetteville on Wednesday.
Looking to end their recent skid of misfortunes, the Vols headed into Bud Walton Arena having trounced the Razorbacks by 21 points in Knoxville on Feb. 11 despite having lost two of their last three games.
Eric Musselman's team would return the favor on its home turf.
Despite 19 points and four 3-pointers from senior guard Jordan Bowden and a 15-point, five-rebound performance from junior forward John Fulkerson, Tennessee was unable to overcome Mason Jones' 37-point onslaught, falling 86-69 on the road.
The loss marks the Vols' 13th on the season, just two less than their total from the previous two seasons combined.
Unlike in their previous matchup, the Razorbacks were leaving nothing to chance early this time around.
Arkansas opened the game on a 16-3 run over the course of the opening six minutes behind 11 early points from Jones.
The Vols would respond with a 8-0 run of their own, cutting the deficit to seven before the Razorbacks once again exploded to end the period, increasing their lead to as many as 16 points before heading to halftime with a 40-27 advantage.
Tennessee used a 11-0 spurt to pull within two with just over 12 minutes remaining in the second half, but another strong stretch by the Razorbacks increased their lead back to double figures, and UT never pulled any closer.
With just three games remaining in the regular season, the Vols’ chances at making a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance are likely outside the realm of possibility now.
To its credit, UT was not dealt the best hand this season with the injury problems that it has dealt with.
With that being said, however, the Vols let many winnable games slip through their fingers this season. Not even Bowden’s resurgence has been enough to save this group, and in the past three games, the Knoxville native has performed at an All-SEC level.
Tennessee’s soon-to-be departing group of seniors deserve a much better send off, but sometimes life and sports just aren’t fair.
