So Close, So Far: Tennessee Volunteers 74, Arkansas Razorbacks 68

I'll give the Hogs credit for not giving up. After a Steven Pearl layup gave Tennessee a 68-52 lead with 7:07 to play, the Hogs scored 16 straight points to tie the game up with just more than two minutes to play. Alas, that would be the end of their rally, and the Vols walked away with a 74-68 victory, and the Hogs, for the third straight year, failed to make it past the first round of the SEC Tournament. Just a bad day for John Pelphrey for all kinds of reasons.

Before that second-half surge, the Hogs looked pretty lethargic, like a team that was a little too ready for the off-season to begin. The explanation for their sluggish effort may be more physical than mental, though. Check out this tweet from ArkansasSports360's Jim Harris:

guess which team practiced hard for 2.5 hours yesterday and 2 hours this morning and which team kept their legs fresh?

(While you're at it, you should check out Jim's other tweets from this evening. He - like a lot of Hog fans, I assume - is in a pretty grumpy mood. For starters, read this tweet and this one. Spoiler alert: In the latter, he says Aaron Ross won't be eligible next year. Great!)

Who knows what Jeff Long is thinking (it's been several days since the AD and I IM'ed), but right now it's really hard to think that Pelphrey will be the Hogs' coach next year, isn't it? Let the rumors and speculation begin.

By the way, I just saw Tom Penders at the Fayetteville airport.