Arkansas Basketball In The SEC Part 13 - Vanderbilt

Arkansas will begin its’ 30^th season in the SEC this fall. It is hard to believe that is has been that long. At Arkansas Fight, we are starting a series looking back at Arkansas basketball since entering the SEC. Each week, we will take a look at each SEC team and their history with Arkansas. We’ll dive in to the biggest games and outstanding performances. The final part of this 13-part series is Vanderbilt.

Arkansas All-Time Record versus Vanderbilt: 28-12

Arkansas All-Time SEC Record versus Vanderbilt: 26-11

Home: 16-3 Away: 7-8 Neutral: 5-1

Odd Stat – Arkansas is 7-2 when facing a ranked Vanderbilt team.

Biggest And Best Games Of The Series

March 9, 2007 – SEC Tournament Quarterfinal

Vanderbilt 71 vs. Arkansas 72

The Hogs had beaten this Vanderbilt team just 6 days earlier in Nashville by 6 points. This one was even closer. Patrick Beverley had 18 points and Sonny Weems added 17 points with 9 rebounds. The hero of the day was Gary Ervin when he hit a runner with 12 seconds to go to send the Hogs to the Semifinals.

January 24, 2017

Arkansas 71 @ Vanderbilt 70

Arkansas had a record of 15-4 going into this game facing a Vandy team that was 9-10. Despite playing at one of the toughest places to play in the SEC, this was not a game Arkansas could afford to lose. The Hogs found themselves down 11 with 4 minutes and then down 6 with less than 90 seconds. Down 2, Jaylen Barford got a steal with less than 10 seconds left and Daryl Macon was fouled on a 3 point attempt. Macon would make all 3 free throws to complete the comeback. This is the classic “Ice in his veins” game.

January 12, 2013

Vanderbilt 33 @ Arkansas 56

When looking at the score, you may wonder why I included this game. It is the least amount of points Arkansas has ever allowed in a SEC game! Vanderbilt shot just 25% from the field and had 26 turnovers. Arkansas wasn’t exactly a well-oiled machine on offense either as they shot 3 of 18 from the 3.

March 14, 2008 – SEC Tournament Quarterfinal

#18 Vanderbilt 75 vs. Arkansas 81

For the 2^nd straight year, Arkansas met Vanderbilt in the SEC Quarterfinals. In this matchup, the Hogs outrebounded Vandy by 21 and shot 46% from the field. Darian Townes and Gary Ervin each had 18 points as the Hogs moved on to the semis.

February 8, 2014

Arkansas 77 @ Vanderbilt 75

Arkansas squandered an 8 point lead with 8 minutes to go by allowing Vanderbilt to go on a 11-0 run. Michael Qualls led the Hogs off the bench with 17 points. Coty Clarke added 14 points and 5 rebounds. It was another dramatic ending as Michael Qualls hit the game winning 3 with 2.6 seconds left. Arkansas has given Vanderbilt several heart breaking losses over the years.

Outstanding Performances

Rotnei Clarke – January 29, 2011

Clarke gave Nashville a show with 6 made threes to tally up to 36 points.

Nick Davis – February 7, 1998

A sold out Bud Walton Arena saw Nick Davis destroy Vanderbilt with 24 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.

Bobby Portis – January 10, 2015

Portis shot 13 of 18 with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 steals as the Hogs cruised to the win.