Arkansas (11-2, 1-0) rallied for a 95-93 overtime win over No. 19 Tennessee (9-3, 0-1) at Bud Walton Arena on Saturday.
The Razorbacks trailed for most of the game, but managed to rack up an 11-point lead with 47 seconds left in overtime with several Vol starters fouled out.
Daryl Macon led the way with a career-high 33 points on 10-of-18 shooting while knocking down all eight free throws. Jaylen Barford added 28 points and captured eight rebounds.
BUCKET GETTERS.
First time we’ve ever had two 28-point scorers in a SEC game.
?@Daryl4Macon
?@Jbarford1 pic.twitter.com/PMmRUdEC27— Arkansas Razorbacks Basketball (@RazorbackMBB) December 30, 2017
Arkansas picked up 90 of its 95 points from its starting five, with Daniel Gafford (15 points) and Anton Beard (10 points) also having solid games.
Tennessee found itself on the wrong end of some questionable calls down the stretch, but simply couldn’t stop the Hogs once they got rolling in overtime.
Jordan Bone paced the Vols with 21 points. James Daniel added 17, and Admiral Schofield went for 16 before fouling out with 3:22 remaining in the extra period.
Here are five thoughts on the game.
1. Both teams are SEC title contenders
That statement may come as a shock to those who don’t start following college basketball until conference play, but it’s true.
While Texas A&M appears to be the best team in the SEC right now, both Arkansas and Tennessee have shown that they can compete with anyone in the country on any given night.
The Hogs own wins over Oklahoma and Minnesota (and now Tennessee), while the Vols have beaten Purdue and suffered close losses to undefeated Villanova and ACC contender North Carolina.
Yes, it’s a long season, but these two teams appear to be built for the long haul.
2. Daniel Gafford is raw, but extremely talented
This is Mike Anderson’s most athletic team since arriving at Arkansas in 2011, and the freshman big man has certainly fit in nicely.
He still makes mistakes that all freshmen make, and while his free throw shooting needs to improve (which is the case for a lot of college basketball players), he can be a game-changer on both ends of the floor.
His offensive game will continue to improve as the season progresses, but his ability to block shots and grab rebounds gives the Razorbacks a huge advantage in the lane.
3. Tennessee needs more performances like this from Jordan Bone
Bone has been up and down in a deep Tennessee backcourt this season, and perhaps today’s performance will give him a boost going forward.
His contributions were essential in helping this team have a shot at the victory, as the Vols didn’t get much from fellow starting guard Jordan Bowden.
Bone scored a season-high and managed to take care of the ball at the same time (only one turnover in 38 minutes) against an Arkansas team that prides itself on pressure defense.
If the Nashville native can use this momentum going forward, he’ll be a big asset for Tennessee.
4. Macon and Barford are unstoppable when they get rolling
For those that didn’t already know this, now you do.
The senior leaders put this team on their back and refused to lose, and that mentality has been infectious on this Arkansas team this season.
The Hogs have now scored 95 points or more in nine games this season, and when Macon and Barford are at their best on the same night, the Razorbacks will be hard to beat.
5. How will a loss like this affect the Vols?
Tennessee obviously played well enough to win the game, but to lead the entire way and have it snatched away like that is a pretty brutal feeling.
Will the Vols be able to put this behind them prior to hosting Auburn and Kentucky this upcoming week?
I think Tennessee is one of the tougher teams in the league, so my guess is that it’ll regain focus after letting this one slip away.
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