It was a .500 day for the SEC, which is down to its last 2 teams standing. Here’s the review from a wild Saturday and a look ahead to Auburn’s Sunday matchup to reach the Sweet 16.

The win is the thing. Arkansas’s 53-48 victory over No. 12 seed New Mexico State was one of the ugliest offensive games in recent memory. The 101 total points might have been eclipsed by the number of charges, or at least the charges plus the number of 3-point shots that missed the rim. Arkansas had a victory that most viewers saw as a garbage heap of a game. Razorback fans would likely put it in an art museum.

After having gone 25 years between Sweet 16 trips, Arkansas is making its 2nd such trip in 2 seasons. Eric Musselman improved to 5-1 in NCAA Tournament games. Not many of Muss’ wins have come with his team scoring just 53 points, but sometimes, necessity is the mother of NCAA Tournament invention.

The Razorbacks were rugged on offense. They shot 27.5% overall, just 3-for-16 from 3-point range, and managed just 3 offensive rebounds. That shooting percentage was a season low, and the offensive rebounds tied the lowest game total all season. Only 5 times had the Razorbacks shot so poorly from long distance. JD Notae shot 5-for-18 and fouled out. Jaylin Williams was 3-for-10. And the Hogs won.

They held New Mexico State to just 34% shooting and forced 19 turnovers. After Teddy Allen destroyed UConn with 37 points on Thursday, the Razorbacks held him to 12 points on 5-for-16 shooting. Arkansas took a 9-point halftime lead, took New Mexico State’s best shot, and calmly sunk the free throws to get the victory. If it wasn’t a performance to remember on offense, it probably was on defense.

Not so for Tennessee, victim of another postseason stumble in their 76-68 loss to No. 11 seed Michigan. The Vols looked almost invincible in the SEC Tournament and in their first-round win over Longwood. But Michigan threw the UT offense off-kilter and drained enough shots to hold on. Tennessee’s no-star squad worked well in Tampa, but sometimes having no star means not having the player to take the big shot. Santiago Vescovi had just 5 points on 2-for-7 shooting. Kennedy Chandler picked up plenty of slack with 19 points and 9 assists, but a 2-for-18 day from 3-point range put the Vols in deep trouble.

Meanwhile, Michigan shot 50% for the game, including a 6-for-16 performance from 3-point territory. Michigan had only won 3 games in a row once over the entire regular season. But they’ve put 2 wins together in the NCAA Tournament, and Hunter Dickinson, a 7-1 versatile big man, created mismatch after mismatch for the Wolverines, scoring 27 points in the win.

Tennessee is where they’ve often been under Rick Barnes — finishing a season as one of the best teams in the SEC and the nation but unable to capitalize in March. In 7 seasons, Barnes has led UT to 150 wins, but just 4 in the NCAA Tournament. Sometimes, it’s been bad matchups, sometimes it’s been bad luck, but against Michigan, the Vols just seemed lost from the team they had been for the past month.

Sunday, Auburn carries the SEC banner against Miami. Jim Larrañaga’s Hurricanes are one of the worst rebounding teams in the nation, finishing 349th in rebounding with just 30.3 boards per game. They’re not a particularly strong defensive team either, as opponents shoot 46.6% against them — 334th in the nation. But when Miami is right, they can run and gun with anybody.

The good news is that Auburn is a superior defensive team, and seems more likely to fall into a 53-48 game like Arkansas had than to get run off the floor by Miami. There are no sure things in March, but it’s a good matchup for Auburn, particularly with Auburn’s guards coming off a strong opening game against Jacksonville State. Auburn is a 7.5 point favorite, but the Tigers look like a 15-point winner and the 2nd SEC team to get to the Sweet 16.