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3 takeaways from Arkansas basketball’s win over South Carolina in the SEC Tournament
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Arkansas defeated South Carolina 72-68 on Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the 2025 SEC Tournament.
The Razorbacks opened up a big lead at one point in the 2nd half and then were able to hold off a big rally by South Carolina. This was a crucial win for John Calipari and his team as they look to bolster their NCAA Tournament résumé.
Here are 3 takeaways from this Arkansas victory:
Arkansas nearly let this game slip away
After the Razorbacks built up a 20-point lead in the 2nd half, it nearly came crashing down. The Razorbacks had one of their worst droughts of the season as they went more than 11 minutes without a made field goal. In total, Arkansas missed 12 consecutive shots from the field as South Carolina fought its way back into the game.
During that time, South Carolina trimmed the deficit from 18 points to 1 point. Arkansas’s only points during that span came on a pair of free throws from Zvonimir Ivisic.
Once DJ Wagner finally ended the drought with a 3-pointer with 2:37 remaining, things settled down a bit. Arkansas got another made shot from Trevon Brazile followed by a 4-point burst (1 made field goal and 2 free throws) from Johnell Davis. That was, in the end, enough to secure a win for Arkansas.
Generating offense without Adou Thiero
Arkansas is continuing to figure out how it wants to play without Adou Thiero, who missed this game with an injury. Thiero was Arkansas’s most consistent offensive player, so it’s taken some time for the Razorbacks to adjust on that end of the floor.
In this game, Arkansas got great performances from Brazile (16 points) and Jonas Aidoo (14 points and 11 rebounds). Crucially, Arkansas went 15-of-16 at the foul line which helped make up for a lackluster game from beyond the arc (7-of-22).
NCAA Tournament bound?
This win should secure Arkansas’s place in the Field of 68. The Razorbacks were viewed as likely to be on the right side of the bubble before this game, but will now add another Quad 2 win to their résumé. Nothing is guaranteed, but Arkansas has now won 5 of its last 6 games and appears to be headed in the right direction going into March Madness.
If Arkansas is able to upset Ole Miss on Thursday in Nashville, it would mean adding another Quad 1 win to its ledger. The Hogs currently have 5 such victories, so another one wouldn’t hurt.
Arkansas and Ole Miss will tip off at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
