Razorbacks' Dream Of SEC Title Sunk By South Carolina

Arkansas' season ends at the hands of Gamecocks as Musselman ends year under .500

NASHVILLE, Tenn — Arkansas' season ended on a whimper, 80-66, to the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second round of the SEC Tournament. South Carolina out-rebounded the Razorbacks 33-26 and outscored the Hogs 19-6 in second-chance points.  Khalif Battle's team-high 20 points weren't enough to pull out a win. 

Trevon Brazile shot 34 percent from three throughout the season but canned two early triples against the No. 5 seed South Carolina as part of an 11-3 quick start.

However, Collin Murray-Boyles established a strong presence inside with nine early points en route to a game-high 24 as the Gamecocks slowly worked its way into the game. Myles Stute knocked down a corner three off an offensive rebound to give South Carolina its first lead, 17-15. 

The two teams continued to trade baskets with neither team able to gain much separation, South Carolina used a plus-six rebound advantage to keep pace with the Hogs. Back-to-back Josh Gray dunks and a buzzer-beating runner from Meechie Johnson sent the Gamecocks to the locker room with a 38-35 lead, ending the half on a 6-0 run. 

With its season on the line, the Razorbacks came out flat after halftime. A turnaround jumper and three straight layups ballooned the South Carolina lead to 11. Eric Musselman called timeout just 2:30 into the half to try and stem the tide. Makhi Mitchell finally made the first basket over four minutes into the half, but it did little to slow down the ensuing South Carolina momentum. Another Gray slam stretched the lead to 13.

However, a quick 6-0 spurt cut the lead back to six. Jalen Graham's quick turnaround gave the Razorbacks its third and fourth second-chance points, but South Carolina parried the run and quickly stretched the lead back to double digits. 

With just over seven minutes left, in an exchange quite symbolic of the season, Musselman picked up a technical and expanded the Razorbacks deficit to 15. 

Arkansas' record concludes at 16-17 for the season, marking the first time the Razorbacks have finished under .500 since the 2009-2010 season under Mike Anderson when the Hogs finished 14-18. 

HOG FEED:

• Quarterback room taking different form than anticipated

• Razorbacks lose player to medical retirement after missing 2023 season 

• Musselman takes jab at Hogs’ fans

• SEC does Arkansas no favors with tournament schedule

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