FAYETTEVILLE -- On a night when No. 20 Arkansas ran Texas off the court 105-85 and announced at halftime Nolan Richardson would get a statue built outside Bud Walton Arena the Senior Night couldn't have gone any better.
Arkansas (22-8, 12-5) assured itself of a double bye in the SEC Tournament next week. Since the worst they can finish is third they won't play until Friday, March 13. The Razorbacks still have to play at Missouri on Saturday. If they were to win that and Alabama loses to Auburn then the Razorbacks would be the No. 2 seed. Otherwise they will be the No. 3 seed.
On Wednesday night, the game resembled the one in Florida last Saturday when the Hogs were beaten from the start. Texas led early on 2-0 and 2-1, but then Arkansas tied the game at 2-2. At that point, the Razorbacks went on a 19-2 run and Texas was down 21-4 with 10:14 remaining in the first half and the game was never close after that. Arkansas built its biggest lead at 72-44 with 15:21 remaining. John Calipari talked about the difference a year can make for a team.
"What the fans have done for us over the past two years," Calipari said. "We were 6-10 (in SEC games) this time last year. We had to win two games. They had to beat Mississippi State and we spanked, no we beat them by one. What the fans have done to get us over the hump the way this game started."
Calipari was relieved that his Razorbacks will get some time to rest and heal before heading to the SEC Tournament.
"I didn't want to tell the guys because we need a little break," Calipari said. "You were playing for a double bye. We needed the little time, but we had to win this game. They are prepared for March."
While Darius Acuff was his usual great self while scoring 28 points, pulling down three boards and dishing out 13 assists it was the two seniors who also stood out. Trevon Brazile had 28 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Nick Pringle added eight points and four rebounds.
"Nick was great," Calipari said. "I love coaching him. Some nights he doesn't play as great, but I still love coaching him.
"[Brazile] was really good. He was really active. He probably played more minutes than he needed to, but at 6-10 the things he does and shots he blocks. He can shoot it. How many guysn in the country are like him? Not many."
Calipari was in such a good mood following the win that he joked about his new duty when Richardson's statue gets built.
"It will be my job to go out there and clean it and make sure there's no bird poop on it," Calipari said with a wide smile.
Arkansas shot 58% (35-60) from the field, 58% (11-19) from 3 and 80% (24-30) at the free throw line. Texas shot a respectable 49% from the field and 38% from behind the 3-point line, but was terrible from the charity stripe. The Longhorns shot 27 free throws and only made 14 for 52%.
D.J. Wagner had 15 points and Meleek Thomas 13 for the Razorbacks. Billy Richmond had his usual good game. Richmond scored eight points, had nine rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
Texas was led by Matas Vokietaitis with 21 points and had seven boards. Former Razorback Tramon Mark added 18 points. Dailyn Swain finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Nic Codie added 11 points and seven rebounds. Chendell Weaver was in double figures with 10 points. Texas (18-12, 9-8) is still expected to make the NCAA Tournament.
Acuff was probably playing his last game in Bud Walton Arena since he's expected to be a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He was 8 of 15 from the field, 4 of 6 from deep and made 8 of 10 attempts at the free throw line. Acuff paid tribute to the Arkansas fans.
"They love you and they support you every day, no matter where you're at" Acuff said. "I think we've got the best fans in the world."
Arkansas will be in Columbia on Saturday to face Missouri (20-10, 10-7) at 11 a.m. on ESPN. The Razorbacks beat Missouri 94-86 on Feb. 21 in Bud Walton Arena.