NASHVILLE — Arkansas men’s basketball coach John Calipari told his 17th-ranked Razorbacks to use the Southeastern Conference tournament title game to measure where they were before the NCAA Division I tournament.
Nick Pringle disagreed, saying a league championship was on the line Sunday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena.
“And I said, ‘If that’s what you need me to say, great, let’s go get this championship!” Calipari said.
Darius Acuff Jr. scored 30 points and handed out 11 assists, leading Arkansas to its first SEC tourney title since 2000 by beating 22nd-ranked Vanderbilt 86-75.
“We just happened to play a little bit better the last four minutes,” Calipari said.