The door opened Saturday afternoon for Tennessee to control its fate in this year's Southeastern Conference basketball race.
Then Arkansas closed it.
Davonte Davis, a 26.4% shooter on 3-point attempts this season, made consecutive baskets from long range to spearhead an 11-1 run that turned a 41-40 deficit into a 51-42 advantage as the No. 23 Razorbacks broke free for a 58-48 topping of the No. 16 Volunteers inside Bud Walton Arena.
Tennessee (19-7, 10-4 SEC) failed to capitalize on No. 2 Auburn losing 63-62 at Florida earlier in the day, which dropped the Tigers to 12-2 in SEC play. Kentucky improved to 11-3 in the conference with its 90-81 downing of Alabama, but the Vols couldn't keep pace with the No. 4 Wildcats and remain two games back of the lead.
"It's one game. It's one bad day," junior guard/forward Josiah-Jordan James said on a Zoom call after Tennessee's eight-game SEC winning streak came to a close. "We're not going to hang our hat on it or get too down on ourselves."
Tennessee lost for the seventh straight time in Fayetteville, and there was nothing aesthetically pleasing about it. The two teams combined to make 34 of 118 shots (28.8%) from the floor, including a wretched 9-of-46 showing (19.6%) from 3-point range.
The Razorbacks (21-6, 10-4) and Vols also combined for just 12 assists, with Tennessee's five paling to its 15 turnovers.
"There was no flow in the game from our end," Vols coach Rick Barnes said. "They were going to be very aggressive with our guards, and I thought we had some chances early to get some momentum and get settled in, but when you're missing shots, it puts that much more pressure on the defensive end. We were dribbling too much and going east and west and not north and south.
"Both teams are good defensive teams, obviously, and I thought our zone was really good."
When James was asked about Tennessee's paltry assist total, he said: "We tried to do too much off the dribble, especially against a heavy gap team in this type of environment. After one or two dribbles, you've got to be able to pick it up and make that extra play, and we didn't make the extra passes and extra swings that we needed to."
Freshman point guards Zakai Zeigler and Kennedy Chandler led the Vols with 12 and 11 points, respectively, while JD Notae and Jaylin Williams paced Arkansas with 13 points apiece. Notae fouled out with 3:05 remaining, but the Vols could only get within five at 51-46 on a pair of Zeigler free throws with 59 seconds left.
The Vols played the last seven minutes with Chandler, James and Santiago Vescovi each saddled with four fouls, with James ultimately fouling out in the final seconds.
"It definitely changes a lot," James said, "because we're an inside-out playing team that tries to get downhill. They made a good bit of charge calls that I guess you could say were questionable, but that's the game of basketball.
"They're going to call it a certain way, and not every game is the same."
Barnes was understandably measured when asked about offensive challenges in games when so many charges are called after there is contact in the lane.
"Our guys were frustrated, and I know it's a hard call," he said. "From the standpoint of the referees, they would tell you that's one of the hardest calls, and it's one they've got to study, study, study. We told our guys that they do step in late and that they had to be aware of it. Floaters were going to be difficult.
"It's tough when they come over and say, 'Coach, I was in the air.' All I can do is tell them to play on, but does it affect them? Absolutely. I hope I feel different after watching the tape, because I know how I feel right now about it."
Arkansas led 24-23 after a first half with six lead changes and with both teams shooting less than 27% from the floor. A Zeigler 3-pointer gave the Vols their biggest lead within the first 20 minutes at 8-5, with a Notae 3-pointer at the 11:33 mark providing the Razorbacks their largest first-half lead at 14-10.
The Vols remain on the road for a Tuesday night test at Missouri (7 Eastern on SEC Network).
Odds and ends
Vescovi scored seven points but had a career-high 11 rebounds. ... Barnes on Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, Uros Plavsic, Jonas Aidoo and John Fulkerson combining for just nine points in 61 minutes: "We needed an inside presence, and we didn't get it." ... Tennessee's all-time record against Arkansas is 23-22, which includes a 4-12 mark in Fayetteville.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.