Arkansas Razorbacks Win 2026 SEC Championship: Vanderbilt vs Arkansas Final Score 86-75
The Arkansas Razorbacks claimed the 2026 SEC Tournament championship Sunday afternoon in Nashville, defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores 86-75 at Bridgestone Arena. For the first time in 26 years, the Arkansas men's basketball program is heading home with an SEC Tournament trophy.
Arkansas vs Vanderbilt: How the SEC Championship Game Unfolded
Arkansas led 41-39 at halftime, with the Commodores coming off their first win over an AP top-five team since 2012 after routing fourth-ranked Florida in the semifinals.
The Razorbacks had 11-0 and 12-0 runs late in the second half to break open what had been a hard-fought, entertaining game for much of the contest. Vanderbilt went more than eight minutes without a made field goal during one critical stretch.
Arkansas ended the game on a 12-3 run to seal the victory. The Razorbacks defeated Oklahoma 82-79 on Friday in the quarterfinals and Ole Miss 93-90 in overtime Saturday before Sunday's championship win.
Darius Acuff Jr. Named SEC Tournament MVP
Darius Acuff Jr. continued his spectacular freshman season, scoring 30 points with 11 assists to lead Arkansas. He was named tournament MVP after averaging 30.3 points per game across the event. Arkansas shot 63% from 3-point range, shooting 15-of-24 from deep as a team.
Billy Richmond III scored 18 points for the Razorbacks, putting up 12 of those in just the first 12 minutes of the game to give Arkansas an early 24-17 advantage.
Trevon Brazile Delivers as the Closer for Arkansas Razorbacks Basketball
Trevon Brazile was the closer for the Razorbacks, hitting two consecutive 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 80-72. With the Commodores needing a basket to stay within reach, Brazile blocked a shot by Jalen Washington. That led to a breakaway layup from Malique Ewin and a 10-point cushion.
Brazile finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, with eight of those points coming in the final 3:12 of the game. He also added two blocks and two steals in the closing minutes.
Vandy Basketball Falls Just Short of First SEC Title Since 2012
Vanderbilt finished 26-8 after the loss. Duke Miles and Tyler Nickel each scored 19 points for the Commodores, while Tyler Tanner added 15 points.
Vanderbilt had earned its way to the SEC Championship by defeating Tennessee in the quarterfinals and then stunning top-seeded Florida in the semifinals. The loss snapped their run at a first SEC Tournament title since 2012.
John Calipari Makes SEC Tournament History With Arkansas Razorback Basketball
The win made Calipari the only head coach to claim the SEC Championship title with two different programs.
The Razorbacks sealed the win with a 12-0 spurt in the final minutes, earning the program's second SEC Tournament title and snapping a stretch of four straight runner-up appearances in the championship game.
SEC Tournament Bracket: What's Next for Both Teams
Both Arkansas and Vanderbilt secured spots in the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas earned the SEC's automatic bid as champion.
The Razorbacks will learn their first-round NCAA Tournament opponent and location during the selection show, which airs Sunday at 5 p.m. ET. Arkansas enters March Madness riding a five-game winning streak.
Both teams now shift their full attention to the NCAA Tournament bracket, where Razorback basketball carries significant momentum and Vandy basketball looks to make another deep run.
