Arkansas basketball season comes to an end in SEC Tournament loss to South Carolina
There will be no extraordinary magic from Eric Musselman this March. A disappointing season for the Arkansas basketball team has come to an end, giving Musselman the first under-.500 season of his college coaching career.
The No. 12 Razorbacks (16-17) fell to No. 5 South Carolina 80-66 on Thursday afternoon in the second round of the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. A 16-0 run for the Gamecocks (26-6) that stretched across both halves provided the separation that allowed South Carolina to run away with the win.
Arkansas now heads into an offseason with major questions and a roster destined for massive turnover. South Carolina will face No. 4 Auburn in the quarterfinals.
Here are four observations from the Razorbacks' season-ending loss.
Gamecocks dominate Arkansas basketball inside
The Hogs had no answer for the South Carolina bigs. The Gamecocks won the head-to-head battles on the offensive glass (12-4), second-chance points (19-6) and points in the paint (52-38).
They found success on post-ups and off the pick-and-roll, while the offensive rebounds led to nine more field-goal attempts for South Carolina.
More: Arkansas basketball rallies, survives in overtime to beat Vanderbilt in SEC Tournament
More: Arkansas basketball senior Khalif Battle hints he could return to Razorbacks next season
True freshman Collin Murray-Boyles poured in 24 points. BJ Mack, his running mate in the front court, was a thorn in the Hogs' side again with 19 points and 9 rebounds.
Khalif Battle and Makhi Mitchell close strong
It was an incredible finish to the season for Battle and Mitchell, and they carried the Arkansas offense against South Carolina.
Battle scored 20 points and crossed the 15-point threshold in eight-straight games. With one year of eligibility remaining, Arkansas must do all it can to bring Battle back next season.
Mitchell had 15 points, showing off a versatile offensive game. Unfortunately, this game represented Mitchell's final game as a Razorback.
Tramon Mark held in check
His second-half ascension Wednesday night led to the comeback victory over Vanderbilt, but South Carolina stifled Mark across 40 minutes.
Mark scored 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting. The Gamecocks did a great job keeping him out of the paint and limiting shot attempts.
Hot start for Trevon Brazile ruined by foul trouble
Brazile knocked down his first two 3-pointers, but he also picked up two fouls before the first media timeout.
The Gamecocks attacked the stretch-four in the post to send him to the bench, where he sat for the final 15:44 of the first half. Arkansas was minus-9 in those minutes, while Jalen Graham took Brazile’s spot in the rotation before halftime and provided a slight boost with six points.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball ends in SEC Tournament loss to South Carolina
