Steven Hill hit a turnaround jumper with 5.3 seconds remaining for his only points of the game and Arkansas knocked off fourth-ranked Tennessee 92-91 Saturday night in the semifinals of the SEC tournament, a serious blow to the Volunteers' chances of getting a top seed when the brackets come out.
The Razorbacks (22-10) surely locked up an NCAA bid and advanced to face Georgia in Sunday's championship game. Tennessee (29-4) claimed its first regular-season title in 41 years, but couldn't pull off a double in the storm-plagued tournament.
The game was played before an estimated crowd of 2,000 at Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum, where the final two days of the tournament were moved after a tornado ripped through the Georgia Dome during the quarterfinals Friday night.
The teams went back-and-forth the entire game, the last five of 17 lead changes coming in the final 3 minutes. JuJuan Smith dumped in a layup with 23 seconds left to put Tennessee ahead 91-90, and the Vols called a 30-second timeout to set up their defense.
Trying to create something off the dribble, Gary Ervin nearly slipped to ruin Arkansas' final chance. But the guard kept his footing and worked the ball inside to Hill, a bearded, 7-foot senior who had missed his lone shot of the game. Working down low, he caught the pass along the baseline, calmly turned and sank the winning basket.
Tennessee rushed the ball upcourt and put it in the hands of its most reliable player. Chris Lofton, who hit a 3-pointer with 11.4 seconds left to beat South Carolina in the quarterfinals, had another shot from just inside the arc. This time, it rimmed out.
Most of the Arkansas players jumped up and down and pumped their fists to celebrate. But Hill calmly walked toward the bench, not even smiling until he was mobbed by his teammates.
Charles Thomas scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Razorbacks, who never led by more than three. Patrick Beverley added 17 points and Darian Townes 16.
Arkansas did its best work on the boards, with a 34-22 rebounding edge that included 13 at the offensive end. That led to a 14-6 edge in second-chance points. The Razorbacks also had a 44-34 scoring edge in the lane.
Lofton scored 25 points, hitting 5-of-9 from 3-point range but missing the one that counted most. Tyler Smith had 24 points and JaJuan Smith 18.
After Thomas scored to tie the game at 64 with just over 10 minutes remaining, Tennessee ran off a quick 9-0 run and seemed to be in control.
Tyler Smith hit a 3-pointer, Ramar Smith converted a three-point play and Tyler Smith swished another trey, giving the Vols a 73-64 lead with 9 minutes to go. Arkansas called time and managed to regroup by working the ball inside, drawing fouls and knocking down free throws.
Townes made four in a row, Thomas hit a pair, and Townes sank another to finish off a three-point play that pulled Arkansas to 76-74 with 6 1/2 minutes remaining. Sonny Weems followed with a tying jumper and it was close the rest of the way, the margin never more than four points.
It was a devastating loss for Tennessee, which won its first SEC regular-season title in 41 years and was ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history. The Vols felt that winning the conference tournament would surely make them a lock for a top seed, but now they'll have to wait until Sunday evening to see how high they're placed.
Arkansas center Steven Hill goes for the ball as Tennessee guard Ramar Smith (12) shoots in the second half of their Southeastern Conference basketball game at Alexander Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Saturday, March 15,
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