Embarrassing loss encapsulates disappointing season for Arkansas

For the past three seasons, Arkansas played well in non-conference games, sleepwalked through the first three weeks of conference play, caught fire midway through the season and made a run in the NCAA Tournament. 

But this year isn't looking like it'll lead to one of those runs.

On Tuesday night, awful Vanderbilt (8-20) beat the Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena, 85-82, marking a low point of a disappointing season for Arkansas. 

Other contenders for worst losses of the season for the Razorbacks (14-14, 5-10 in the SEC) include a home loss to UNC Greensboro, the worst loss in the history of Bud Walton Arena to Auburn, a double-digit home loss to South Carolina and road embarrassments against Florida, Ole Miss and LSU. 

Vanderbilt, in 13th place in the conference, led by as many as 16 points inside a building that had as much energy as an office at 5 p.m. on a Friday. 

"I thought the game kinda got away from us in the middle section," head coach Eric Musselman told the media afterward. "We played hard down 15 and gave ourselves an opportunity to try to put the game into overtime. But we fouled too much. Give Vanderbilt credit. They played extremely hard for 40 minutes."

What happened to a roster filled with flashy transfers, a feisty returnee in Davonte Davis and scoring machines in Tramon Mark and Khalif Battle? What happened to the venerable Musselman, who had won at least 20 games in his first four seasons at Arkansas? What happened to Bud Walton Arena, which went from a feared place to play to a playground for SEC competitors?

There may be no answers. 

This team doesn't have that "it" factor of Razorbacks teams of recent seasons. On paper, they were contenders to make another NCAA Tournament run. Unless the Hogs pull off a miracle in Nashville during the SEC Tournament, they won't even sniff the Big Dance. 

With three regular-season games and a conference tournament to play, the Razorbacks are flatlining as March approaches. More bad news could come Saturday when Arkansas plays at No. 16 Kentucky (20-8).