NASHVILLE, Tenn. - It was as if the officials thought they were getting paid by the hour, or the whistle.
Not that it had anything to do with the outcome of the game. It didn’t. It was just aggravating to watch out-of-position officials make calls or apparently anticipate them.
The Arkansas Razorbacks lost 75-72 to Vanderbilt on Thursday night because of 14 missed free throws - including the front end of three 1-and-1s - and a lack of field goals.
With 7:51 to play Vanderbilt had made 10 three-pointers and the Razorbacks had 15 field goals, including only 3 three-pointers although they had attempted 15.
The Commodores would catch and release. Far too often the Hogs would catch, think about it, and then launch something similar to a shot.
In the rubber match between the teams, Vanderbilt was prepared. Its attitude was right.
It was ready for every trap, press or pressure the Hogs could throw at it until the final three minutes as Vandy survived and advanced to face Kentucky.
Vanderbilt, which has won seven of its past 10 games, has come a long way since it took a 23-point beating at the hands of the Razorbacks early in the conference season.
The Hogs improved, too, but Thursday night there was a lack of execution and Vandy made the Razorbacks pay for pressure the hard way, by scoring off it.
Not to mention that Vandy slipped in and out of zone and man defenses to keep the Razorbacks off balance. The truth is, Mike Anderson needs a couple of shooters.
He knows that. Every good team he assisted Nolan Richardson with had someone who could knock down shots.
Anderson is in a transition, and what this season proved was improvement from year one to year two was there.
When you beat Florida and Kentucky at home you have begun the process, and going 17-1 at home - 18-1 including a game at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock - was a good statement.
Thursday night, though, recent history repeated itself as the Razorbacks lost in the opening round of the SEC Tournament for the fifth consecutive time.
The tone was set in the first half, which was not the fastest 20 minutes of basketball for Arkansas. Vanderbilt looked like it was sprinting downhill with a tailwind after it broke the press for a layup with 12:52 to play and then made five more field goals,including four three-pointers, on its next six shots to bolt to a 31-17 lead.
The Commodores kept a double-digit lead as the Hogs struggled from the field, the free-throw line and protecting the ball, but then the momentum swung. Vanderbilt made 1 of 11 attempts in the final 4:10 and the Hogs finally warmed up, outscoring the Commodores 7-1 in the final three minutes to make it 38-30 at the break.
It was a half that was controlled far too much by the officials, who called a combined 21 fouls and sent both teams to the foul line enough to shoot 13 free throws.
That wasn’t the only thing that kept the Hogs off balance though.
Vandy was more thanready for the pressure defense. The Commodores posted and passed when the Hogs came after them full court, and then scored.
It was an odd statistic, but a telling one, that Vanderbilt had 12 points off eight Arkansas turnovers while the Hogs - the ones who usually start their offense with defense - had five points off four turnovers.
The second half was not as much about runs.
Action was stopped far too often for free throws, and the misses cost the Razorbacks the game.
Sports, Pages 17 on 03/15/2013