The Gators clinched the No. 1 seed at the SEC Tournament while Arkansas knows its defense is not ready for March Madness.
The Arkansas basketball team had its big chance on Saturday. John Calipari, Darius Acuff, and the rest of the Razorbacks had 40 minutes to prevent Florida from winning the SEC championship, thereby bringing more intrigue into the latter stages of this college basketball season.
Instead, they fell flat.
Florida clinched the No. 1 seed for the SEC Tournament and a share of the regular-season conference championship with a convincing win at home in Gainesville. Florida led 53-34 at halftime and cruised home to a title, showing Arkansas just how vast the gap is between the Gators and everyone else in the SEC.
The big concern for John Calipari -- more than the loss itself -- was the no-show on defense in the first half. Allowing 53 points didn't give Arkansas a chance to be even remotely competitive. Florida was the big dog and Arkansas looked like a junior varsity team in comparison. The Gators shot well over 50 percent and did pretty much whatever they wanted. Arkansas clearly does not have a defense which is ready to carry the Hogs to the Final Four. If UA is going to make a very deep March Madness run, it seems to be the case that the Hogs will need to win games 95-90 instead of 75-70. Florida is a team which can win with its offense or its defense. Arkansas has only one way to win, and that has to be a point of concern for Calipari and his staff.
As bad as Arkansas' defense was, it's not as though the offense was likely to do enough to win, given how the Razorbacks played. Darius Acuff hit just 4 of his first 13 shots and struggled throughout the night, having been bothered by Florida's defense. The superstar who has played far beyond the wisdom of most freshmen was not able to find answers against the reigning national champions, who look like they have a real chance to defend their crown.
Arkansas now has to reset, make sure it beats Texas and Missouri this coming week, and can gear up for the SEC Tournament. The good news for UA from Saturday is that Alabama's win over Tennessee helps the Hogs in the pursuit of the No. 3 seed for the SEC Tournament. Being the 3 seed means Arkansas avoids Florida until the final. We could have a rematch of the double-overtime classic between Arkansas and Alabama not that long ago.
If Arkansas doesn't improve its defense, however, the Hogs aren't going to last long in the SEC Tournament or any March tournament. It's time for John Calipari to get his guys to defend better.