Arkansas outlasts Vanderbilt for SEC Tournament title, carries momentum into NCAA Tournament

LATE 2H: Arkansas 74, Vanderbilt 72

We are due for a fantastic finish from Nashville. Arkansas is holding on to a 74-72 lead with 3:40 remaining. Vanderbilt is seeking its first SEC Tournament title since 2012, while Arkansas hasn't won since 2000.

MID 2H: Arkansas 64, Vanderbilt 61

Vanderbilt hasn't scored a field goal in over seven minutes. The Commodores have missed their last 11 field goal attempts, and still, it's only a three-point game. Vandy has gone cold since taking a 55-49 lead with 15 minutes remaining.

MID 2H: Arkansas 60, Vanderbilt 55

Arkansas is currently on an 11-0 run over the last three minutes and change. The reason for the run has been the big-time shotmaking from Acuff and Wagner. Wagner has come off the bench and hit two huge 3-pointers. Acuff is up to 23 points and six assists after a slow start. Vanderbilt hasn't scored in over four minutes and has missed eight of its last nine shots during that stretch.

MID 2H: Vanderbilt 55, Arkansas 54

Since Vandy stretched its lead to six points, it hasn't scored. Vanderbilt has missed its last five shots from the floor. Arkansas guard DJ Wagner came off the bench and hit a huge 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 55-54. Twelve minutes until a champion in the SEC is crowned. This one is going to come down to the wire.

EARLY 2H: Vanderbilt 55, Arkansas 49

Vanderbilt's Tyler Nickel has a team-high 16 points and has knocked down half (4) of his team's 3-pointers. Vanderbilt's lead is up to six, which is its largest of the game. As a team, Vandy is shooting 8 of 15 from the 3-point line.

HALF: Arkansas 41, Vanderbilt 39

No. 3 seed Arkansas leads No. 4 seed Vanderbilt 41-39 at halftime of Sunday's SEC Tournament title game. The Razorbacks led by as many as seven points in the first 20 minutes of action from Nashville. After both teams started slowly, the pace and shotmaking picked up in the final minutes before the intermission.

Arkansas star Darius Acuff Jr. knocked down a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the first half to give Arkansas a lead into the locker room. The SEC Player of the Year has 12 points. As a team, Arkansas is shooting 7 of 10 from the 3-point line.

The stakes in this SEC title game are high. Vanderbilt entered the day as a No. 2 seed in CBS Sports' latest Bracketology projections, while Arkansas was on the No. 5 line.

Vanderbilt is seeking its first SEC Tournament title since 2012, while Arkansas hasn't won since 2000.

LATE 1H: Arkansas 24, Vanderbilt 23

Quick 6-0 run for Vandy after Tyler Nickel and Tanner knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers. Arkansas' lead is down to one. Vandy is now shooting 4 of 10 from the 3-point line.

MID 1H: Arkansas 24, Vanderbilt 17

How about the play of Richmond so far? He has half (12) of Arkansas' points through the first 12 minutes of play. He is 5 of 6 from the floor and has knocked down both of his 3-point attempts. Vandy is creating more opportunities (23 shots compared to 16) but is shooting just 30.4% from the floor.

MID 1H: Arkansas 15, Vanderbilt 11

Arkansas forward Billy Richmond III is getting involved early. He has a team-high seven points.

The star guards on both sides, Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. and Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner, have both been held scoreless so far. Tanner has missed his first five shots from the floor.

EARLY 1H: Vanderbilt 9, Arkansas 7

Vanderbilt is just 3 of 9 from the floor during the first five minutes of this game, but two of those makes have come from the 3-point line. Vanderbilt has created second chances already with two offensive rebounds. Arkansas star Darius Acuff Jr., the SEC Player of the Year, has missed his first two shots.

No. 3 seed Arkansas

• Meleek Thomas (G)
• Darius Acuff Jr. (G)
• Trevon Brazile (F)
• Nick Pringle (F)
• Billy Richmond lll (F)

No. 4 seed Vanderbilt 

• Duke Miles (G)
• Tyler Tanner (G)
• Tyler Nickel (F)
• AK Okereke (F)
• Devin McGlockton (F)

Selection Sunday is here, and anticipation is high as we wait for the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket to be revealed at 6 p.m. ET on CBS. The hours leading up to the show will be filled with anxiety for bubble teams, dread for some who are likely on the chopping block and excitement for those who are locks.

If you are just checking in on the college basketball scene ahead of March Madness, it's been a captivating season. There were a record-setting number of elite nonconference matchups between high-caliber programs, an incredible crop of freshmen have rejuvenated the sport with fresh life and there is great parity across the game's top conferences.

Sunday's five conference tournament title games will determine the last pieces of the puzzle before action begins with the First Four on Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio. But we don't need to know Sunday's results to know who the locks are to reach the Big Dance.

Most teams have already finished off their final pitches to the selection committee and should have a good idea of where they stand entering the day.

Selection Sunday arrives: The NCAA Tournament locks, bubble teams and longshots you need to know

David Cobb

As the day breaks on Selection Sunday, three teams are "locks" to be a No. 1 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That would be Duke, Arizona and Michigan. All three have strong cases to be the No. 1 overall seed, but it appears that the Blue Devils have the inside track to be the first team to hear their name called when the bracket is released. 

The next talking point heading into Sunday -- outside of a historically weak bubble -- will be what team earns the final No. 1 seed alongside those three teams in the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket. There are three teams in contention to join Duke, Michigan and Arizona. The team projected to be the final No. 1 seed is Florida, the reigning national champions. 

Houston and UConn will also be under consideration to be the final No. 1 seed.

2026 NCAA Tournament bracket expert picks: No. 1 seeds predicted before Selection Sunday show

Cameron Salerno

Vandy picked up three Quad1A wins away from home in the past week.

No one had Vandy in the top 16 heading into the Bracket Preview. We did, and we were right. Since then they are 5-2 with four victories against tournament teams. On resume, the 'Dores rank ahead of Illinois, Iowa State, Michigan State and just about anyone you want to throw into the conversation behind Houston and UConn. And they have closed the gap considerably in predictive metrics. About half of Bracket Matrix folks either don't update daily or look at NET, which is increasingly irrelevant for everything except categorizing opponents.

People want to act like they played a bad nonconference schedule. 100% false. They beat at-large teams UCF, VCU, Saint Mary's and SMU in the noncon.

Do I think a 3-seed is more likely for Vandy with a loss? Maybe, yeah. But they are 110% deserving of a No. 2 seed with a win, especially in a year when the committee is pushing back forcefully on the narrative that Sunday championship games don't matter.

Adds my colleague Jacob Fetner: "Also, people aren't bringing up Duke Miles' injury in regards to Vandy. They are 20-5 with him and 6-2 without. You can easily argue that they'd be even closer to a 2 seed lock if they had him in those games"

Arkansas coach John Calipari has had his fair share of elite talent at the college level. From Derrick Rose during his time at Memphis to household names like John Wall, Devin Booker, Jamal Murray, De'Aaron Fox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey, and Reed Sheppard at Kentucky -- Coach Cal is widely known as one of the best developers to get talented guards ready for the NBA.

Of course, Calipari has literally produced dozens of first-round picks in the NBA Draft -- mostly from his 15 seasons at Kentucky -- but during his first season at Arkansas in 2024-25, he didn't produce a single first-round pick. That snapped a streak of 17 seasons with at least one player selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. The lone player from Arkansas' roster who was drafted last season was Adou Thiero, who went in the second round at No. 36 overall.

Darius Acuff Jr. has entered the conversation for the best freshman guard John Calipari has coached

Cameron Salerno

Saturday was one of the busiest days on the college basketball calendar as conference champions were crowned in the American East, MAAC, Mountain West, SWAC, MAC, CUSA, Big West and WAC, among others. The winners of those games joined the 15 teams that already clinched an automatic bid heading into the weekend.

By the early afternoon, two teams punched their tickets to the Big Dance. Howard defeated North Carolina Central 70-63. This will mark Howard's third NCAA Tournament appearance since 2023. In the American East, UMBCdefeated Vermont 74-59 to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. 

If that name sounds familiar, it's because UMBC was the first team in NCAA Tournament history to defeat a No. 1 seed as a No. 16 seed. 

College basketball conference tournaments 2026: Arkansas, Purdue clinch final auto bids to the NCAA Tournament

Cameron Salerno

Florida is going to end up being the fourth No. 1 seed, at least if the CBS Sports Bracketology projections ring true Sunday evening, but it needed luck to get there. Vanderbilt clobbed Florida on Saturday, stopping UF's 12-game winning streak in its tracks, and the Gators briefly dropped to the No. 2 line before losses later in the day by Houston and UConn moved Florida back up. That's fine and dandy, but the Gators were playing so well entering the SEC Tournament they have to be disappointed to leave Music City without a consecutive conference championship. They'll lick their wounds and go for a back-to-back national championship, instead.

Bracketology winners and losers: UConn, Houston fumble chance at No. 1 seed before Selection Sunday

David Cobb

Fans of teams on the bubble breathed a sigh of relief when the buzzer sounded in the SEC Tournament semifinal clash between Ole Miss and Arkansas. Ole Miss, the SEC's No. 15 seed, was on a remarkable run after winning three games in three days to reach the semifinals. Of course, the Rebels have no at-large case, so the only way Chris Beard's team could get in was by winning the conference title. 

Bracketology winners and losers: UConn, Houston fumble chance at No. 1 seed before Selection Sunday

David Cobb