ATLANTA - A month ago, Tennessee poured in 93 points against Arkansas - and won in a breeze by 22.

Saturday night in the SEC tournament semifinals, 93 would have been just enough. But 91 wasn't.

Arkansas' 92-91 upset victory at Alexander Memorial Coliseum victory was a testament to how much better the Razorbacks' offense was in the rematch.

Or, was it how much worse Tennessee's defense was?

In UT's 93-71 romp in Knoxville on Feb. 13, the Vols held Arkansas to 39 percent shooting and won the boards, 38-36.

Saturday, it was a different story, or stories.

A potent Tennessee offense wasn't enough to overcome a bend-and-also-break defense.

Arkansas scored on 14 of its final 15 possessions Saturday night. Let that sink in.

As a result Tennessee will watch the championship game today on TV from Knoxville.

As the score indicates, both teams were adept at putting the ball in the basket.

"I thought the players stepped up and made big plays,'' said UT coach Bruce Pearl.

"For us, mostly on the offensive end.''

Both the Vols and Razorbacks shot right at 55 percent from the field. Both shot right at 45 percent on 3-point tries. Both hit 20 of 29 free throws.

So much for the similarities. Arkansas ruled the boards, 34-22, UT's biggest deficit since Xavier in December.

Furthermore, Arkansas dominated the area around its offensive basket.

Forward Charles Thomas got his 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Center Darian Townes added 16. Forward Vincent Hunter hit his only two shots.

Last but certainly not least, 7-footer Steven Hill flipped in the game-winning basket, his only field goal of the night.

"But it was the same kind of basket they beat us on all night,'' said Pearl.

With just under nine minutes to play, his Arkansas team wilting under a Tennessee run, coach John Pelphrey called timeout and delivered a message:

"I told them, 'If we don't start stopping (Tennessee), it doesn't matter how many points you score.' ''

Tennessee could have profited from the same message. The game would tilt on who could get a defensive stop down the stretch.

Arkansas got a couple, the Vols didn't. Thus, it didn't matter how many points Tennessee scored. It wasn't enough.

The Arkansas big men repeatedly used their physical advantage, backing Tennessee defenders down and often shooting at point-blank range.

"We were supposed to front the post,'' said UT forward Tyler Smith. "We didn't do what Coach had designed to do.''

And Pearl was clearly upset about it.

"We tried to front the post in the first game,'' he said. "That was a big staple in the first game.

"(Saturday) They got it and backed us down and scored or we were called for fouls.''

Pelphrey's pivotal timeout came with UT up 73-64 at the 8:50 mark. From that point, Arkansas scored on all but one of its final 15 possessions.

During that stretch the Razorbacks hit 11 of 13 free throws.

Townes, a 6-foot-10 senior, hit six of seven free throws to cut into UT's lead then converted a three-point play to make it a 76-74 game.

Thomas, a stocky 6-8 forward, tipped in a Townes miss to put Arkansas up 90-89 with 46 seconds to play.

JaJuan Smith's layup gave Tennessee one last lead, but Arkansas had time for one more possession. When UT most needed a stop, it couldn't get one.

That the Vols forced Arkansas to get the ball to the unlikely target, Hill, was good defense. But not good enough.

By that point, it shouldn't have been a surprise that Hill made the shot.

"We were behind the post,'' said Pearl, "like we were all night.''

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.