What we learned from Arkansas' 72-59 loss to Vanderbilt

Arkansas guard Dusty Hannahs (3) reaches to score as he is fouled by Vanderbilt forward Clevon Brown (center) as guard Nolan Cressler defends Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017, during the first half of play in Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

Dusty Hannahs was the player of the game and he is rightfully a frustrated young man

Hannahs was the best player on the floor for Arkansas during the contest, especially in the second half.

Hannahs had 21 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and did everything he could to make it a game after Vanderbilt roared out to 25-4 lead.

It was the third loss in four games and left Hannahs - the lone player who made it to the media room afterward - understandably disappointed.

“It is almost hard to put into words,” Hannahs said. “It is really disheartening. You go to Missouri - a team that hadn’t won a conference game - and blow that one and then come into your home court and lose pretty big.

“It’s tough. It’s really tough. We were feeling really good about ourselves, thought we could bounce back from that Oklahoma State game. I don’t know. We have just got to get back in the gym and figure stuff out. Watch the film and figure it out.

“I don’t even have words for y’all. We are disappointed, but we haven’t given up by any means and I want everyone to know that, but it is tough. I can’t believe it.”

All the NCAA Tournament bubble talk can be put aside for now

Coming into Tuesday, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Arkansas still in the Big Dance while CBS’ Jerry Palm had the Razorbacks as one of his first four teams out.

At 17-7 overall and 6-5 in SEC play, there seems to be little doubt that Arkansas is on the outside looking in after the third home loss this season.

Arkansas coach Mike Anderson was asked if he thought his team was playing thinking about being on the bubble.

“That is something that I always talk about with our guys - don’t listen to the noise and stay dialed in on each and every game,” Anderson said. “It is easier said than done. I can’t answer that per se, but I just know that the make-up of our team is that we play with a lot of energy and that energy was not prevalent the whole game tonight.

“And that energy takes you to the spot to make people uncomfortable. If they are making shots from 22 feet out, we have to make them take them from 25 feet out.

“If they are penetrating and kicking, we have got to make that adjustment. We didn’t do that tonight so I think what took place on offense 0- where we weren’t scoring led to a letdown on defense.”

Defense was not good

Giving up 12 3-pointers, letting your foe shoot 52.2 percent overall, having it shoot 10 more free throws and do getting badly out-rebounded is not a recipe for success.

This one essentially was over after Vanderbilt hit seven of its first nine 3-point attempts. The Commodores capped their early run with a lay-up from former Fayetteville High star Payton Willis, who scored 8 points.

"We allowed them to get going and we had a lot of missed assignments," Anderson said. "They did a good job of penetrating and making our guys bite (and) it just seemed like they didn’t miss a shot. They put on a display."

The Commodores came with payback on their mind

Vanderbilt blew a 15-point lead in the final six minutes of a home game against Arkansas two weeks ago.

"Arkansas got us at our place and that definitely left a sour taste in our mouth," Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew said. "I think with our experience, starting with our seniors, they were really excited, fired up to come back and have a chance to kind of right that wrong.”

Anderson still believes his team can make the NCAA Tournament

The Razorbacks' remaining schedule includes games at LSU, South Carolina, Auburn and Florida, and home games against Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Georgia.

“I think it is going to take a continued commitment from everybody,” Anderson said. “I told our guys that you have to be all in, all out, all game. And any game we play that has to be the mindset.”