OXFORD, Miss. — Seems the Razorbacks always forget to pack something when they go on the road.

This time they were so intent on packing competitiveness and focus that Sonny Weems ’ offensive game apparently got left out of the suitcase.

So with Weems, Arkansas’ scoring leader averaging 18. 9 points in SEC play, scoring just 5 and not scoring at all until the game’s final 3: 57, and always-determined Ole Miss even more fired up on Senior Night, the Rebels prevailed 81-72 in Tuesday night’s SEC game at Tad Smith Coliseum.

“ They did a good job on Sonny, ” Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said. “ He didn’t have one of his better performances shooting the basketball. Still, we had our chances but we just couldn’t get it done. We just couldn’t make the toughness plays at the right time or play well enough when it could be a one-possession game to make the shot. ”

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Tuesday’s triumph enables Ole Miss, battling for NCAA Tournament at-large consideration despite a losing SEC record, to reach 20 wins at 20-9 and advance to 6-9 in the SEC West.

Arkansas, assured of second-best in the SEC West behind Mississippi State, comes home 19-10, 8-7 to Walton Arena for Saturday’s finale with Auburn and still has work to do Saturday and at next week’s SEC Tournament to further its NCAA atlarge case.

The Razorbacks, who helped themselves last Saturday defeating 14 th-ranked Vanderbilt at Walton after last week’s disastrous 59-56 loss at Alabama, played with far more road grit Tuesday than in their Tuscaloosa tumble.

It just wasn’t quite enough.

“ We had one more field goal than our opponent, ” Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said. “ Our assist / turnover, 16-9 was good, but there were some toughness plays we just didn’t get and some remarkable plays by them. We would come back and get it to 5 or 3 but just couldn’t make that one more play. We did some good things. Give Ole Miss credit, they were better. ”

No flow from Weems, their most consistent offensive fountain, handicapped the Hogs while the “ Tad Pad ” crowd of 8, 168 cheered on Ole Miss senior Dwayne Curtis scoring a double-double 23 points and 11 rebounds in his final Rebel home game.

Weems and Ole Miss ’ Chris Warren (26 points ) were the offensive stars when Arkansas beat Ole Miss in Fayetteville.

Warren only had 10 but had a key three sparking Ole Miss’ stretch run.

David Huertas was deadly in an Ole Miss supporting role, scoring 19 including 3 of 6 threes. Eniel Polynice netted 12 Ole Miss points, including a spectacular offensive rebound / putback down the stretch.

Pelphrey praised Patrick Beverley, a team-leading 19 points, and Darian Townes (18 points ) and Gary Ervin (14 points and 5 assists ).

“ Gary Ervin was terrific, ” Pelphrey said.

Warren nailed a trey against a zone at 8: 41 after Arkansas had cut a doubledigit lead to 7. Polynice got a highlight-film rebound follow shot and then Huertas fashioned a fast break for a foul-inducing, old-fashioned 3-point play at 7: 37 to put the Hogs down, 66-51.

The Hogs fought back to pull within 70-64 when Weems finally got a trey at 3: 47.

Arkansas withstood some Ole Miss hometown haymakers and Weems ’ scoreless stanza to trail only 39-35 at half.

The Razorbacks, roaring to a 16-2 start then hanging on to beat the Rebels, 75-69 in Fayetteville, opened up 5-1 Tuesday night with Patrick Beverley scoring all 5 points.

However, Ole Miss quickly dispelled doubts it would fall victim to another early knockout.

The Rebels led, briefly 8-7 on a Polynice trey and then took a lead they never relinquished in the first half when reserve guard Trevor Gaskins’ trey snapped a 11-11 tie.

It was part of a 10-0 Rebel run before Darian Townes finally scored for Arkansas.

The Rebels peaked in the first half, 35-23 on David Huertas’ trey but Beverley and Townes worked to get Arkansas back in it.

Arkansas got a big turnaround when Jermey Parnell, the Rebel senior from Gosnell, missed a dunk on one end that Gary Ervin turned into points on the other.

With Weems first-stanza scoreless at 0 for 4, Beverley and Townes, 13 and 10 points, kept the Hogs afloat in the first half.

Curtis led the Rebels with 10 first-half points including two buckets after Arkansas center Steven Hill blocked his initial shots.

Parnell tallied 8 points and 4 rebounds in his final Ole Miss home game.

Arkansas will be favored Saturday over Auburn, but Pelphrey said, “ Remember, Auburn beat these guys [Ole Miss ] in this building. ”