Arkansas did its best work on the boards, with a 34-22 rebounding edge that included 13 at the offensive end. That led to a 14-6 edge in second-chance points. The Razorbacks also had a 44-34 scoring edge in the lane.

“You can’t win championships getting beat on the boards like we did,” Pearl moaned.

Lofton scored 25 points, hitting 5-of-9 from 3-point range but missing the one that counted most. Tyler Smith had 24 points and JaJuan Smith 18.

After Thomas scored to tie the game at 64 with just over 10 minutes remaining, Tennessee ran off a quick 9-0 run and seemed to be in control.

Tyler Smith hit a 3-pointer, Ramar Smith converted a three-point play and Tyler Smith swished another trey, giving the Vols a 73-64 lead with nine minutes to go. Arkansas called time and got a stern lecture from coach John Pelphrey.

“Guys, you don’t have it tonight,” he told them. “Go congratulate Tennessee right now.”

Not so fast. The Razorbacks managed to regroup by working the ball inside, drawing fouls and knocking down free throws. Townes made four in a row, Thomas hit a pair, and Townes sank another to finish off a three-point play that pulled Arkansas to 76-74 with 6 1/2 minutes remaining.

Sonny Weems followed with a tying jumper and it was close the rest of the way, the margin never more than four points.

The loss was devastating for Tennessee, which won its first SEC regular-season title in 41 years and reached No. 1 in the rankings for the first time in school history. The Vols felt that winning the conference tournament would surely make them a lock for a top seed, but now they’ll have to wait until Sunday evening to see how high they’re placed.

“We’ve got to be right there,” Pearl said, who kept up his campaign for a top seed. “We’ve carried the banner for the SEC all season long. That team carried the banner with the biggest non-conference wins. We’ve won on the road in very adverse circumstances.”

The Vols couldn’t win under the most unusual circumstances, however.

“They’ll probably look at this loss and hold it against us,” Lofton said, “but in my opinion we’re a 1 seed.”