KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The rebounding stats said it all in Arkansas’ tough 76-52 loss to No. 1 Tennessee on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Arkansas got crushed on the boards, being out-rebounded 51-29. Even worse, they gave up a jaw-dropping 24 offensive rebounds, which allowed Tennessee to take 16 more shots during the game. For the Razorbacks, it brought back memories of their 2019 matchup against LSU, where they were similarly outmatched on the glass, giving up 23 offensive rebounds and losing the overall rebounding battle 53-24.

“They overpowered us,” Arkansas coach John Calipari admitted after the game. “I don’t even remember the last time one of my teams got beaten by 30 rebounds. We’ve got some real soul-searching to do.”

Tennessee, already known for being one of the best rebounding teams in the country, exceeded expectations in this game. The Volunteers managed to grab an astounding 57% of their missed shots, compared to their season average of 38%. That relentless effort on the boards proved to be a key reason why Tennessee won by such a wide margin, even though they only shot 39.1% from the field.

“Every time we did something good, they’d grab an offensive rebound,” Calipari said. “We’d cut the lead down to 13 points, and then they’d get two offensive rebounds and hit two threes. It wasn’t about anything else today—it was all about rebounding.”

Tennessee’s Igor Milicic Jr. was the standout on the glass, dominating with 18 rebounds—more than Arkansas’ four main big men combined. The Razorback frontcourt of Adou Thiero, Jonas Aidoo, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Trevon Brazile totaled just 15 boards altogether.

It wasn’t just Tennessee’s big men making an impact either. Their smallest player, 5-foot-9 point guard Zakai Zeigler, grabbed five rebounds—matching any individual effort from Arkansas’ roster.

What made matters worse for Arkansas was that rebounding had been a big focus in practice all week leading up to this game. Despite hours spent on drills and box-out techniques, it didn’t show on the court.

“We worked on it for three days straight,” Calipari said. “We did every kind of drill—body-to-body box-outs, blockout drills where we didn’t even try to grab the ball—just focused on keeping the other guy from getting it.”

While Arkansas only allowed Tennessee to score 16 second-chance points from those offensive rebounds, the sheer number of extra possessions wore them down defensively. That fatigue could have played a role in Arkansas’ poor shooting from three-point range, where they went just 6-of-29.

“If you’re out there and you can’t rebound, you can’t stay on the floor,” Calipari stated bluntly. “Don’t blame me or my staff—just rebound better, or someone else will take your spot.”

Looking ahead, Arkansas will try to regroup at home when they host Ole Miss on Wednesday night at 6 p.m., with the game airing on ESPN2. It’s a chance for the Razorbacks to bounce back and show improvement in areas that cost them dearly against Tennessee.