Arkansas Will Refuse Invitation to the NIT

Arkansas will not accept an invitation to the NIT because the Razorbacks are “emotionally and physically exhausted,” Coach Stan Heath said Friday.

Arkansas (18-12) was eliminated from the Southeastern Conference tournament on Thursday night, losing to Tennessee, 65-46.

Heath, in his third season since taking over for the fired Nolan Richardson, had said his goal was to have Arkansas back in the NCAA tournament by this season. The Razorbacks won a national title in 1994 and were second in 1995, but they haven’t won an NCAA tournament game since beating Siena in the first round in 1999. They haven’t reached the NCAA tournament since 2001.

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The Georgia Dome brought in extra security to reassure skittish fans at the SEC tournament, held a few blocks from a courthouse where three people were shot to death.

The first of four quarterfinal games, between No. 20 Alabama and Mississippi, began while authorities conducted a massive search for a 33-year-old man suspected of killing Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes, a court reporter and a deputy.