After eight seasons together, Arkansas and head coach Mike Anderson parted ways Tuesday afternoon.

During his tenure, the Razorbacks enjoyed moderate success in the regular season and even the SEC Tournament, but didn’t meet the standards set by legendary coaches Eddie Sutton and Nolan Richardson.

There were a few moments that could have helped Anderson take the program to that next level. Instead, they went the other way and ultimately resulted in his firing. Here is a look at those events that altered the way he’ll be remembered and how his tenure unfolded…

1. Laying an egg in Tuscaloosa, early exit in 2014 SEC Tourney

In Anderson’s third season, things were trending upward and Arkansas was on the brink of reaching the NCAA Tournament with overtime wins over Kentucky at Bud Walton Arena - aided by Michael Qualls’ dunk - and Rupp Arena.

The win in Lexington, Ky., was part of a six-game winning streak late in the season that had many bracketologists penciling them in. However, the Razorbacks came out flat in the regular-season finale against a bad Alabama, mustering only 16 first-half points in a 25-point blowout loss.

They followed that up with their sixth straight one-and-done showing at the SEC Tournament, as they lost to No. 13 seed South Carolina by two points. Instead of making the big dance, Arkansas was relegated to the NIT, where it beat Indiana State before losing to Cal.

2. Receiving a draw in 2015 NCAA Tournament

The next year, Arkansas had arguably its best season under Anderson. It went 24-7 in the regular season, finished second in the SEC behind Kentucky’s undefeated team and lost to the Wildcats in the SEC Tournament championship game.

That earned the Razorbacks a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament and, after squeaking by Wofford in the first round, a second-round matchup with North Carolina. The Tar Heels had a worse record than Arkansas, but came out of the brutal ACC and were much better than your average No. 4 seed.

They checked in at No. 11 in the RPI and No. 10 on KenPom, which is the No. 3 seed range, but they were bumped down a spot because they had lost 11 games. It was a bad matchup for the Razorbacks, who had a Sweet 16 caliber team but couldn’t beat North Carolina despite getting double-doubles from Bobby Portis (18 points, 14 rebounds) and Qualls (27 points, 10 rebounds).

3. Qualls’ unexpected early departure

No one questioned Portis’ early entry into the NBA Draft following his sophomore year because he was a projected lottery pick, but Qualls caught everyone off guard by also deciding to leave and forgo his senior year.

With no clear superstar, Arkansas struggled early in the 2015-16 season. It lost to Akron at home, dropped both games at the NIT Tip-Off (including blowing a 20-point lead against Stanford), had an embarrassing loss to Mercer in North Little Rock and lost winnable games on the road to Wake Forest and Dayton.

Considering the Razorbacks still managed to finish 9-9 in SEC play, it isn’t too much of a stretch that had Qualls returning would have made a difference. He could have been the difference in several of those non-conference games and at least gotten Arkansas on the NCAA Tournament bubble or into the NIT. Instead, it sputtered to a 16-16 mark.

4. Wrong end of bad calls vs. North Carolina in 2017 NCAA Tourney

The Razorbacks weren’t down too long, though, as junior college transfers Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford teamed up with Dusty Hannahs and Moses Kingsley to give Anderson another dangerous team.

They went 23-8 overall and finished third in the SEC, eventually reaching the SEC Tournament championship game and losing to Kentucky again. That earned Arkansas a No. 8 seed and, after escaping a close game against Seton Hall, another second-round date with North Carolina.

With their first Sweet 16 in more than two decades within reach, the Razorbacks saw their five-point lead erased was a 12-0 run by the Tar Heels, which was aided by several missed calls.

First, with about a minute remaining, Kennedy Meeks blocked Daryl Macon’s three-point attempt, but the officials ruled it an air ball and North Carolina’s ball. On the ensuing possession, with the Tar Heels up by one, Joel Berry drove to the basket and appeared to either travel or commit a charge on Adrio Bailey. Instead, there was no call and North Carolina got a tip in to essentially seal the victory.

Adding insult to injury, North Carolina went on to win the national championship.

5. Perry’s decommitment

One of the obvious deficiencies on Arkansas’ team this year was the lack of consistent play from the power forward position. Adrio Bailey, Gabe Osabuohien and Reggie Chaney each had their moments, but none of them averaged more than six points or four rebounds.

The player Anderson had recruited to be that guy this season was Reggie Perry, a five-star McDonald’s All-American who was the No. 29 overall player in the 2018 class. However, he flipped his commitment to Mississippi State shortly after a trip to Italy to participate in the Adidas EuroCamp.

He ended up averaging 9.7 points and 7.2 rebounds with nine double-doubles. Perry played particularly well down the stretch for the Bulldogs, averaging 13.1 points and 8.9 rebounds over their final 13 games leading up to the NCAA Tournament.

Considering how many of Arkansas’ losses were decided in the final minute, it isn’t much of a stretch to say Perry could have been the missing piece that got the Razorbacks to the NCAA Tournament.

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