Looking at this past weekend’s SEC matchups with a different approach. As we see this as the most talented league in college basketball history, each game represented its own championship contest near the end of the amazing regular season.
@No. 1 Auburn 80, Georgia 68
How it Happened: The Tigers led wire-to-wire, but could never lose the Bulldogs, who are fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives. After Somto Cyril closed the Auburn lead to 43-38 with 13:45 to play, probable National Player of the Year Johni Broome hit a three and scored on a dunk and a free throw, and Tahaad Pettiford made two free throws for a 53-43 lead with 10:27 remaining.
Inside the Numbers: Georgia is the 14th-ranked team inside of the SEC and the Bulldogs showed why this conference is this deep and talented. Auburn shot 59.3 from the field in the second half, but this vaunted Tigers defense held Georgia to 38.6 percent from the floor and forced 13 turnovers which fostered 11 points.
Player of the game: Johni Broome had 31 points and 14 rebounds as his most impressive score came when he drove the right baseline for a slam dunk to give Auburn a 62-54 lead. Denver Jones added 17, while Asa Newell led Georgia with 20.
Who Said It: “That’s why he’s Player of the Year,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said of Broome’s afternoon. “Unbelievable poise. He plays at a great pace offensively and the fact that he’s patient, calculating and the fact that he attacked the rim like he did in this game matters so much.”
Projected NCAAT Seedings: 1-seed Auburn has won 17 of 18 and fosters a 13-1 record and a two-game lead in this dynamically tough SEC. Georgia needed this one for a resumè builder as it currently has lost nine of 11 and four in a row. The Bulldogs currently look like a First One Out although their last six losses have come against SEC opponents ranked in the top 25.
No. 2 Florida 79 at LSU 65
How it Happened: The Gators grabbed a 21-7 lead with 11:42 remaining in the first half, but LSU finished on a 22-2 run, powered by five three-point field goals, two by Mike Williams, III. Florida used a 15-5 sprint over five minutes to take a 53-48 lead when Denzel Aberdeen scored on a layup. Thomas Haugh scored nine of his 14 points in the final 9:30 as his three with 3:14 to play gave the Gators a 74-59 lead.
Inside the Numbers: Florida held LSU to 38 percent shooting from the floor and outrebounded the Tigers, 48-33. Rueben Chinyelu (19/13) and Haugh (16/10) had double-doubles, and Florida scored 19 points off 17 offensive rebounds.
Player of the game: Rueben Chinyelu scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in what was potentially his best game in a Gators uniform. He made eight of 14 shots in 24 minutes. While Robert Miller, III, led the Bayou Bengals with 19 points, LSU finished just 2-of-10 from the floor in the game’s last 6 minutes.
Who Said It: “Defensively, I thought we drilled down, did a better job of taking away their high pick-and-roll game and getting out to shooters and making it uncomfortable for them to score,” explained Florida coach Todd Golden.
Projected NCAAT Seedings: Florida remains as a 1-seed as the Gators have won 11 out of 14 after starting the season with 13 consecutive wins. They are currently tied for second in the league, not to mention No. 2 in the AP poll.
@No. 4 Alabama 96, No. 17 Kentucky 83
How it Happened: Alabama guard Chris Youngblood scored 12 of his 14 points in the last 8:05 to break open a four-point lead and push the Crimson Tide to the 96-83 win. Alabama shot 52 percent from the floor and outscored Kentucky, 23-6, off the fast break. The Tide posted scores in 42 of 77 possessions.
Inside the Numbers: Kentucky has had problems on defense in SEC play as opponents have found 62.4 field goal attempts per game, while scoring 80.1 points per contest. With Alabama operating a solid transition attack, UK couldn’t get into position after this Tide offense took the game over. Alabama shot 57.5 percent from the field in the second half and outscored Kentucky, 49-43.
Player of the game: Point guard Mark Sears, could potentially take the honor in all 22 of Alabama’s wins. Sears scored 30 points in 35 minutes and was a prefect 11-of-11 at the line.
Who Said It: “We just got to challenge the guys and I thought they responded well,” said Alabama coach Nate Oats. “We kind of settled in there after we got down 12, and it was a little bit better after that.”
Projected NCAAT Seedings: The Crimson Tide continue as a 1-seed as they lost two games to No. 1 Auburn and No. 15 Missouri and remain tied with Florida for second in the league. Kentucky checks in with a 5-seed as the Wildcats fell to 7-7 in the SEC, but UK is 3-4 over its last seven games.
No. 6 Tennessee 77 at No. 7 Texas A&M 69
How it Happened: Zakai Zeigler and Jordan Gainey each made a three and Tennessee was 8-of-8 from the free throw line after leading 63-62 with 3:24 to play. Aggies guard Wade Taylor pushed the Texas A&M lead to 51-48 at 7:56 before Gainey and Chaz Lanier made threes in Tennessee’s decisive 15-8 run. The Vols held the Aggies to 1-of-5 from the floor, forcing three turnovers during that four-and-a-half-minute stretch.
Inside the Numbers: Tennessee made 13-of-27 threes while holding the Aggies to 5-of-30. Texas A&M was able to stay in the game by outscoring Tennessee, 30-18, in the paint.
Player of the game: Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier scored 30 points as he made 8-of-13 three-point shots. Lanier made five of those threes in the first half. Zakai Zeigler took advantage of Lanier’s moxy as he beat his defenders off the dribble and got to the line, making 10-of-12 free throws.
Who Said It: “We wanted to spread them out and all we wanted to do with Chaz is get him a little bit of separation,” said Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes. “He’s gotten so much better. He’s seen all kinds of defenses.”
Projected NCAAT Seedings: 2-Tennessee – The Volunteers have won 5 of their last 6; 3-Texas A&M – Lost 2 in a row after a 5-game win streak.
@Oklahoma 93, No. 21 Mississippi State 87
How it Happened: Jalon Moore’s three-pointer and dunk paced a 10-2 Sooners run to start the second half after Oklahoma trailed 39-34 at the break. The Bulldogs would make runs and close the gap, but could never get into position to control the game. The Sooners’ completed their decisive 19-8 run when Bryce Goodine completed a 4-point play to give OU an 81-69 lead with 4:51 to play.
Inside the Numbers: Defensively, Oklahoma held Mississippi State to 29-of-73 (39.6 percent) from the floor. Oklahoma shot 68 percent in the second half when Jalon Moore scored 14 of his 18 points. Point guard Josh Hubbard led the Bulldogs with 19 points.
Player of the game: Moore came up strong, but Jeremiah Fears pushed the Sooners throughout the game as he scored 27 points in 37 minutes. Mississippi State had problems with Fears off the dribble as he was 11-of-14 from the line and dished 10 assists vs. only three turnovers.
Who Said It: “His body language from the LSU game to this game – the whole time he was chirping in huddles.’” said Sooners coach Porter Moser, of leading scorer Jalon Moore. “You could just hear him, feel the belief in there.”
Projected NCAAT Seedings: 11-Seed Oklahoma ended 5-game losing streak; 7-seed Mississippi State has posted wins in 3 of its last 5.
@Vandy 77, No. 24 Ole Miss 72
How it Happened: Vanderbilt ran to a 24-9 lead in the first nine minutes as Tyler Tanner nailed a pair of threes. Ole Miss took its first lead of the game when Jamal Murray’s layup ended a 14-5 run and gave the Rebs a 47-46 lead with 16:08 to play. Jalen Curry and Devin McGlockton scored from the inside and Chris Manon followed with a three as Vandy took the lead for good on a 9-0 run when Tanner’s layup at 3:03 gave the ‘Dores a 71-64 lead.
Inside the Numbers: Manon led four Commodores in double figures with 16 points, while Jason Edwards added 15. Malik Dia was 8-of-12 from the floor and led Ole Miss with 22 points, while Sean Pedulla netted 21. Six free throws in the last 1:58 preserved Vandy’s 77-72 win in a tightly contested game.
Player of the game: Guard Jason Edwards and post-Devin McGlockton share the honors. McGlockton had 10 points and eight rebounds in his 34 minutes and Edwards’s 15 points came in 27 minutes as he rose to the top as the leader in the win.
Who Said It: “It was a needed win, all of them are this time of year, so a special, needed win against a really good team, quad-one game,” said Commodores coach Mark Byington.
Projected NCAAT Seedings: 8-seed Vanderbilt has lost three of four although Saturday ended the Commodores’ three-game losing streak. 8-seed Ole Miss dropped its last two games, but has won three of its last five games.
@ Arkansas 93, No. 15 Missouri 84
How it Happened: Arkansas built the early lead to 17-12 in the game’s first seven minutes. The Tigers had a pair of threes from both Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill and took the lead to 32-25 with 6:14 remaining in the first half and they built it to 48-41 at halftime. The Razorbacks are still in must-win situations to secure an NCAA bid.
Arkansas took a 64-61 lead with 9:36 remaining and then Kaleb Knox finished a 12-4 run to give the Hogs an insurmountable 76-65 advantage with 6:07 to play.
Inside the Numbers: Arkansas shot 54.7 percent for the game and 56 percent in the second half. Missouri sharp-shooter Caleb Grill was 2-of-12 from the floor as Arkansas took away the outside in the second half when Mizzou was only 4-of-17 from three. Missouri outscored Arkansas 41-12 from the bench, but the Razorbacks controlled the break, 22-4, and tallied a 44-28 margin in the paint.
Player of the game: Arkansas guard Johnell Davis came into his starting role once Boogie Fland was injured and out for the season. Davis scored 18 points with four assists in 39 minutes. Davis was a leader and a playmaker who was key in the win.
Zvonimir Ivisic led five Hogs in double figures with 20 points, while Mark Mitchell accumulated 17 to lead five Tigers in double figures.
Who Said It: “Disappointed in our start,” relayed Arkansas coach John Calipari. “We went with the big lineup. We had some bad matchups. Like the fact that we never gave in; we never stopped; win a 10-point game.”
Projected NCAAT Seedings: The Missouri Tigers stay at a 4-seed as Arkansas has won five out of its last nine games and is a much tougher out in SEC play. The Razorbacks stopped Missouri’s win streak at three and now should move into the tournament as an 11-seed.
@South Carolina 84, Texas 69
How it Happened: The Gamecocks are much, much better than their record and they finally cleared that hurdle by attacking Texas and getting to the line 45 times, making 34. Collin Murray-Boyles and Nick Pringle established the inside game early as the Gamecocks built a 12-5 lead and never trailed afterward. South Carolina then led, 70-48, on a pair of free throws by Jamari Thomas with 7:01 to play.
Inside the Numbers: South Carolina outscored Texas 34-18 from the free-throw line while holding Texas to 40 percent from the floor. Texas used seven points from Tre Johnson in a 13-4 run which cut South Carolina’s advantage to 71-59 with 3:54 remaining.
Player of the game: Colin Murray-Bowles scored 22 points and clutched 10 rebounds in 27 minutes before fouling out. He overpowered the Longhorns’ inside attack with his vigilance. Texas freshman Tre Johnson scored 29 points as he was 11-of-21 from the field.
Who Said It: “They have been on the doorstep so many times,” said coach Lamont Paris. “It would be one thing if it was just not playing well, can’t get a win. But there have been so many games where the body of work has been worthy of winning.”
Seedings: Texas falls to 16-11 and stays in the NCAA Tournament hunt as one of the last four in. Arthur Kaluma is the only scorer for the Longhorns in the post as he and Tre Johnson complement each other with their styles of play. South Carolina picks up its first SEC win as the Gamecocks don’t have the depth and versatility to compete consistently in the SEC this season.
