SEC Tournament Day 1: Live Updates

Stephen Samraby:Steve Samra03/08/23

SamraSource

The SEC Basketball Tournament field is set and roaring to get going at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Following an exhilarating regular season that saw the Alabama Crimson Tide win the SEC regular season championship, the SEC Tournament will give some of the best teams in the country another shot at glory. For some, it’ll be a tune up for the NCAA Tournament, while others need to be victorious to get in at all.

In the second game of the SEC Tournament, LSU jumped out to an early lead on Georgia after the Bulldogs ran into some major scoring woes in the first half. At one point the Bulldogs missed eight straight field goal attempts. At the end of the half, Georgia was just 9-of-24 from the floor and had eight turnovers, which allowed LSU to build a 42-30 first-half lead.

The 12-point halftime lead was as large a lead as LSU would get in the game, as Georgia turned in a much more competitive second half. But after the Bulldogs clawed all the way back to take the lead, the Tigers answered and closed strong to win 72-67.

Florida and Mississippi State will kick things off on Day 2 of the SEC Tournament, with the two scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET tipoff in Bridgestone Arena on Thursday. The two met once previously this season, with the Gators knocking off the Bulldogs 61-59 in Starkville, Miss.

2023 SEC Basketball Tournament Schedule, Results:

Wednesday, March 8
Game 1: South Carolina (61) vs. Ole Miss (67)
Game 2: Georgia (67) vs. LSU (72)

Thursday, March 9
Game 3: Mississippi State vs. Florida – 1 p.m. ET – SEC Network
Game 4: Ole Miss vs. Tennessee – 3 p.m. ET – SEC Network
Game 5: Arkansas vs. Auburn – 7 p.m. ET – SEC Network
Game 6: LSU vs. Vanderbilt – 9 p.m. ET – SEC Network

Friday, March 10
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Alabama – 1 p.m. ET – ESPN
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Missouri – 3 p.m. ET – ESPN
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Texas A&M – 7 p.m. ET – SEC Network
Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. Kentucky – 9 p.m. ET – SEC Network

Saturday, March 11
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner – 1 p.m. ET – ESPN
Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner – 3 p.m. ET – ESPN

Sunday, March 12
Championship: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner – 1 p.m. ET – ESPN

Ole Miss 67, South Carolina 61

In the first game of the SEC Tournament, Ole Miss and South Carolina got underway and played a competitive 30-29 first half in which the Rebels held a narrow edge. Both teams were locked in defensively and shots didn’t begin falling until late, with both teams knocking down four 3-pointers apiece in the half. Neither team led by more than four points in the first half.

Ole Miss came out of the gates hot in the second half, using a 9-0 run early on to create some separation. The Rebels would need every bit of it, as Gamecocks freshman sensation GG Jackson scored a game-high 24 points. Still, Ole Miss managed to close out a 67-61 win behind 20 points from Amaree Abram and 16 from Jaemyn Brakefield.