SEC Tournament Day 4: Live Updates
Conference tournaments are nearing completion, with many set to unfold over the weekend to determine a conference champion and decide a winner that will earn automatic entry into the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Today the SEC tournament semifinals are on tap, with Alabama and Missouri set to meet in the early game and Texas A&M and Vanderbilt set to square off in the late game.
In the second SEC Tournament game of the day, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt faced off. The Aggies jumped out to an early lead as the Commodores struggled to make shots in the first eight minutes. Texas A&M had no such issues. The Aggies finished the half shooting 20-of-29 from the floor and raced out to a commanding 49-25 lead. The Commodores had more turnovers (12) that made baskets (10) in the half.
Vanderbilt came into the second half much more focused and worked to cut its deficit as low as 12 points midway through the second half. But the momentum only held for so long as Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV took over during a key stretch and helped blow the lead back out to a bigger margin. Taylor finished with 25 points in the game as Texas A&M claimed a 87-75 win to advance to the SEC Tournament final against Alabama.
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 (69) vs. Florida (68)
Game 4: Ole Miss (55) vs. Tennessee (70)
Game 5: Arkansas (76) vs. Auburn (73)
Game 6: LSU (68) vs. Vanderbilt (77)
Friday, March 10
Game 7: Mississippi State (49) vs. Alabama (72)
Game 8: Tennessee (71) vs. Missouri (79)
Game 9: Arkansas (61) vs. Texas A&M (67)
Game 10: Vanderbilt (80) vs. Kentucky (73)
Saturday, March 11
Game 11: Alabama (72) vs. Missouri (61)
Game 12: Texas A&M (87) vs. Vanderbilt (75)
Sunday, March 12
Championship: Alabama vs. Texas A&M – 1 p.m. ET – ESPN
Alabama 72, Missouri 61
Alabama and Missouri got the action started in the first SEC Tournament semifinal of the day, and after a pretty even first half, the Crimson Tide began to exert its advantage in the second half. Things really began to turn thanks to Alabama star Brandon Miller getting hot. He helped the Crimson Tide open up a double-digit lead, one that was too big for the Tigers to overcome. Miller scored 20 in the game and fellow freshman Noah Clowney chipped in 19 as Alabama won 72-61.