SEC Basketball Roundup: 'Cats dominate while others struggle
Good afternoon, BBN! We loved the SEC football recaps so much that we decided to start doing them for basketball, too. Here we go.
South Carolina at Clemson
The Clemson Tigers have now won three consecutive games after handing the South Carolina Gamecocks a 70-56 loss last night. South Carolina is now 0-2 on the road to start the season.
Clemson ended the first half with a 9-0 run, giving them a six-point lead heading into the locker room. The Tigers piled it on to start the second half, though, starting with a 22-3 run to open the game up. South Carolina was able to muster up a 12-0 run of their own mid-second half, but could never overcome the damage already done.
Clemson’s Hunter Tyson led the Tigers with 18 points and 13 rebounds. PJ Hall added 16 points and eight rebounds of his own, along with three blocks. Chico Carter Jr. came off the bench to lead South Carolina with 21 points.
Following the loss, the Gamecocks had fallen near the bottom of the SEC.
No. 13 Auburn at Saint Louis University
Another Tiger win here, but this one was a little closer. No. 13 Auburn narrowly defeated the Billikens 74-70 in Saint Louis to move to 10-1 on the season.
It sure wasn’t an easy win. The Tigers overcame a 13-point deficit to snag the victory, led by sophomore Walker Kessler. Kessler ended with 19 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Wendell Green Jr. came off the bench to add 15 of his own, going 3-6 at the 3-point line. It was K.D. Johnson who sealed the win. Johnson hit an off-balance jumper with just nine seconds remaining to give Auburn a two-point lead.
The Billikens put together an impressive game but just couldn’t hold on at the end. Four of their five starters ended the game in double-digits, led by Terrence Hargrove Jr.’s 17-point performance. Saint Louis out-rebounded Auburn 46-27 as well.
Jacksonville State at No. 6 Alabama
No. 6 Alabama mustered up just enough offense to escape with a 65-59 win over Jacksonville State last night. But it wasn’t pretty.
Jaden Shackelford went into Saturday as the SEC’s leading scorer, averaging 18.2 points per game. He ended last night’s game with a whopping zero points, going 0 of 6 from the field and 0 of 5 from the 3-point line. As a team, ‘Bama made just 8 of their 30 3-point attempts (26.7%).
Keon Ellis picked up some of the slack. Ellis ended the game with 20 points and 10 rebounds, pushing ‘Bama past a scrappy Jacksonville State team. The Gamecocks led for much of the first half, thanks in part to a 15-2 run that awarded them a seven-point lead. They were close to pulling within one possession in the final 30 seconds, but a big block from Darius Miles kept the Tide in a comfortable position to seal the win.
No. 19 LSU at Louisiana Tech
No. 19 LSU is still undefeated and atop the SEC after a gritty 66-57 win over Louisiana Tech last night. The Tigers faced a 13-point deficit at one point, but were able to escape Bossier City with the W.
Though the final score doesn’t necessarily reflect it, this was a close one. The second half featured five lead changes and seven ties. Three Tech players reached double figures, led by Amorie Archibald and Kenneth Lofton Jr.’s 13 each.
Tech tied it at 57 with about three minutes left, but LSU’s Tari Eason hit a go-ahead three with 2:28 left to put his team ahead for good. Eason ended the game with 21 points, 14 of them coming in the second half. With the win, LSU is now one of just seven unbeaten teams that remain in the country.
North Carolina vs. No. 21 Kentucky
What a great early Christmas present this was. The ‘Cats are officially back after a dominant 98-69 win over UNC last night in Las Vegas. After last weekend’s showing in South Bend, this one was much needed.
Sahvir Wheeler has had his moments of brilliance throughout the season, but last night it looked like he really broke through. Wheeler led the ‘Cats with 26 points and eight assists. He shot a season-best 80% from the floor. After the game, Wheeler said he was excited about the opportunity to play teams like UNC on a big stage.
He wasn’t the only one to put up impressive numbers. Oscar Tshiebwe added 16 points and 12 rebounds. Kellan Grady and Keion Brooks Jr. added 18 and 10 respectively.
While the ‘Cats were rolling, UNC was dealing with an all-systems failure. The Tar Heels scored their fewest points of the season and made just one of their 13 three-point attempts despite being previously ranked seventh in the nation in three-point percentage.
The ‘Cats led from start to finish, racing to as much as an 18-point lead in the first half. Nine Kentucky players scored in the game, and the ‘Cats shot 40.5% from the floor and 42.9% from three. Let’s hope this team shows up for Wednesday’s rivalry matchup against Louisville.
After the win, the ‘Cats are now 8-2 on the season and tied for fourth in the SEC.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard