SEC Roundup: close games, upsets and broken records
Happy Sunday, BBN. After some COVID delays last week, SEC men’s basketball is back in full action. Let’s talk about the conference’s biggest games from Saturday.
Florida at No. 9 Auburn
No. 9 Auburn has been impressive so far this season. The Tigers have now extended their win streak to 11 after an 85-73 win over Florida last night.
Tiger sophomore K.D. Johnson led his team with 23 points and three steals in the match. Johnson, who had struggled in his last few games, started hot with an early 3-pointer. Jaylin Williams followed with 14 points off the bench, giving him his season-high. Jabari Smith and Wendell Green Jr. each added 13 of their own.
It wasn’t all Tigers, though. Florida put together a major second-half effort led by Colin Castleton’s 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Gators trailed by 13 points in the first half but brought the game within one with just under nine minutes remaining. The Tigers answered with three consecutive 3-pointers, giving them another double-digit lead. The Gators missed 13 of their final 17 shots.
Auburn’s depth proved valuable for the Tigers once again. Though three of their starters found themselves in foul trouble in the second half, the Auburn bench stepped up big time to deny Florida’s comeback efforts.
No. 15 Alabama at Missouri
Upset alert! Down two key players and coming off a COVID-19 outbreak, the Missouri Tigers did the unthinkable on Saturday night when they beat No. 15 Alabama 92-86 at home.
Prior to last night’s game, the Tigers had not played a game in 10 days since they got crushed by the ‘Cats in Rupp. You wouldn’t have known it, though. Mizzou shot 49.2% from the field and 37.5% from the 3-point line. Kobe Brown led his team with a career-high 30 points, going 9 of 13 from the field and grabbing 13 rebounds along the way. Jarron Coleman added 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Alabama couldn’t quite find the same offensive groove, at least at first. The Crimson Tide made only one of their first eight shots from the floor. They eventually figured it out, though. ‘Bama went on a 14-2 run to take the lead midway through the first half, but couldn’t keep it. The game went back and forth throughout the remainder of the first half and into the start of the second, but it was the Tigers who came out on top in the end.
Jahvon Quinerly led the Crimson Tide with 19 points. Jaden Shackelford added 17 points. Following the loss, ‘Bama is now 11-4 on the season. They will travel to No. 9 Auburn for a rivalry matchup on Tuesday next.
No. 18 Tennessee at No. 21 LSU
The struggles continue for No. 18 Tennessee (so sad). Last night, the Vols fell 79-67 at No. 21 LSU, the second loss in their last three games.
The first half stayed pretty close, with the Tigers holding a slim 42-35 lead heading into the break. It was pretty much all LSU from there, though. Tennessee trailed by as many as 20 early in the second half. A 3-point basket from Vol senior Santiago Vescovi cut the deficit to just five points with three minutes remaining, but LSU stood firm and ended the game with a double-digit win.
Tari Eason led the Tigers with a season-high 24 points off the bench. Darius Days and Brandon Murray added 13 apiece. Senior point guard Xavier Pinson racked up nine points and seven assists before exiting with an apparent knee injury late in the game. After the game, LSU head coach Will Wade said it appeared to be just a knee sprain.
Kennedy Chandler led the Vols with 19 points. Super senior John Fulkerson had a relatively quiet game with just three points and five rebounds. Fulkerson just recently returned after testing positive for COVID and missing UT’s loss at Alabama.
Arkansas at Texas A&M
Texas A&M is performing much better than expected thus far this season. After being picked to finish 10th in the conference by CBS college basketball experts, the 13-2 Aggies are off to a hot start. Last night, they defeated Arkansas 86-81 in College Station to extend their success.
Though they led by just two points at the break, the Aggies started the second half with a 16-0 run. Quenton Jackson led with 16 points and five rebounds off the bench. Henry Coleman III ended just short of a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Andre Gordon added 13. Five Texas A&M players scored in double-digits.
Despite the loss, Arkansas senior JD Notae was phenomenal for the Razorbacks. He scored 31 points in the contest to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. The ‘Backs have now lost five of their last six games and are 0-3 in conference play.
Georgia at No. 16 Kentucky
The ‘Cats are back in business after a tough loss to No. 21 LSU on Tuesday. Last night, they easily handled the Georgia Bulldogs 92-77 in Rupp Arena, moving to 12-3 on the season.
Let me know if you’ve heard this one before–big man Oscar Tshiebwe was dominant for Kentucky. Sounds familiar, right? Tshiebwe netted 29 points in the match, along with 17 rebounds and two blocks. Davion Mintz added 19 points off the bench, going 5 of 7 from the 3-point line.
TyTy Washington put up some impressive numbers as well. The freshman phenom dished out 17 assists, breaking the previous UK record of 16 set by John Wall. Not a bad guy to be compared to, right? He also added 17 points, two steals and only two turnovers. As a whole, the ‘Cats only committed seven turnovers.
Washington, who was playing in place of an injured Savhir Wheeler, said he watched Wall play a lot as he grew up, making the feat that much more special.
Kentucky shot 57.1% from the field, but went just 6 of 15 on 3-pointers (40%). Kellan Grady was quiet compared to his last few games, ending with nine points on just one of seven shooting from 3-point land.
For more on the numbers and major takeaways from last night’s game, check out these pieces from our very own Jack Pilgrim.
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