SEC Tournament first-round games…

Overall: 142-41 (77.6%)
Vs. Spread: 65-66 (49.6%)
Overall (SEC): 49-23 (68.1%)
Vs. Spread (SEC): 32-39 (45.1%)
East vs. West: East, 25-11

Took a beating yesterday…the percentages are falling pretty badly. With several SEC teams ending their season yesterday, on to the recaps…

(13-18, 6-11) LSU [73] vs. (14-17, 6-11) South Carolina [77]: The Gamecocks caught a bad case of streakiness, but still managed to hold off a late Tiger surge to end LSU’s season. Depth was amazingly vacant for both squads, but balanced scoring for USC’s scorers and unbelievable ball-handling by everyone – but Downey in particular – proved the difference in the game. Downey finished with a career-high-tying 11 assists and 12 points for his second double-double of the season, but didn’t shoot well (4-of-13 for 30.8%). Holmes has continued his late-season surge by tying for a team-high 16 points but didn’t rebound particularly well, with just 4. LSU’s pure talent was obvious, and if the team gathered some depth this would be a very dangerous team. Randolph shot 9-of-15 from the field for 22 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, but turned the ball over 6 times. Also turning the ball over 6 times was Chris Johnson, who finished with his 5th double-double of the season and his 4th in the last 6 games, with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Marcus Thornton didn’t shoot particularly well from three, hitting just 3-of-10 of his shots from that range, but finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Also of note, the SEC’s second-best blocking team swatted just one shot, and the Tigers turned the ball over 19 times.
Impact [LSU]: This obviously ends the Tigers’ season, but LSU has a lot of talent to work with next season.
Impact [South Carolina]: The Gamecocks will have to win the conference tournament to make the postseason, regardless of the win.
Stat of the Game: USC’s +11 turnover margin

(26-6, 11-6) #18 Vanderbilt [93] vs. (14-16, 4-13) Auburn [82]: These two teams’ lack of defense was magnified by their playing of each other, as the Tigers shot 47.5% from the floor, scored 82 points, and still lost by 11. Vandy’s star players came out huge for this game, as Ogilvy and Foster combined for 53 points. Ogilvy missed just one shot out of 13 and claimed 5 rebounds, while Foster nailed 6-of-9 shots from behind the arc and grabbed 4 rebounds. Although Beal only managed 7 points, he also dished out 7 assists and didn’t turn the ball over. Auburn’s Dewayne Reed had a similar game, scoring just 8 points but handing out 9 assists and not turning the ball over. Barrett led the Tigers in scoring with 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting and Tolbert managed 17 points but shot just 4-of-13 from the field.
Impact [Vanderbilt]: The Commodores didn’t necessarily increase their seeding with a win over a very weak Auburn team, the matchup against Arkansas could make more of a statement.
Impact [Auburn]: The loss means the end of Auburn’s season, as next season looks to be similar to this one.
Stat of the Game: Vanderbilt’s 27 assists

(21-11, 8-9) Florida [69] vs. (17-15, 6-11) Alabama [80]: This was a significant upset, as Alabama’s defense was surprisingly stout and the Gators continued showing no intensity on the defensive end of the floor. Mykal Riley, the SEC’s second-best three-point shooter, hit an overwhelming 8-of-12 three-point shots to carry ‘Bama through the game with 26 points, while Hendrix shot 7-of-13 for 22 points and 8 rebounds. Florida could find no offense, as their leading scorer was Speights with just 15 points, and just one other Gators scored more than 10 points.
Impact [Florida]: Florida, with an RPI of 72 and a loss to a team that’s barely above .500 on the year, has effectively sealed itself off from NCAA Tournament consideration. Look for the Gators to surface as a top seed in the NIT.
Impact [Alabama]: The Tide are now just one win away from being considered for the NIT, but that road will go through Mississippi State, who swept them this season.
Stat of the Game: Alabama’s 41 rebounds to Florida’s 28

(21-10, 7-10) Ole Miss [95] vs. (14-16, 5-12) Georgia [97]: This was possibly a bigger upset than the Alabama/Florida game, as the Rebels were the three-seed in the West and Georgia was the worst SEC team record-wise. This one went to overtime and was as close as I figured it would be, but went to the Bulldogs as the team shot slightly better than the Rebs but took 11 less shots from the floor. Woodbury was the surprise scoring leader for UGA, hitting 9-of-12 shots for 25 points and 7 rebounds, while Gaines also pitched in 22 points and 5 rebounds, but shot just 5-of-14. Warren’s off-game could’ve cost his team the game, as he shot just 2-of-10 from the floor and just 1-of-6 from three to manage 8 points. Huertas tried to make up for it, shooting 7-of-11 from long-range to put up a season-high 29 points and 5 rebounds, while Curtis remained ever-reliable on the inside, scoring 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting and claiming 7 rebounds. Polynice also had a good game, handing out 9 assists to just 1 turnover.
Impact [Ole Miss]: The Rebels join the Gators in teams that likely played their way out of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, as now a top-seed in the NIT will be likely.
Impact [Georgia]: Even with the big win, the Bulldogs will still need to win the SEC Tournament to make the postseason.
Stat of the Game: Georgia’s 8 blocks