Round Two 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

In what was easily the most bizarre and memorable SEC Tournament quarterfinal round, an confirmed F2 tornado struck the Georgia Dome as Mississippi State held a small lead on Alabama in a hotly-contested overtime match. With about 2:30 on the clock, an enormous rumbling sound was heard as massive beams and catwalks began swaying violently. Soon, rips opened in the roof and holes were punched in the walls as the teams and their coaches were escorted off the court while crowds rushed away from the outside walls and towards the bottom of the building. When all was said and done, tons of debris had filtered onto the floor, and it took 64 minutes to get play back underway.

As a result of the structural damage to the building and the threat of further severe weather, the following Kentucky/Georgia matchup was postponed until Saturday. Because of the delay, Georgia and Kentucky will play at 11AM CT and the winner of that game will be forced to turn around and play Mississippi State at 6:30PM. As neither team is particularly deep, this certainly heavily favors MSU.

In addition, the location has been moved to the campus of Georgia Tech, which holds a maximum of approximately 40% of the Georgia Dome. As a result, no fans are being allowed inside, just players, coaches, cheerleaders, and bands. This is a disadvantage particularly to Kentucky, as I’ve heard as many as 20,000+ had made the trip for the SEC Tournament.

With all of that said, here are recaps of yesterday’s games.

(29-3, 15-2) #4 Tennessee [89] vs. (14-18, 6-12) South Carolina [87]: Chris Lofton, who had shot just 1-of-9 from three-point, finished 2-of-10. That second made trey was the difference in the game, as he hit the shot with barely seconds left on the clock. This was a beautiful game offensively, as both teams executed magnificently to put points on the board. With that said, defense was equally as lacking in the game. Wayne Chism proved to be the difference-maker in the game for the Vols, scoring on 9-of-13 shots for 23 points and grabbing 7 boards, and even making 2-of-3 three-pointers. JuJuan Smith added 19 points and 5 rebounds, while Lofton finished with just 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting, despite hitting the game-winner. Downey and Fredrick carried the Gamecocks offensively, combining for 50 points while both took an unprecedented 20 shots from the floor. Downey hit 10 while Fredrick hit 8, while the ever-present Downey also put in 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. Holmes played very well yet again, scoring 15 points and 11 rebounds for his 4th double-double in the past 7 games.
Impact [Tennessee]: The Vols continue their march forward, needing a win over Arkansas to secure a top-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Impact [South Carolina]: This loss, although it was a hard-fought one against a national-title contender, ends the year for the Gamecocks and Dave Odom’s coaching career.
Stat of the Game: Tennessee’s 27 assists to USC’s 13

(21-10, 10-7) Arkansas [81] vs. (26-7, 11-7) #18 Vanderbilt [75]: The Razorbacks simply came out more focused and played with more effort in this game, and outrebounded the Commodores by what was one of the biggest rebounding margins in the SEC this year. As a result, the ‘Backs were afforded 18 more attempts from the floor. Arkansas didn’t shoot well, but three-pointers – Vanderbilt’s keystone – wouldn’t fall for the ‘Dores and Arkansas won a relatively easy decision in comparison to the other SEC games. Gary Ervin tied a team-high with 18 points on a nice 5-of-7 shooting performance and 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. Darian Townes also contributed 18 points, his on 8-of-13 shooting, and claimed 7 rebounds. Patrick Beverly continued to struggle with his shot, hitting just 3-of-11 shots while Weems struggled even more, hitting just 1-of-9. Alex Gordon was the unusual scoring leader for Vanderbilt, leading all scorers in the game with 22 points on 5-of-10 shooting from behind the arc. Ogilvy played decently with 14 points and 7 rebounds, but the ever-reliable Foster shot just 4-of-10 and 2-of-7 from three.
Impact [Arkansas]: If there was any doubt that the Razorbacks were in the NCAA Tournament, with a #31 RPI and a win over the RPI’s #11 team, this game solidified those doubts. Not just that, but the ‘Backs might have moved into a 7 or 8 seed with a win over a ranked team, although the team is 5-5 over their last 10.
Impact [Vanderbilt]: Vanderbilt’s NCAA fate was long since sealed up, but the ‘Dores did themselves no favors seeding-wise by dropping a game to a lower future NCAA seed. A 3 seed seemed possible, but not a 4 or 5 seems likely.
Stat of the Game: Arkansas’ tremendous 43-20 rebounding advantage

(22-9, 13-4) Mississippi State [69] vs. (17-16, 6-12) Alabama [67]: Mississippi State has become familiar with dramatic endings as of late, and this was no exception. Amidst a direct hit by a now-confirmed F2 tornado, the Bulldogs managed a heart-stopping 2-point win in overtime as a last-second Riley three bounced out of the rim. MSU jumped out to an early lead and looked to dominate the game, but Alabama soon shifted to a zone defense and took complete control. State’s rebounding and defense eventually won out, though this was an intensely exciting game. All-SEC First Teamer Jamont Gordon has scored 20+ points in three-straight games now with his 23 points in this one, hitting 7-of-18 shots, grabbing 9 boards, and handing out 4 assists but turning the ball over 5 times. Varnado, who leads the nation in blocked shots, swatted just 3 shots but pulled down his sixth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while fellow All-SEC First Team selection Charles Rhodes scored 15 points and recorded 8 rebounds, but turned the ball over 6 times. Mykal Riley led the Tide in scoring with 18 points, but shot just 5-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-12 from three. Hendrix put his 17th double-double of the season on the stat sheet, with 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Gee shot just 3-of-10 but managed 10 points.
Impact [Miss. State]: The Bulldogs are 8-2 in their last 10 games and are proving they can find ways to win. While seeding looks to be a 5 or 6 at the moment, a tournament final appearance or title win could bump that to a 4.
Impact [Alabama]: While the Tide only have 17 wins and are barely above .500 on the year, two wins over quality wins and a close loss to MSU make the team a distant threat for an at-large bid for the NIT.
Stat of the Game: Alabama’s 31.8% shooting