THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE THREAD

Dominant almost all season and facing expectations of going unbeaten, top-ranked Kentucky looked vulnerable and very beatable against a Mississippi team intent on pulling off a seismic upset.

Wildcats guard Aaron Harrison thwarted the Rebels' quest by scoring 26 points, including two big free throws with 1:29 remaining in overtime to put Kentucky ahead to stay. Kentucky then withstood three final Mississippi attempts to rally before escaping with an 89-86 victory Tuesday night to win its Southeastern Conference opener and keep its hopes for a perfect season alive.

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A road win was the perfect way for Arkansas to open its Southeastern Conference schedule and for coach Mike Anderson to celebrate a contract extension.

Bobby Portis scored 21 points, Michael Qualls added 17 and No. 23 Arkansas rallied from a first-half deficit of 13 points to beat Georgia 79-75 on Tuesday night in the Southeastern Conference opener for each team.

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Florida has added former Stanford forward Schuyler Rimmer as a walk-on.

The 6-foot-10 Rimmer left Stanford in December after scoring eight points in 16 games over two seasons. He landed in Gainesville, considerably closer to his home in Orlando.

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Kentucky coach John Calipari repeated the same thing again and again after his top-ranked team remained undefeated with a double-overtime victory against Texas A&M on Saturday.

"We're not a very good team right now," Calipari said.

But surprisingly, that's OK with the veteran coach.

"I don't want us to be great right now anyway," he said. "We need to be great at the end of February and March ... you win and you learn. It's winning and learning and that's all we're trying to do."

Tyler Ulis put Kentucky ahead with a 3-pointer deep in double overtime to help hold off Texas A&M for the 70-64 win.

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Bobby Portis is rarely one to talk at extended length about his personal success on the basketball court.

The Arkansas sophomore is perfectly comfortable, however, letting his growing list of achievements make his case as one of the Southeastern Conference's best.

Portis continued his emergence on the national stage with a season-high 32 points and the No. 23 Razorbacks won their seventh in a row, beating Vanderbilt 82-70 on Saturday.

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Despite a strong showing by Tyler Ulis on Saturday, Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari said Monday that he will continue to start Andrew Harrison at point guard.

Ulis finished with zero turnovers in 28 minutes and hit a crucial 3-pointer in the second overtime of No. 1 Kentucky's 70-64 win at Texas A&M on Saturday.

"We've got a good group of kids, man," Calipari said during Monday's SEC media teleconference in response to a question about Ulis. "They've all stepped up at different times. They've all played bad at times, yet the team covered for them. It was like the game at Mississippi. I couldn't have Tyler in at the end. ... I'm fine with where our team is."

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Arizona transfer Craig Victor is headed home to LSU, his AAU coach, Gregg Holmes, told ESPN.com.

Oklahoma State was the other finalist for Victor, who announced his transfer from the Wildcats on Tuesday.

Victor, a 6-foot-9 power forward, is a New Orleans native. He considered LSU coming out of high school.

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Call it swagger, mojo or simple confidence, top-ranked Kentucky displayed it often against Missouri.

The Wildcats' defense was especially impressive, holding the Tigers to a season-low 27 percent shooting. That created a lot of offensive chances and Aaron Harrison took full advantage with five 3-pointers and 16 points, helping Kentucky finally earn a conference victory in regulation by drilling Missouri 86-37 on Tuesday night.

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Tennessee's marksmanship from the floor barely made up for its misfires from the free throw line.

Josh Richardson, Robert Hubbs and Armani Moore combined to score 50 points and shoot 20 of 26 as Tennessee withstood a furious Arkansas comeback to hang on for a 74-69 victory over the 19th-ranked Razorbacks on Tuesday night.

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No. 1 Kentucky earned a break with another Southeastern Conference blowout marked by relentless defense, rebounding and a couple of sharp-shooting freshmen.

The reward: A day off from coach John Calipari.

Freshman Devin Booker scored 13 points and remained solid from the perimeter and the Wildcats coasted to their second straight lopsided SEC win with a 70-48 victory over Alabama on Saturday.

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Andy Kennedy has enjoyed coaching in Bud Walton Arena more than most.

The Mississippi coach continued his mastery at Arkansas on Saturday night, with Stefan Moody scoring 18 points to lead five players in double figures as the Rebels downed No. 19 Arkansas 96-82.

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With Kentucky's slim lead threatened by a Vanderbilt squad that wouldn't go away, Aaron Harrison coolly stepped up to drain the clutch 3-pointer that has become a familiar sight for the top-ranked Wildcats.

Twin brother Andrew Harrison provided a little more cushion with a layup a minute later before Aaron sealed Tuesday's hard-fought 65-57 victory with two free throws that kept the Wildcats perfect on a night that featured plenty of blemishes.

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Devin Booker found a way to make an impact for No. 1 Kentucky.

He did it again Saturday, leading the Wildcats (19-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) with 18 points in a 58-43 victory at South Carolina.

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The way his team rolled over Missouri when they met a couple of weeks ago, Kentucky coach John Calipari anticipated the Tigers throwing a few haymakers in the rematch.

They wound up playing so physical that three Tigers fouled out.

The top-ranked Wildcats took advantage of their parade to the foul line, racking up free points during a decisive second-half run that gave them a 69-53 victory Thursday night.

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They wound up playing so physical that three Tigers fouled out.

The top-ranked Wildcats took advantage of their parade to the foul line, racking up free points during a decisive second-half run that gave them a 69-53 victory Thursday night.

 

To hear Kentucky coach John Calipari tell it, being the nation's only unbeaten team in men's basketball means the target on the No. 1 Wildcats only gets bigger and the scrutiny is bound to increase.

The goal is staying undefeated in March and April, but the challenge doesn't seem to faze Kentucky after a season-best 59 percent shooting performance that put away Alabama.

Karl-Anthony Towns got off to a quick start, and the Wildcats topped the Crimson Tide 70-55 on Saturday night to complete a season sweep. Coupled with No. 2 Virginia's 69-63 loss to No. 4 Duke, Kentucky (21-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) likely will attract more attention in its quest for perfection.

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Not long ago, Andrew Harrison hesitated to take the shots that are now falling for Kentucky's sophomore point guard. Karl-Anthony Towns' main issue recently has been finishing off his promising starts.

Both players' determination to progress resulted in huge efforts that kept the top-ranked Wildcats unbeaten.

Harrison scored a season-high 23 points and combined with Towns for key baskets down the stretch that helped Kentucky stop pesky Georgia 69-58 on Tuesday night.

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Top-ranked Kentucky handled another tough test.

This one was on the road and against Southeastern Conference nemesis Florida.

Aaron Harrison scored 23 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 and the Wildcats remained unbeaten with a 68-61 victory over the Gators on Saturday night.

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For the second straight game, Gonzaga found itself locked in a close contest against an overmatched team before pulling away late. As tense as some of those moments may have been, the Bulldogs believe they will be beneficial come tournament time.

Kyle Wiltjer scored 29 points and made a pair of 3-pointers in a key second-half run that helped No. 2 Gonzaga win its 17th straight, 81-70 over San Francisco on Saturday night.

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- From start to finish Saturday, the honors kept piling up for coach John Calipari and No. 1 Kentucky.

Hours after Calipari was picked as a Hall of Fame finalist, his unbeaten Wildcats matched the storied program's best start.

Calipari and his players noted that time will tell if they all take their place among the game's greats. But in improving to 25-0 with Saturday's 77-43 blowout of South Carolina, the Wildcats gave a powerful reminder that they're certainly capable of running the table.

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On a night when Nolan Richardson was the center of attention, Arkansas put on an early vintage display of Hawg Ball for its former coach.

Led by Bobby Portis' 22 points, the No. 18 Razorbacks narrowly held off a furious second-half rally after that -- settling for an 81-75 win over Texas A&M on Tuesday night.

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