THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE THREAD

No. 9 Tennessee tops No. 5 Kentucky, reaches SEC final again



No. 9 Tennessee just might be the Southeastern Conference's top team. The Volunteers certainly can make a strong case after their latest victory.

Kennedy Chandler scored 19 points, Zakai Zeigler added 11 and Tennessee held off fifth-ranked Kentucky 69-62 in the final minutes Saturday to reach the SEC Tournament final for the third time in the last five years.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401408161

 

Texas A&M stuns No. 15 Arkansas 82-64 to reach SEC final



Surging Texas A&M isn't leaving its NCAA Tournament hopes to chance.

With three wins in three days over favored opponents, the eighth-seeded Aggies not only have landed an unlikely spot in the championship game of the SEC Tournament but almost certainly ensured their inclusion in the NCAA field of 68, too.

The Aggies can earn the SEC's automatic berth by beating No. 9 Tennessee on Sunday. But even with a loss in the final, they're likely in — only weeks after looking like they had no shot.

"That's not up to me. I just go out there, and I play my game. That's up to the higher-ups," leading scorer Quenton Jackson said after his 20-point performance helped the Aggies take down No. 15 Arkansas 82-64 in the semifinals on Saturday. "I try to make sure that me and my team are on the same page and we play as hard as we can every night."

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401408160

 

No. 9 Tennessee tops Texas A&M 65-50 for SEC tourney title



With the clock ticking down on Tennessee's first men's SEC Tournament title in 43 years, freshman Kennedy Chandler dribbled near midcourt with his left hand and popped the chest of his jersey with his right.

Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi angled for the sideline, where they tried to lure coach Rick Barnes into Sunday's celebration.

"This time of year is about players," said Barnes, who wound up in the mix anyway after the ninth-ranked Volunteers beat Texas A&M 65-50, cut down the nets and the players approached him again to place a portion around his neck.

rea more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401408162

 

Tennessee uses balanced offense to beat Longwood 88-56



Tennessee used its stout defense to win the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

If the Volunteers shoot as well as they did Thursday in Indianapolis, they could be headed toward an even bigger celebration.

Santiago Vescovi scored 18 points on six 3-pointers, and Tennessee pounded Longwood 88-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, showing exactly why it felt it deserved better than a No. 3 seed.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401408580

 

Arkansas hangs on for 75-71 win over 13th-seeded Vermont



Stanley Umude had 21 points, JD Notae scored all 17 of his in the second half, and No. 4 seed Arkansas hung on for a 75-71 victory over 13th-seeded Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.

Read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401408575

 

Smith leads Auburn to 10th straight NCAA opening win, 80-61



Jabari Smith couldn't wait for his first NCAA Tournament game so he could get back to having fun and helping second-seeded Auburn to its latest first-round victory.

Oh, and putting up a highlight-reel jam wasn't bad, either.

Smith, the Southeastern Conference freshman of the year, had a sublime tournament debut with 20 points, 14 rebounds and a right-handed slam dunk that'll be hard to miss among the highlights of the Tigers' 80-61 victory over Jacksonville State in the Midwest Region on Friday.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401408591

 

Razorbacks return to Sweet 16 with 53-48 win over Aggies



Arkansas' Eric Musselman leaned heavily on his NBA coaching days of having to defend Kobe Bryant in devising a plan for how to keep New Mexico State's Teddy "Buckets" Allen in check.

And it was only fitting to Musselman that swingman Au'Diese Toney — the player he counted on most to contain Allen — capped the decisive run with a one-handed, fast-break dunk with about six minutes left to launch the fourth-seeded Razorbacks (27-8) into the Sweet 16 for a second consecutive year following a 53-48 win over the No. 12-seeded Aggies on Saturday night.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401408606

 

Notae, Arkansas muscle top overall seed Gonzaga out of NCAAs



For 40 frenzied minutes, JD Notae, Jaylin Williams and Arkansas played a maddening, muscular style on both ends that took Gonzaga out of its game — and right out of the NCAA Tournament far earlier than these Zags expected.

Notae scored 21 points despite missing 20 shots and the determined, fourth-seeded Razorbacks dashed the No. 1 overall seed Bulldogs' title hopes with a 74-68 win in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night.

read more https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401408625

 

Oklahoma and Texas announced in July that they would leave the Big 12 for the SEC in July 2025. As mentioned, there has been speculation that an exit could be negotiated for the schools to depart the Big 12 and join the SEC by 2023, but no known progress has been made in those negotiations.

Future look: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

 

Reeves, Fredrick lead No. 4 Kentucky past Duquesne 77-52

Antonio Reeves scored 18 points, CJ Fredrick added 14 and No. 4 Kentucky ran away from Duquesne 77-52 on Friday night.

read https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/gametracker/recap/NCAAB_20221111_DUQ@UK/

 

Council, defense lift No. 10 Arkansas past Fordham, 74-48

Council, defense lift No. 10 Arkansas past Fordham, 74-48

read https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/gametracker/recap/NCAAB_20221111_FORD@ARK/

 

Broome, No. 13 Auburn roll past Winthrop, 89-65

Johni Broome and No. 13 Auburn took full advantage of their size to grab rebounds and swat away shots.

Broome had 18 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead the Tigers to an 89-65 victory over Winthrop on Tuesday night. They gobbled up 25 offensive rebounds.

read https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401483041

 

Council scores 19, leads No. 9 Arkansas past South Dakota St

Ricky Council scored 19 points in No. 9 Arkansas' 71-56 victory over South Dakota State on Wednesday night.

read https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/gametracker/recap/NCAAB_20221116_SDAKST@ARK/

 

No. 22 Tennessee rolls past Florida Gulf Coast 81-50

Olivier Nkamhoua and Josiah-Jordan James each scored 18 points to lead No. 22 Tennessee to a 81-50 victory over Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday night.

read https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/gametracker/recap/NCAAB_20221116_FGC@TENN/

 

CJ Fredrick scored 17 points to lead No. 4 Kentucky to a 106-63 win over South Carolina State on Thursday night.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap/_/gameId/401496876

 

Black's 26 points carry No. 9 Arkansas past Louisville 80-54

Anthony Black dominated from inside and outside to finish with 26 points for No. 9 Arkansas, which overwhelmed Louisville in the second half for an 80-54 victory Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational.

read https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/gametracker/recap/NCAAB_20221121_LVILLE@ARK/

 

No. 13 Auburn beats Bradley 85-64 at Cancun Challenge

Wendell Green Jr. and Johni Broome each scored 14 points and No. 13 Auburn beat Bradley 85-64 on Tuesday night in the first round of the Cancun Challenge.

read https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/gametracker/recap/NCAAB_20221122_BRAD@AUBURN/

 

Toppin scores 20 points, No. 15 Kentucky routs North Florida

Jacob Toppin had a second straight breakout performance.

Toppin scored a career-high 20 points and had 10 rebounds to help No. 15 Kentucky rout North Florida 96-56 on Wednesday.

read https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/gametracker/recap/NCAAB_20221123_UNF@UK/

 

Arkansas takes 3rd in Maui with OT win over San Diego State

Trevon Brazile had 20 points and nine rebounds off the bench, Ricky Council scored 19 points, and No. 9 Arkansas defeated No. 17 San Diego State 78-74 in overtime on Wednesday night to take third place at the Maui Invitational.

read https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/gametracker/recap/NCAAB_20221123_ARK@SDGST/

 

Vescovi, No. 22 Tennessee beats Butler in Battle 4 Atlantis

Rick Barnes believes his Tennessee squad is a good offensive team, even if the 22nd-ranked Volunteers haven't consistently shown it yet during the opening weeks of the season.

Good thing the defense is in strong form.

Santiago Vescovi scored all 13 of his points after halftime and sparked the clinching run that helped Tennessee beat Butler 71-45 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

read https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/gametracker/recap/NCAAB_20221123_TENN@BUTLER/