THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE THREAD

No. 1 Kentucky routs Texas-Arlington 92-44

Kentucky coach John Calipari found much to like about the box score of yet another blowout win, taking particular satisfaction in his team's playing time.

Just four minutes separated nine of the top-ranked Wildcats' 10 regulars. None played more than 21 minutes, with both platoons' efficiency wearing down Texas-Arlington.

Especially freshman guard Devin Booker, who used his 17 minutes to score 19 points for his second career best in as many games. Karl-Anthony Towns added 13 with 11 rebounds in 17 minutes while other Wildcats made good use of their time in Tuesday night's 92-44 blowout of the Mavericks.

"Every wants to talk about defense, they all want to talk about the energy the kids played with, blocked shots and the length," Calipari said. "The story is you have 10 guys sharing minutes. That's the whole story. In a nutshell.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400595205

 

Portis has 22 as No. 25 Arkansas wins 78-72 at SMU

Playing as a ranked team for the first time in seven years, No. 25 Arkansas established itself quickly against SMU.

The Razorbacks never trailed against the Larry Brown-coached SMU team that rarely loses at home, getting 22 points from Bobby Portis in a 78-72 win Tuesday night.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400586692

 

No. 18 Florida holds off UAB in Battle 4 Atlantis consolation round

Alternating wins and losses through the season's first five games is not exactly what a program like Florida aspires to do.

These days, small steps are going to have to be good enough for the Gators.

Michael Frazier II scored 14 points, Chris Chiozza added 13 points, and No. 18 Florida survived another shaky offensive performance to beat Alabama-Birmingham 56-47 in the consolation round at the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thursday night.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400608871

 

Mississippi beats No. 23 Creighton 75-68

Jarvis Summers scored 23 points and Mississippi closed with a 12-3 run to beat No. 23 Creighton 75-68 on Friday night in the Emerald Coast Classic.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400588347

 

Qualls leads No. 25 Arkansas past North Texas

Mike Anderson stressed the importance and strength of Arkansas' depth throughout the preseason and early going this season.

The Razorbacks coach put that depth to work in an 89-73 victory over North Texas on Friday night, a game in which preseason All-Southeastern Conference first-teamer Bobby Portis battled foul trouble throughout.

read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400591372

 

Kentucky uses 2nd-half surge to pull away from Providence

As top-ranked Kentucky figures out how to start games as effectively as it finished off Providence, the Wildcats can take heart in getting everybody involved.

Coach John Calipari had special praise for 5-foot-9 freshman guard Tyler Ulis, one of six Wildcats with six points in Sunday's 58-38 rout of Providence. Ulis' stat line included three rebounds and three steals, all of which helped turn things from a grind-it-out game into another runaway.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400588349

 

Qualls, Bell lead No. 25 Arkansas past Iona, 94-77

Arkansas shook off a stomach bug -- and Iona.

Multiple players were ill as a stomach bug made its way through the team and senior starter Alandise Harris didn't play after injuring his foot Friday night.

But the No. 25 Razorbacks still beat Iona 94-77 on Sunday to improve to 6-0 for the first time since the 1997-98 season. Arkansas won its 11th straight game at Bud Walton Arena.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400586154

 

Josh Gray, LSU send No. 16 West Virginia to first loss

After a tightly contested second half and a back-and-forth finish, the winning basket could not have come much easier for LSU.

Josh Gray made a go-ahead layup with 7.4 seconds left and reserve guard Tim Quarterman scored 21 points to help the Tigers upset No. 16 West Virginia 74-73 on Thursday night.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400585720

 

Willie Cauley-Stein scores 21 to key No. 1 UK's win vs. No. 6 Texas

Willie Cauley-Stein was determined to make an impact no matter which Kentucky platoon he played on against No. 6 Texas.

The Wildcats' 7-foot junior succeeded by making the Longhorns feel his presence all night.

Cauley-Stein had a career-high 21 points and made several defensive plays to key Kentucky's 18-2 run to open the second half, helping the top-ranked Wildcats beat Texas 63-51 on Friday night in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400585723

 

Karl-Anthony Towns scores career-best 19 to spur No. 1 Kentucky

So much for the idea of top-ranked Kentucky following up its big win over No. 6 Texas with a letdown against Eastern Kentucky. Not a chance.

Karl-Anthony Towns made sure of that by scoring a career-high 19 points -- capped by his first 3-pointer -- as the Wildcats rolled to an 82-49 victory over Eastern Kentucky on Sunday night.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400596339

 

Dominic Woodson focuses on work

Tennessee forward Dominic Woodson won't dress for Saturday's game with Kansas State after being excused from team activities this week to focus on academic obligations.

The school issued a statement Saturday saying Woodson wouldn't play against Kansas State because of the missed practice time. The release didn't offer any additional details.

 

No. 1 Kentucky shakes off slow start to survive Columbia scare

Top-ranked Kentucky was so startled by Columbia's fast start that the Wildcats still weren't sure what to make of it after they seized the tempo and eventually the outcome.

After all, Kentucky hadn't faced a double-digit deficit this season until the Ivy Leaguers scored the first 11 points Wednesday night. But the Wildcats recovered for a 56-46 victory in a game that served more as a wake-up call than the tuneup they sought for Saturday's showdown against No. 21 North Carolina.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400591241

 

Devin Booker, Willie Cauley-Stein lead No. 1 Kentucky past UNC

Moving gingerly on crutches and showing little emotion two days after sustaining a season-ending knee injury, soft-spoken Kentucky forward Alex Poythress didn't hesitate when coach John Calipari asked him to lead the pregame remarks.

The junior's words and presence provided motivation for the top-ranked Wildcats to make sure No. 21 North Carolina didn't take advantage of his absence.

Devin Booker and Willie Cauley-Stein each scored 15 points and Kentucky shook off the shock of losing Poythress by rolling past No. 21 North Carolina 84-70 on Saturday.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587839

 

Josh Richardson, Tennessee rally to defeat No. 15 Butler

Tennessee guard Josh Richardson realized he needed to give his team a spark.

The 6-foot-6 senior proceeded to produce the kind of pyrotechnics that left No. 15 Butler's four-game winning streak in ashes.

Richardson scored 18 of his 20 points after halftime Sunday and Tennessee overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to beat Butler 67-55. Richardson shot 9 of 13 and had a career-high six steals.

read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400588373

 

JaKeenan Gant plays for Mizzou

Heralded Missouri freshman JaKeenan Gant was reinstated and played in Saturday's 74-58 loss to Xavier.

The 6-foot-8 freshman power forward was held out thus far due to questions concerning impermissible benefits. He missed the first nine games while the school investigated the situation.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...2770/jakeenan-gant-missouri-tigers-reinstated

 

UK starts with 24-0 run, holds UCLA to lowest points total (7) in half

No. 1 Kentucky made it look so easy that coach John Calipari felt the need to point out he had actual human beings on the court.

The only question was the final score, and that took longer to decide than the game.

Devin Booker had 19 points, and the Wildcats scored the first 24 points in an 83-44 victory over UCLA on Saturday.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400593228

 

No. 1 Kentucky shuts down No. 4 Louisville in battle of unbeatens

There were moments when top-ranked Kentucky could have blinked against No. 4 Louisville with its veterans battling second-half foul trouble and shooting woes.

The Wildcats didn't because freshman guard Tyler Ulis stepped up with a career-best 14-point performance made more impressive by the fact he achieved it despite a bandaged right eye that made blinking difficult.

"I was more excited than nervous because it was my first away game," said Ulis, who shook off a bloody cut to score 12 key second-half points and lead the Wildcats to a hard-fought 58-50 victory over the Wildcats on Saturday.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587874

 

Jabari McGhee out at least 6-8 weeks

Tennessee forward Jabari McGhee is expected to miss at least six to eight weeks after surgery on his right foot.

McGhee, a 6-foot-8 freshman, was injured Wednesday in an 83-72 loss at North Carolina State. Coach Donnie Tyndall announced the severity of the injury Friday after a 61-58 victory over Tennessee Tech.

McGhee is averaging 4.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 12.9 minutes per game.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...rd-jabari-mcghee-least-6-8-weeks-foot-surgery

 

Sindarius Thornwell broke out of a slump in a big way for South Carolina.

Thornwell scored five of his 13 points in the final 2 minutes and came up with a key turnover in the final seconds in South Carolina's 64-60 victory over No. 9 Iowa State on Saturday night at Barclays Center.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400585780

 

Tennessee guard Ian Chiles will miss the rest of the season to have surgery on his injured right shoulder.

Chiles arrived at Tennessee from IUPUI as a graduate transfer after averaging 15.8 points per game last season. The 6-foot-1 guard played just three games and scored a total of two points for Tennessee.

Tennessee coach Donnie Tyndall said Chiles aggravated the injury in practice last week.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...e-volunteers-miss-rest-season-shoulder-injury