SEC basketball links: Texas A&M putting it all together at right time
Heading into the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament this week, some links:
Everything is coming together for Texas A&M, writes Robert Cessna of the Bryan/College Station Eagle. Buzz Williams’ Aggies defeated Alabama 67-61 on Saturday to finish 15-3 in league play. Texas A&M is the No. 2 seed behind Alabama this week in Nashville.
Kentucky hasn’t been in SEC title game in five years,” writes Ben Roberts of the Herald-Leader. “In the first nine seasons of John Calipari’s tenure as Kentucky’s head coach, the Wildcats advanced to eight Southeastern Conference Tournament title games and took the trophy back to Lexington on six of those occasions.”
This week’s tournament might mean a little more to Kentucky, says my column. “This year might be a bit different, however. This year, as the No. 3 seed in this week’s gathering at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., the Cats might have something to prove, not just to the NCAA Tournament selection committee, or the public at large, but to themselves.”
Here’s the 2023 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament schedule.
The Wooden Award is judging Brandon Miller ahead of the facts, writes Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News. “There are times when the distance between fact and opinion is so vast it becomes a void. Some of you have thrown Brandon Miller into that void. Short of facts. Long on opinion. With a reckless disregard for the truth behind a senseless tragedy.”
Officiating and matchups will matter most at Tennessee, writes John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel. “Teams who back down from the Vols won’t fare well. You have to match their aggressive play. Matchups will outweigh seeding in NCAA Tournament.”
Tennessee failed its first test, writes David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Playing without point guard Zakai Zeigler, out for the season with an ACL, the Volunteers lost at Auburn on Saturday.
Upperclassmen led Auburn to its biggest win, writes Henry Patton of Auburn Sports. “Wendell Green, Allen Flanigan, Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams combined for 70 points to lead Auburn to a 79-70 win over Tennessee on Saturday from Neville Arena.”
Vanderbilt is rolling into the tournament, writes Chad Bishop of Vanderbilt Athletics. “Head coach Jerry Stackhouse’s team was predicted in the preseason to finish 12th out of 14 teams and, instead, wound up sixth. No Vandy team since the 2015-16 unit had won as many league games (11) or home games (12) as this season’s group.”
Mississippi State failed to wrap up NCAA bid, writes Theo DeRosa of the Commercial Dispatch. “Instead, the Bulldogs will have to sweat it out for another week. MSU (20-11, 8-10 Southeastern Conference) concluded its regular season with a 77-72 loss at Vanderbilt (18-12, 11-7 SEC) at Memorial Gymnasium.”
South Carolina women reclaim tournament crown, writes Jeremiah Holloway of The State. “Two championships down and one to go for the Gamecocks. No. 1 South Carolina (31-0) defeated Tennessee 74-58 on Sunday in the SEC Tournament championship game. It was the seventh tournament crown the Gamecocks have earned under coach Dawn Staley.”
Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s win at Arkansas in regular-season finale
What’s going on with Kentucky basketball recruiting? Top links from the Next Cats blog.
Everything Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said after losing at home to shorthanded UK
Oscar Tshiebwe at the center of chippy UK-Arkansas game. ‘They tried to punk us.’
