SEC Notebook
by Ryan Glenn
Alabama was able to give LSU its first conference loss on Saturday at home. Ronald Steele helped the Tide come away victorious by sinking his free throws in the last few minutes. It also did not hurt that he ended the game as the leading scorer with 21 points. The Tigers’ problem seemed to be the play of Tyrus Thomas on the offensive end. Thomas finished the night with just four points. He did, however, have four blocks and eight rebounds to his name – but all of those rebounds were defensive.
Normally, for Tennessee to beat Kentucky would be a big story, but this season it was almost expected. Chris Lofton finished with a career-high 31 points. Lofton, a Kentucky native, probably had the Wildcat coaches wishing they had recruited him two years ago. Besides the Volunteers’ outside shooting, Major Wingate once again showed more of a presence inside. If C.J. Watson or Lofton is on and Wingate has a good game, the Vols are going to be a tough team for anybody to beat.
South Carolina may be having a disappointing season, but the Gamecocks seem to have Florida‘s number. This time, the win came on the road, a feat which is tough in the SEC. Tre Kelley and Tarence Kinsey both had great games, something that has not been happening consistently for this team. Bryce Sheldon had his best game of the season and shot 4-of-6 on his 3-point shots. This was a breakout game for him. This team needs somebody else that can put up good numbers and Sheldon might be that guy.
Forget the fact that the Alabama made a miraculous play to end regulation and beat Vanderbilt in overtime. This Commodore team looked much better. Shan Foster was the star of the night with a career-high 30 points. Demarre Carroll did not have the best offensive game, but his nine rebounds – four offensive – were a tremendous help inside.
