Southeastern Conference Tournament Opening Round: No. E5 South Carolina slipped past No. W4 LSU 77-73 to move into the quarterfinals against No. 1E Tennessee. The Gamecocks used a 19-5 to create some separation from the Tigers, who pulled to three points in the final minute but got no closer. Sophomore forward Evaldas Baniulis more than tripled his season average of 5.2 points per game by posting 16 points for South Carolina.
No. E3 Vanderbilt was on fire all afternoon against No. W6 Auburn in a 93-82 win. The Commodores shot 67.3 percent from the field, including 9-of-18 from three-point range. Freshman center A.J. Ogilvy led Vanderbilt with 27 points, and senior guard Shan Foster added 26 points. Vanderbilt advances to play No. W2 Arkansas in the quarterfinals.
No. 5W Alabama survived a second half rally and earned a spot in the SEC quarterfinals with an 80-69 win against No.4E Florida. The Crimson Tide started the game with a 14-0 run that stretched to a 30-5 lead with 9:20 left in the half. In the second half, after trailing 55-30, the Gators answered with a 21-2 run that would cut the lead to six. Almost immediately, Mykal Riley answered with one of his eight three-pointers of the night, and the Gators did not recover. Riley finished with a game-high 26 points. Alabama will move on to play No. 1W Mississippi State Friday.
No. 6E Georgia pulled the biggest upset of the SEC tournament thus far, as Dave Bliss hit a bank shot with 0.4 seconds left in overtime to give the Bulldogs a 97-95 win against No. 3W Mississippi. David Huertas
was fouled on a three-point attempt with 7.1 seconds left in regulation and hit all three free throws for the Rebels to send the game into overtime. In overtime, it was déjà vu as Chris Warren was fouled by Georgia on another three-point attempt. With 5.5 seconds left, Warren made all three shots. Georgia quickly pushed the ball upcourt as Corey Butler was able to find Bliss for the win. Georgia will move on to face No.2E Kentucky in the late game Friday. [3/13/08]
