By Kenneth Cross
January 4 was an unequivocally eye-catching day for SEC Basketball. Look around the sport and there has never been a conference in history with the depth of this league. A record 12 teams are placed in the mock NCAA Tournaments that appear online.
We started at 11 am today and finished after 10 pm.
11 am, ESPN – @No. 11 Kentucky 106, No. 5 Florida 100 – This was an epic preview to this 24-25 SEC season. Florida guard Walter Clayton, Jr. was incredible as he scored a career high 33 points, but the Gators fell for the first time after winning 13 consecutive games to begin the season.
The Gators led 26-15 at the 10:43 mark of the first half before Kentucky went on a 16-0 run, powered by 13 points from Oklahoma transfer Otega Oweh. The Wildcats took a 31-26 with 7:19 and never trailed again. Florida cut the lead back to one possession several times, but could not draw even.
Dayton transfer Koby Brea led six Wildcats in double figures with 23 points and Alijah Martin followed Clayton with 26 for the Gators. The free throw line hurt Florida as it made only 22-of-35 free throws although they shoot 73.4 percent on the season.
12 Noon, SEC Network – @No. 24 Ole Miss 63, Georgia 51 – The Bulldogs led 28-26 at halftime, but the Rebs held them to 24.1 percent in the second half to solidfy the win.
Ole Miss hit a quick 15-2 run out of halftime where Malik Dia scored twice in the paint for a 41-30 margin with 14:52 remaining. Georgia came to within 45-43 on a 9-0 run where Tyrin Lawrence hit a triple that was the catalyst for the Bulldogs.
Ole Miss held Georgia to 29 percent from the floor and only 2-of-18 from three. Asa Newell led UGa with 13 points and 13 boards. Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield had 15 each for the Rebs.
1 pm, ESPN – @No.1 Tennessee 76, No. 23 Arkansas 52 – Vols sharpshooter Chaz Lanier posted 29 points and Igor Milicic scored 13 points with 18 rebounds as Tennessee took out Arkansas, 76-52. Lanier scored seven points in a 12-0 run that saw the Vols take a 21-12 lead on a jumper by Felix Okpara with 8:38 left in the first half.
The Vols’ defense dictated the matchup as Tennessee allows only 34.7 from the floor (2nd/CBB) and 56.2 points per game (2nd/CBB). Tennessee held the Hogs to 0-of-9 from the floor during the 12-0 run. Defensively, the Volunteers held Boogie Fland to 12 points in his 35 minutes as the Razorbacks were just 6-of-29 from three-point range.
After the losses by Florida and Oklahoma, Tennessee remains the only undefeated team in college basketball at 14-0.
2 pm, SEC Network – @No. 17 Miss State 85, South Carolina 50 – Josh Hubbard hit a pair of threes and Claudell Harris, Jr., had one trey as the Bulldogs built a 15-2 lead to knockout the Gamecocks, just 7:25 into the game.
Hubbard led Mississippi State with 21 points and Washington netted 17 as the Bulldogs shot 56.5 percent from the floor while holding South Carolina to 29. 7 percent. The 35-point victory was the biggest for the Bulldogs since the 2004-05 season.
The Gamecocks’ Zachary Davis finished with 22 points to lead all scorers as USC came into the game 10-3 and had won seven in a row.
4 pm – SEC Network – @No. 2 Auburn 84, Missouri 68 – Auburn wilted Missouri by degrees as the depth of Auburn was a major entity in shooting 57 percent from the floor while holding Missouri to 38.2 percent.
Chad Baker-Mazara finished a four-point play as he made a three and the free throw afterward to give Auburn a 17-11 lead. Tahaad Pettiford nailed a triple that gave the Tigers a 34-18 advantage with 5:37 to play in the first half. Auburn led by as many as 26 as Missouri tried to cut back into the lead, but the Auburn defense never let Mizzou relax.
National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome was phenomenal as he pasted the Tigers with 24 points, seven boards, and four blocked shots. Auburn assisted 18-of-28 shots when Denver Jones posted seven of those assists. Marques Warrick led Missouri with 19 points.
Coach Bruce Pearl tied Joel Eaves for the most wins in Auburn history with 213.
4:30 pm, ESPN2 – Vandy 80, @LSU 72 – A.J. Hoggard scored 17 to lead five Commodores in double figures and Vanderbilt scored 18 points off of 17 offensive rebounds to defeat LSU, 80-72.
Tigers guard Cam Carter hit a three in a 9-1 LSU run that gave the Tigers a short-lived 56-55 advantage before Hoggard scored seven points in a 9-1 Vandy sprint to push the ‘Dores to 64-57 with 5:23 to play.
Vanderbilt outscored LSU, 40-8 off the bench and scored 18 points off of 15 LSU turnovers.
Commodores head coach Mark Byington has done a superb job in rebuilding this program in year one as Vanderbilt has started 13-1.
6 pm, SEC Network – @No. 5 Alabama 107, No. 12 Oklahoma 79 – Mark Sears scored 22 points and dished 10 assists and the Crimson Tide outrebounded the Sooners, 51-29, en route to the 107-79 win.
Seven different Alabama players scored as the Crimson Tide took a quick 15-8 lead with 14:17 left in the first half and never trailed.
Alabama enjoyed 25 points off of 22 offensive boards and the Crimson Tide outscored, Oklahoma, 38-5, off the bench.
It was Oklahoma’s first loss as the Sooners started the season 13-0 and have are a prime player in the SEC, shooting 48.6 percent on the season, despite the tough first loss. Jalon Moore led Oklahoma with 20 points and seven rebounds.
8 pm, SEC Network – @Texas A&M 82, Texas 62 – The Aggies immediately took control in the second half as Zhuric Phelps scored seven points in a 15-2 run that took them to a 52-39 lead with 14:38 left in the game.
After Texas had cut the A&M lead to 57-52 with 7:48 left, Pharrel Payne scored eight points in a 21-5 run that buried the Longhorns, 78-57, inside of two minutes.
Phelps had 18 points and seven rebounds as the Aggies dominated the paint with a 48-16 advantage. Tramon Mark had 14 points to lead Texas, who shot only 34.8 from the floor. The Aggies held Texas freshman Tre Johnson to 11 points in 33 minutes and he was only 2-of-13 from the field.