Tennessee Beats Texas A&M to Win 1st Men's SEC Tournament Championship Since 1979

Texas A&M had made quite the march through the SEC tournament. Tennessee had seen enough. 

The No. 9 Volunteers ended any hopes the Aggies had of guaranteeing an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament, beating them 65-50 in the SEC tournament championship game Sunday. 

It was Tennessee's first SEC tournament championship since 1979, and it'll head into the NCAA tournament as a legitimate title contender. 

It was a stout defensive effort from Tennessee, which held Texas A&M to a woeful 31.4 percent shooting from the field while registering eight steals and forcing 12 turnovers. Tennessee also held Texas A&M to its lowest scoring output of the 2021-22 season.

That ended the Aggies' seven-game winning streak, which included triumphs over Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn. The Aggies were a bubble team before the SEC tournament, and they certainly helped their case. 

Whether they did enough to punch their ticket to the Big Dance, however, remains to be seen. 

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Key Stats

Santiago Vescovi, TEN: 17 points, five assists

Kennedy Chandler, TEN: 14 points, seven assists

Josiah-Jordan James, TEN: 16 points, 10 rebounds

Quenton Jackson, TAM: Nine points

Tyrece Radford, TAM: 13 points, six rebounds

Henry Coleman III, TAM: 12 points, seven rebounds

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The Chandler-Vescovi Duo Carried Tennessee Yet Again

All season long, Tennessee's offense ran through Chandler and Vescovi. So why would Sunday be any different?

When your leading offensive duo combines to shoot an efficient 9-of-18 from the field and chips in with 12 combined assists, good things are going to follow. 

Add in a nice game from James, and most teams in the country would have had a tough time dealing with Tennessee on Sunday. 

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Jackson Went Cold for Texas A&M

During Texas A&M's seven-game winning streak Quenton Jackson was generally excellent, averaging 19.9 points and 3.1 steals per game. The Aggies moved him into the starting lineup down the stretch, and he thrived in the role. 

But he has been prone to running a bit hot and cold throughout the season, and Sunday he veered toward cold, shooting just 3-of-9 from the field.

Still, the senior was a major reason Texas A&M got to the championship game in the first place. He just seemed to run out of steam against a tough Tennessee side. 

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What's Next?

Tennessee will await its seeding for the NCAA tournament, perhaps having done enough to earn a No. 2 seed.

Texas A&M, meanwhile, will be hoping it did enough to earn a berth.