SEC Tournament 2012 Scores: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Shooters Ready to Unload

Things have started to heat up in the SEC tournament, with Kentucky struggling to get past LSU and Mississippi knocking off the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers in the quarterfinals. 

With 24 hours to settle down, the semifinals will be determined by shooters. These players are going to leave their mark on the tournament, but only two teams will be able to advance for the right to play for a championship. 

Here are the shooters that are going to light up the scoreboard during Saturday's SEC semifinal games. 

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky

While it was not a prototypical Kentucky game against LSU, the Wildcats did enough to get by. Terrence Jones carried the offensive burden himself, but the semifinals will be all about Kidd-Gilchrist leading the charge. 

Florida did put together a nice effort against Alabama, ending its three-game losing streak, but Kentucky has been a mystery that the Gators haven't been able to figure out. 

In the previous two games that these teams played against each other, Kidd-Gilchrist scored just 20 points on just 7-for-15 shooting. That will be a warm-up act compared to what he is going to do in this game. 

Kenny Boynton, Florida Gators

Standing on the opposite side of the court on Saturday, Boynton has been the driving force behind Florida's offensive output this season. He leads the team in scoring (16.8) and has become a much more confident shooter in his junior year. 

When Boynton is at the top of his game, the Gators are capable of competing with anyone in the country. The problem is, he has been scuffling with the team has been in its late-season funk. Even on Friday, he shot just 3-for-9 from the field. 

This third matchup with the Wildcats is his chance at redemption—a way to salvage what has become a grueling two-week stretch for himself and his team. 

Terrance Henry, Mississippi Rebels

Raise your hand if you had Ole Miss in the SEC Final Four.

Now that the Rebels are here, they have a great chance to get to the championship game if they are able to get Henry back on track. 

The team's leading scorer during the regular season, Henry had 19 points for the Rebels against Tennessee.

That was a solid performance for the best player on the team, but there is a lot more left in him. His size and athleticism will create problems for Vanderbilt. Don't be shocked to see the Rebels win one more game behind Henry. 

Jeffrey Taylor, Vanderbilt Commodores

Taylor's SEC tournament did not get off to a banner start, with just six points against Georgia on Friday night. That will turn out to be the calm before the storm, as he is too good to be held down for two straight games. 

Already a dominant inside shooter, Taylor took his game to a new level this season thanks to some added range. He is shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc. His versatility makes him a matchup nightmare for most teams. 

Unless Mississippi can get a body on him early, Taylor is going to take over this game with one of his most dominant offerings of the year. Expect another outing like the one he had against them on February 16, with 28 points on 10-for-15 shooting.  

SEC Tournament Quarterfinals

No. 1 Kentucky def. No. 8 LSU, 60-51

No. 4 Florida def. No. 5 Alabama, 66-63

No. 7 Mississippi def. No. 2 Tennessee, 77-72

No. 3 Vanderbilt def. No. 11 Georgia, 63-41

SEC Tournament Semifinals (Saturday, March, 10)

No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 4 Florida, 1:00 p.m. EDT (ABC)

No. 3 Vanderbilt vs. No. 7 Mississippi, 3:30 p.m. EDT (ABC)

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