Tennessee Screwed Out of SEC Championship

I know better than to write an article after a closely contested, rough loss in a championship game, but I will throw caution to the wind today.

Apparently the SEC was concerned that only two conference teams were shoo-ins for the Big Dance.

Whether they meant to or not, their officials calling the SEC Tournament Championship game surely sent that message in Mississippi State's 64-61 win over the Vols.

Tennessee and LSU were the only sure bets to make it in.

On Sunday, three rogue SEC officials made sure Mississippi State would get in, as well.

There were calls going both ways for most of the game, but the most crucial and most disgusting foul call I have ever witnessed was called in the game's final 30-seconds.

Bulldog guard, Phil Turner, was driving the lane for a shot; he lost his footing and held the ball while still moving his feet. The obvious call is traveling.

The ref's call?

Blocking foul on Wayne Chism—the same Wayne Chism who was nowhere near in front of Turner. Turner lost his balance and got two free throws for it.

Tennessee still had a shot to win though.

With 10-seconds left in the game, another bogus call—this time on the in-bounds pass. The ref counted four times and called it a five-second violation.

Then, after another bizarre set of events, Tennessee gets the ball back and Tyler Smith gets mugged on a pass—no call. Game over; not to mention the many times, Bulldogs Post-Jarvis Varnado blocked shots while performing New York City-style muggings of Tennessee players.

An absolutely sickening game, called by rogue officials and incredibly biased CBS announcers Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery. They were for the Bulldogs all day long.

Maybe the SEC urged the officials and the TV crew to pull for Mississippi State so, they could get that third team in the tournament.

This is all really kind of moot.

No SEC team will last past the second round in this year's tournament. LSU is a joke, Tennessee is incredibly inconsistent and Mississippi State is lucky.

I give credit to Varnado; he’s a beast in the middle.

Tennessee could not get anything inside because he was always there. Whether he had to mug the UT shooter or not, he's a player.

Other reasons for the Vols' loss today include absolutely zero intensity on their part.

They acted like State would just give them the game whether they played well or not.

The Vols also had a horrible day shooting the ball.

Mississippi State, playing in their fourth game in four days, played admirably on defense and did just enough on the offensive side of the ball.

Four of the Bulldogs' five starters scored in double digits and Jarvis Varnado was easily the player of the game, with 10 points to go along with his six blocks and seven rebounds.