SEC Tournament 2015: Quarterfinal Scores, Updated Bracket, Semifinal Schedule

Friday was the day SEC fans had marked on their calendars since the regular season ended. The quarterfinals of the SEC tournament feature the top four seeds, led by undefeated Kentucky, in action for the first time.

In addition to the Wildcats looking to continue their quest for perfection, an NCAA tournament bubble team like LSU could ease some of the weight off its shoulders with a victory.

Here's a recap of the quarterfinal action from the SEC tournament quarterfinals as it happens. The page will be updated as results become final.

Quarterfinal Scores

Game	Matchup	Final/Start Time (ET)
7	No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 8 Florida	Kentucky, 64-49
8	No. 4 LSU vs. No. 13 Auburn	Auburn, 73-70
9	No. 2 Arkansas vs. No. 10 Tennessee	Arkansas, 80-72
10	No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 11 South Carolina	Georgia, 74-62

Updated Bracket

Semifinal Schedule

Matchup	Start Time (ET)	Network
Kentucky vs. Auburn	1 p.m.	ESPN
Arkansas vs. Georgia	Approx. 3:30 p.m.	ESPN

Arkansas' Hot Start Ruins Tennessee's Dream Run

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

It was much closer than anyone would have expected, but Arkansas held off a furious second-half rally by Tennessee to secure its spot in the SEC semifinals with an 80-72 victory. 

The Razorbacks were dominating this game early, taking a 45-25 lead into halftime, but the Volunteers did everything in their power to make it interesting. Donnie Tyndall's team was running all over the court in the final 20 minutes, scoring 47 points, but the defense couldn't keep Arkansas down long enough. 

As has been the case all year, Bobby Portis was the star of the show for Arkansas. The newly-crowned SEC Player of the Year lived up to that billing with 26 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals. 

This was a monumental win for Portis and Arkansas, as Melinda Mayo of KATV in Little Rock tweeted it was the program's first SEC tournament win since 2008:

As impressive as Portis was, he didn't do it alone. Michael Qualls added 20 points points on 6-of-12 shooting, while Alandise Harris chipped in with 14 points and nine rebounds. 

Harris also provided one of the game's highlights, jumping over three defenders on a put-back dunk late in the first half, prompting this tweet from ESPN's Myron Medcalf:

Tennessee did have a more balanced offensive attack, with seven players scoring at least seven points, led by Josh Richardson's 22, but it needed to make a play on defense to win.

As a senior, Richardson's career comes to an end in disappointing fashion unless the 16-16 Volunteers accept a bid to the NIT or College Basketball Invitational tournament. He was masterful this season, leading the team with 15.8 points per game, as well as getting this vote of confidence from Wes Rucker of 247 Sports:

"

Josh Richardson is a heck of a kid and player and a blast to cover. No reason for him to hang his head. Had a great college career.

— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) March 14, 2015"

Going back to the Arkansas side of things, even though the Razorbacks could stand to play some defense to avoid letting big leads evaporate against a mediocre team, Mike Anderson's group should feel good heading into the semifinal. 

Arkansas went a combined 3-0 against Georgia and South Carolina during the regular season, though two of the three games were each decided by four points. 

Auburn's Cinderella Run Continues

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

In a chippy game that featured a brief on-court tussle, two LSU players foul out, an Auburn player ejected and a game-tying last-second shot, Auburn's quest to play spoiler in the SEC tournament continues with a 73-70 overtime victory against LSU. 

As John Zenor of The Associated Press joked on Twitter, Auburn is like the kids who got a pity invite to the SEC tournament and has managed to stick around longer than anyone expected:

The loss is huge for LSU, as ESPN's Eamonn Brennan listed the Tigers among teams with work left to do in an effort to guarantee an NCAA tournament berth, Auburn's Jordon Granger became a talking point in this game after striking Jordan Mickey after the two were attempting to go for a rebound. 

Per ESPN's Myron Medcalf, Granger was given a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game:

Fouls became the story of the game, as well as LSU's inability to capitalize on them. They went to the free-throw line 44 times, but missed 19 attempts. If they are able to make two more in regulation, the result could have been different and LSU wouldn't have to be sweating out Selection Sunday. 

ESPN Stats & Info broke down just how bad it was for the Tigers: 

Keith Hornsby led the attack for the LSU, scoring 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting in a game where the rest of his teammates combined to shoot 11-of-38. However, he missed two open looks from three-point range in the final seconds of overtime that would have tied the game. 

Jarell Martin looked like the hero on defense for a brief moment, blocking a layup attempt by Malcolm Canada with less than 10 seconds to play that got LSU the ball back. 

After Jayln Patterson made two free throws to give LSU a 64-61 lead, KT Harrell drilled a three to tie the game that sent the game to overtime. 

Just as a reminder to the SEC media, via Ken Bradley of The Sporting News, Harrell wasn't on the All-SEC first team despite an impressive resume:

Harrell has been incredible all tournament long, and carried Auburn in this game. The senior star finished with 29 points on 5-of-11 shooting (15-of-18 from the free-throw line), including that clutch three-pointer at the end of regulation to get the game to overtime. 

Making Harrell's day more impressive, per SEC Network, is how slow he started:

Auburn's only shot to make the big dance is to win the SEC tournament. The Tigers are 14-19 after this victory, but they have the superstar player who is carrying the team right now. Basketball is a game built on stars. 

Harrell, Bruce Pearl and Auburn will have their hands full on Saturday with a matchup against Kentucky. The dream may end in 24 hours, but the Tigers aren't going down without a fight. 

Kentucky Pulls Away from Florida

When you play a team three times in five weeks, it's safe to say there aren't a lot of surprises.

Kentucky and Florida have gotten to know each other quite well since early February, though the result in the SEC tournament was the same as the first two matchups. The Wildcats won 64-49. 

To put this win another way, CBS Sports noted on Twitter that it was only a game until Kentucky decided to turn on the jets:

Just as it did in the first matchup on February 7, head coach Billy Donovan's team kept the game close, trailing 31-27 at halftime. However, it couldn't find enough consistent offense to break through Kentucky's defense.

The Gators did hold firm on defense, limiting the Wildcats to 37.5 percent shooting.

Forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Michael Frazier had to have big games in order for Florida to have a shot. Instead, the Gators' top two scorers came up small with six combined points. Frazier didn't make a field goal, while Finney-Smith went 2-of-10 from the floor.

Per Richard Johnson of The Independent Florida Alligator, Finney-Smith came into this game on a roll since being reinstated by the team on February 27:

"

Dorian Finney-Smith since suspension: 16.8 points, eight rebounds and 52.3% shooting per game in four games.

— Richard Johnson (@RagjUF) March 12, 2015"

The Gators had been hoping to get another shot at Kentucky, with Frazier telling reporters the Wildcats aren't invincible despite what their record shows:

"

They're pretty good, but they're definitely beatable. We know that. If we play our best basketball, we're capable of beating anyone in the country. We've had flashes in the games (against UK) where we've matched their physicality, moved the ball, and had success. It's just about sustaining that for 40 minutes.

"

Florida may have had all the confidence in the world coming into the game, but the disparity in talent showed in the second half when Kentucky pulled away.

As has been the case all season, Kentucky's size advantage played a key role in the win. Forward Karl-Anthony Towns was the star of the show with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Guard Aaron Harrison also added 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

Despite their low shooting percentage, the Wildcats won by 15 points because their defense is so difficult to break through and they created so many extra opportunities with 16 offensive rebounds.

Kentucky will take on the winner of LSU vs. Auburn in the semifinals on Saturday, while Florida's disappointing season comes to an end with a 16-17 record.

Georgia Sweeps Aside South Carolina

USA TODAY Sports

The Georgia Bulldogs are one step away from the SEC tournament final after beating the South Carolina Gamecocks 74-62 Friday night to close out the quarterfinals.

The ebb and flow of the game was a bit odd as for most of the first half and in the early stages of the second, the Bulldogs were firmly in control. Slowly but surely, though, the Gamecocks closed what had been a 12-point deficit and eventually tied the game at 57-57 wit five-and-a-half minutes left.

Then, Georgia went on a 17-5 run to close out the game, with the final score somewhat deceptive as to the difference between the two teams.

"I think we were a little disappointed with ourselves," said Georgia head coach Mark Fox, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "I didn't have to get on them a lot in timeouts because they were getting on each other. And we just decided to close the game, and it was really encouraging."

Marcus Thornton led the way in what was a balanced team performance. He scored 15 points and was one of four Bulldogs players to finish in double figures. Yante Maten also delivered 13 big points and 10 rebounds off the bench, providing the kind of depth the Gamecocks were lacking.

According to Dave McMahon, it was Maten's first double-double in a competitive game:

Duane Notice scored 20 points in a losing effort. He didn't have much support offensively, as Laimonas Chatkevicius and Sindarius Thornwell each chipped in 10 points but were the only other South Carolina players to score in double figures.

Georgia will be looking for the third SEC tournament title in school history. The last came in 2008, as Georgia earned the "Dream Dawgs" moniker en route to shocking the college basketball world.

The Bulldogs will likely need similar magic if they're to be triumphant in 2015. They lost their only meeting against Arkansas at home by four points, and should they clear that hurdle, they'd likely have to face the unbeaten Kentucky Wildcats.