SEC Tournament 2017: Quarterfinals Scores, Updated Bracket, Semifinals Schedule

The 2017 SEC tournament proceeded Friday with the quarterfinal round from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. It marked the first appearance for the event's top four teams, and there were no surprise contenders after the higher seeds held serve in Thursday's second round.

Most of the conference's NCAA tournament berths are likely settled; Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina and Arkansas should be in when Selection Sunday rolls around. Eamonn Brennan of ESPN.com listed Vanderbilt as the SEC's sole bubble team at this late stage of the process.

Let's check out all the scores from Friday's action, which will get updated through the conclusion of play. That's followed by a look at the semifinal slate and a recap of the day's games. Visit the SEC's official website to view an updated tourney bracket.

Quarterfinal Results

Game No.	Matchup	Result/Time (ET)
7	(1) Kentucky vs. (8) Georgia	71-60 KENT
8	(4) South Carolina vs. (5) Alabama	64-53 BAMA
9	(2) Florida vs. (7) Vanderbilt	72-62 VANDY
10	(3) Arkansas vs. (6) Ole Miss	73-72 ARK

Semifinal Schedule

Game No.	Matchup	Time (ET)
11	(1) Kentucky vs. (5) Alabama	1 p.m.
12	(7) Vanderbilt vs. (3) Arkansas	3:30 p.m.

Arkansas 73, Ole Miss 72

Arkansas clinched a spot in the SEC tournament semifinals for the first time since 2015 thanks to a 73-72 victory over Mississippi. 

Manuale Watkins got to play hero for the Razorbacks thanks a go-ahead layup with 1:29 remaining to give his team a 71-70 lead. 

Ole Miss had two opportunities on its ensuing possession, but Breein Tyree missed a three-point attempt and Sebastian Saiz couldn't capitalize on a shot close to the rim after grabbing an offensive rebound thanks to a Moses Kingsley block. 

Daryl Macon would hit two free throws that extended Arkansas' lead to three points. Tyree and Deandre Burnett each missed three-point attempts in the final 10 seconds that would have tied the game. 

Macon was fantastic off the bench for Arkansas, leading the team with 17 points and going 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. 

Terence Davis did everything he could to get the Rebels into the semifinals. The sophomore finished with a game-high 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds. 

Arkansas' win sets it up for a showdown against Vanderbilt on Saturday. The two teams split the regular-season series, with each winning on the other's home floor. 

Vanderbilt 72, Florida 62 (OT)

Vanderbilt's surprise run through the SEC tournament continues, as the Commodores outscored the Florida Gators by 10 points in overtime to earn a 72-62 victory at Bridgestone Arena. 

Luke Kornet was all over things for the victors, recording a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Riley LaChance had a game-high 18 points, his best scoring output since January 10 against Kentucky. 

The three-point line was Vandy's best friend in the victory. The Commodores went 11-of-27 beyond the arc, with LaChance doing most of the damage with four of his field goals coming from three-point range.

Florida's offense scuffled in defeat, shooting just 34.4 percent overall. KeVaughn Allen and Kasey Hill each scored 16 points but needed 46 combined shots from the field to hit that mark. 

The loss will hurt the Gators' standing on Selection Sunday, but their 24-8 record overall will certainly put them in the NCAA tournament. 

Vanderbilt, on the other hand, is doing all it can to secure a spot in the Big Dance. The Commodores improved to 19-14 overall and were a No. 11 seed in the East Region in the most recent bracketology update from ESPN's Joe Lunardi. 

A trip to the SEC tournament semifinals should go a long way toward convincing the selection committee to put the Commodores in the field. 

Kentucky 71, Georgia 60

Top seed Kentucky overcame a sluggish performance to outscore Georgia in both halves en route to a comfortable 11-point victory for the nation's eighth-ranked team.

Isaiah Briscoe and De'Aaron Fox both tallied a game-high 20 points for the Wildcats. Edrice Adebayo (13 points and 10 rebounds) and Derek Willis (seven points, 11 boards and four blocks) put together strong showings in the frontcourt for the winning side.

It wasn't a smooth trip into the semifinals for Kentucky, though. It shot just 38.3 percent from the field and 60.6 percent from the free-throw line. The Cats also finished with more turnovers (10) than assists (nine).

J.J. Frazier (15 points) and Yante Maten (12) were the only players to reach double figures in scoring for the Bulldogs, who also struggled to find their shooting touch. They made just 33.3 percent of their field-goal attempts after hitting 43.5 percent in Thursday's win over Tennessee.

Looking ahead, the door has opened slightly for Kentucky to potentially earn a No. 1 seed in the big dance due to Kansas' early loss in the Big 12 tournament. The Wildcats will need to play better over the final two rounds than they did Friday to capture the SEC postseason title, though.

Alabama 64, South Carolina 53

Alabama used its dominance on the boards to pull away from South Carolina in the second half. The 11-point victory sets up a marquee clash with Kentucky in the semifinals.

Standout freshman Braxton Key led the charge for the Crimson Tide with 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Riley Norris added 12 points and five boards, while Bola Olaniyan chipped in five points and 10 rebounds.

In all, Bama out-rebounded South Carolina 43-28 in the contest. That wide disparity included 12 offensive boards for the Tide.

Sindarius Thornwell paced the Gamecocks with 16 points. PJ Dozier contributed 15 points and five rebounds, but he also turned the ball over four times. As a whole, South Carolina shot only 36.7 percent from the floor and 56.5 percent from the charity stripe.

Ultimately, Alabama likely doesn't have a good enough resume for an at-large bid, even if it upsets the top-seeded Wildcats in the next round. The Tide now stand just two victories away from securing an automatic bid, though.