SEC Tournament 2019: LSU Upset, Final Scores, Updated Bracket and Schedule
The quarterfinals of the 2019 SEC men's basketball tournament took place Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, and several of the top teams in the nation were in action.
No. 4 Kentucky, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 9 LSU and No. 22 Auburn all looked to advance to the SEC tournament semis and improve their seeding in the NCAA tournament. Meanwhile, Mississippi State hoped to secure a spot in March Madness, Florida and Alabama attempted to get off the bubble, and South Carolina tried to keep its dream alive.
Here is a rundown of the scores and results from Friday's SEC tournament games thus far, along with a recap of how each game played out.
Friday's Quarterfinal Results/Schedule
(8) Florida def. (1) LSU 76-73
(5) Auburn def. (4) South Carolina 73-64
(2) Kentucky def. (10) Alabama 73-55
(3) Tennessee def. (6) Mississippi State, 83-76
Saturday Semifinal Schedule
No. 5 Auburn vs. No. 8 Florida: 1 p.m. ET
No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 3 Tennessee: 3 p.m. ET
Florida 76, LSU 73
The eighth-seeded Florida Gators upset the top-seeded LSU Tigers in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament Friday, hitting a game-winning three with just one second remaining.
With the score tied at 73, Florida freshman guard Andrew Nembhard sank a trifecta from the top of the key to give the Gators a huge win:
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports expressed his belief that the Gators have done enough to clinch a spot in the NCAA tournament field:
Florida finished the season 2-1 against an LSU team that won the regular-season SEC title with just two losses in conference play.
Alligator Army noted that Florida was one of the few teams able to figure the Tigers out in the SEC:
Florida trailed by 10 at the half and seemed destined for an NIT invite, but by outscoring LSU 51-38 in the second half, the Gators improved to 19-14 on the season and added another big victory to their resume.
Nembhard led the way for Florida with 20 points to go along with six assists and four rebounds.
Following the win, Nembhard described what he felt it meant for the program, according to Graham Hall of the Gainesville Sun:
All five starters scored in double figures for Florida, while LSU largely relied on two players in Friday's loss. LSU freshman forward Naz Reid led all scorers with 26 points, while freshman guard Javonte Smart pitched in 13 points off the bench.
It was Smart's first game back after not playing in the regular-season finale after allegations emerged about his role in a pay-for-play scandal that is being investigated by the FBI.
Head coach Will Wade did not coach Friday. He's been replaced on an interim basis by Tony Benford.
LSU has likely still done enough to land a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament at worst. However, with the program rocked by scandal and missing its head coach, it could be ripe for an upset, much like it was against the Gators.
Auburn 73, South Carolina 64
The fifth-seeded Auburn Tigers pulled away in the second half to eliminate the fourth-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament Friday.
Junior guard Jared Harper was dominant for Auburn, as he finished with 27 points, six assists and six rebounds. Harper was 6-of-13 from the field and 12-of-14 from the free-throw line.
Benjamin Wolk of Rivals noted that Harper took over the game in the second half:
The score was tied 36-36 after the first half of play, but the Tigers imposed their will and outscored South Carolina 37-28 in the second half.
Harper's ability to get to the charity stripe was a significant contributing factor in the win, and Gabe DeArmond of Rivals marveled at how he used his speed to accomplish it:
Senior guard Bryce Brown also had a strong game for the Tigers with 19 points.
The Gamecocks were paced by senior forward Chris Silva, who matched Harper with a game-high 27 points. He added 11 rebounds, but it wasn't enough for South Carolina to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive.
South Carolina came to life in conference play after struggling during its nonconference schedule, but with Friday's loss, it is just 16-16 on the season. The best the Gamecocks can hope for is likely an NIT invitation.
As for the Tigers, they are playing their way into the conversation for a No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. Auburn can take another step toward that Saturday if it beats eighth-seeded Florida in the SEC tournament semis.
Kentucky 73, Alabama 55
The second-seeded Kentucky Wildcats never trailed after the opening minute en route to defeating the 10th-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide 73-55 in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament Friday.
UK freshman guard Tyler Herro led all scorers with 20 points in addition to six boards. He's been largely sensational since Feb. 16, averaging 17.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Kyle Tucker of The Athletic pointed out Herro's recent surge after a late three-pointer:
The freshman was on the painful end of a flagrant foul early in the first half when Alabama sophomore guard Herbert Jones accidentally struck Herro in the face as he was going to block his layup attempt. But the Wildcat knocked down his two free throws and eventually led UK to a victory.
Junior forward P.J. Washington added 10 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and two steals, a performance that Tucker shouted out as well:
UK will play Tennessee in the semifinals at 3 p.m. ET Saturday.
Sophomore forward Alex Reese led the Crimson Tide with 15 points off the bench. Alabama is squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble after the loss, and Bracket Matrix listed the Tide as one of the first four teams out.
Tennessee 83, Mississippi State 76
Senior guard Admiral Schofield scored 20 points and Grant Williams and Kyle Alexander each added 16 as third-seeded Tennessee used a 23-9 second-half run to defeat sixth-seeded Mississippi State 83-76 in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament Friday.
Schofield scored seven points during that stretch, with no two more memorable than a ferocious poster dunk to put Tennessee up 11:
The senior also capped the span with a three-pointer to give Tennessee a 65-51 advantage with seven minutes remaining.
Mississippi State later crawled within seven points after an Aric Holman three-pointer, but a Williams dunk and seven Jordan Bone free throws helped seal the Volunteer win down the stretch.
To their credit, the Bulldogs were in this game in the second half, and this Tyson Carter dunk following a perfect Robert Woodard baseball pass gave them momentum en route to tying the game at 42:
However, the Vols offense was too strong and shot 51.5 percent from the field. They also dished 21 assists compared to the Bulldogs' 11. Furthermore, Mississippi State struggled from the free-throw line, going 11-of-20.
Holman led Mississippi State with 20 points. Senior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon added 17, and freshman guard Reggie Perry contributed a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double.
The Vols play UK in the aforementioned semifinal matchup. The two teams split their season series, with each side winning at home.
Despite the loss, Mississippi State should safely make the NCAA tournament field as an at-large. The bracketologists aggregated by Bracket Matrix currently project the Bulldogs as a No. 5 seed.
