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SEC Tournament roundup Alabama falls to Vandy, further damaging its bubble statusPosted: Thursday March 13, 2003 4:03 PMUpdated: Friday March 14, 2003 11:50 AM
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Alabama fell from No. 1 in December to -- quite possibly -- the NIT in March. Alabama's NCAA hopes took a major blow when the Crimson Tide lost to Vanderbilt 82-69 in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament Thursday night. Freshman Mario Moore scored a career-high 25 points, and the Commodores took control with an early 12-0 run. Moore, who was averaging just 4.9 points, made six 3-pointers. Alabama (17-11) will certainly go down as one of the season's biggest disappointments. The Tide started 9-0 and was ranked No. 1 in December, but won only eight of its last 19 games. "We had a major downfall," guard Maurice Williams said. "But at the same time, we had quality wins. I think we deserve a bid. We feel like we're good enough to beat any team in the country." They might not get the chance. Instead of the Big Dance, Bama could be headed for the National Invitation Tournament. "We'll be waiting by the TV Sunday," guard Antoine Pettway said. "Now we have to sweat it out." Vanderbilt (11-17) won for the first time since Feb. 1, snapping a nine-game losing streak. Alabama can hope that a strong RPI and the 12th-toughest schedule in the country will overcome its dismal finish. But its biggest win -- 68-62 over Oklahoma -- came in the season opener, and the Tide had a losing record in its own league. "We will be evaluated from start to finish," coach Mark Gottfried insisted. "Tonight doesn't help, but you can't take away our big wins. I still think our team is one of the best in the country." Vanderbilt will be hard-pressed to pull off another upset. The Commodores advanced to a Friday night game against No. 2 Kentucky, the regular-season champion and a perfect 16-0 in league play. Last week, the Wildcats blew out Vandy 106-44 in Lexington. "I don't want them to forget about the last UK game," Commodores coach Kevin Stallings said. "I want them to go to sleep and wake up thinking about it." For one night, at least, the Commodores can celebrate. They never trailed, hitting their first eight shots -- half of them from behind the 3-point arc. Even when Vandy finally missed, Brian Thornton grabbed the rebound and laid it back in. Moore scored the game's first basket from outside the stripe. After Pettway responded with a 3 of his own, Vandy scored the next 12 points. The Commodores twice built the lead to 13 points in the opening half, and they went to the locker room with a 46-37 lead after Moore hit another 3 with 5 seconds left. Moore had 17 points in the first half, matching his previous high in a loss Jan. 14 to Kentucky. "If you think too much, you might not like the shot," he said. "I was just letting them go, and they went in." Matt Freije, the only Vandy starter who averaged in double figures during the regular season, scored 24 points. "When we get offensive help for Matt, we're a much better team," Stallings said. "Moore stepped up tonight. He was a big key for what we were doing. He created for others." Williams, who led Alabama with 24 points, tried to exhort his teammates, pounding his chest after hitting a long jumper to make it 77-69 with 2:10 remaining. No one responded; Vandy scored the final five points to match its biggest lead. "We finally finished a game," Freije said. "They made a few runs and we answered all of them." The Commodores made 24-of-47 shots (53.2 percent) from the field. More impressively, the SEC's worst defensive team limited Alabama to 24-of-61 (39.3 percent). Sagging in the middle, the Commodores were able to stymie Erwin Dudley, who was averaging 15 points and 9.7 rebounds. The 2001 SEC player of the year didn't score in the first half and finished with just six points and five rebounds. Maybe the outcome wasn't that big a surprise. Vandy swept the Tide, also winning 70-69 during the regular season. The game was played before a sparse turnout of 8,526 in the cavernous Superdome -- the smallest crowd for an SEC tournament game since 1996. The crowd was hurt by the lack of a second game for the night session. Georgia dropped out of the tournament Monday because of academic fraud involving two players, forcing the conference the redo its schedule. At least two Georgia fans still showed up. They held up a sign
that said, "Suspended Without Play," a reference to coach Jim
Harrick.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Collis Temple scored 18 points to lead LSU to
an 85-56 victory over Arkansas in the first round of the
Southeastern Conference tournament on Thursday.
It was LSU's sixth straight victory and the second biggest loss
of the season for Arkansas (9-19).
LSU (20-9) used long range shots to take an insurmountable lead
early. Five of the Tigers' first six baskets were 3-pointers. They
hit 8 of 15 in the first half.
In the second half, the Tigers made only two 3-pointers, but
more than made up for it from the foul line. LSU made 23-of-27 free
throws while Arkansas, which had 28 fouls, made only 4-of-11 free
throws.
Torris Bright scored 17 points for LSU, including 4-of-7
3-pointers and Ronald Dupree scored 14 and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Jonathon Modica led Arkansas with 18 points, Kendrick Davis
added 13.
The game was delayed for several minutes in the second half
after Modica shoved Dupree drawing both a personal and technical
foul.
Dupree and Modica got tied up going for the ball and, frustrated
by LSU's 62-34 lead, Modica shoved Dupree.
Minutes later, Arkansas starting guard Eric Ferguson was ejected
when he walked to the LSU bench and said something to coach John
Brady while officials were talking to the teams.
Four Arkansas players fouled out in the next three minutes.
The Tigers held Arkansas to 27 percent shooting in the first
half, 32 percent (22-of-68) for the game. The Razorbacks shot
8-of-22 from 3-point range. Arkansas outrebounded the Tigers 40-36.
LSU was supposed to face Vanderbilt in the first round, but the
schedule was shuffled when Georgia withdrew from the tournament,
moving Arkansas to play the Tigers.
The Tigers were up 45-19 at halftime.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Justin Reed scored 22 points and Mississippi
held off South Carolina 62-56 in the opening round of the
Southeastern Conference tournament Thursday.
Ole Miss (14-14) never trailed, turning away the Gamecocks time
and again in a game befitting two of the worst offensive teams in
the SEC.
Reed made a couple of key free throws with 1:40 remaining, which
was only appropriate. Ole Miss had three less field goals than
South Carolina but made 18-of-20 at the foul line. The Gamecocks
were 4-of-6.
The season is over for South Carolina (12-16), which had only
one possible way to make the postseason -- win the conference
tournament and claim the automatic NCAA bid.
A year ago, the Gamecocks made an improbable run to the
semifinals in Atlanta. They couldn't get past opening day this
time.
South Carolina, which played in the NIT the last two years,
hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 1998.
Ole Miss kept alive its faint postseason hopes. The Rebels still
need to beat rival Mississippi State, the SEC West champion, in the
quarterfinals Friday to assure a .500 season -- the minimum standard
for getting in the NIT.
South Carolina had two chances to tie the game in the final two
minutes.
After Chris Warren hit a 3-pointer to pull the Gamecocks within
53-51, Carlos Powell stole the ball from Justin Reed during a
scramble near midcourt.
Powell missed an off-balance jumper at the side of the lane, and
Reed made two free throws at the other end to give Ole Miss a
four-point cushion. Reed was 8-of-8 at the line.
Mike Boynton sank a 3 to make it 55-54, but David Sanders
countered for Ole Miss by bursting through the lane for a layin
with 46 seconds left.
Instead of going for the tying 3, South Carolina opted for a
two-pointer. Senior Chuck Eidson, playing his final game for the
Gamecocks, missed a jumper and Rolando Howell couldn't control the
rebound. Emmanuel Wade was fouled, making both free throws with 25
seconds remaining to clinch the victory.
The tone of the game mirrored the teams' regular-season meeting
at Columbia. South Carolina won in ugly fashion, 55-49.
This one wasn't much prettier. Ole Miss was 19-of-46 (41
percent) from the field; the Gamecocks 22-of-52 (42 percent).
Ole Miss ranked 10th in the SEC in scoring at 66.9 points per
game, just ahead of South Carolina's 66. Except for Reed and
Warren, there was little offensive production. Only four other
players were in double figures, none of them scoring more than 11
points.
Warren, in fact, had the first nine points for South Carolina.
The Rebels avenged a loss in last year's conference tournament.
South Carolina began its run to the semis with a 69-67 upset of Ole
Miss.
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