Day Two Recap of the 2024 SEC Tournament

Nashville, TN - On the second day of the SEC tournament, there are some very important games that are tied to the NCAA tournament. In the first game of the day, Mississippi State (#9) will look to end their four-game losing streak against LSU (#8). After that, Arkansas (#12) will try and upset South Carolina (#5). Next, Ole Miss (#10) will take on Texas A&M (#7) as this game is crucial for both teams as both these teams are on the bubble. In the final game of the second round, Georgia (#11) will take on a dangerous Florida (#6) squad.

Mississippi State (#9) vs. LSU (#8)

Mississippi State outdueled LSU in a low-scoring, gritty game, emerging victorious with a 70-60 win. The first half went almost as expected, as both teams were consistently trading buckets. With these teams so close in seeding, it was anticipated to be very competitive. The Tigers started to slowly pull away after they had a couple of fancy finishes on the offensive end to generate some momentum. After one half of basketball, LSU led 29-22. Tolu Smith III, coaches’ ALL-SEC First Team, was held to only eight points so Josh Hubbard took matters into his own hands as he led his team to a second-half comeback. Hubbard finished with a team and game-high, 24 points. They will advance to play Tennessee which is the number one seed in this SEC tournament. 

Arkansas (#12) vs. South Carolina (#5)

The Gamecocks looked a little lackluster in the first few minutes of the game. The Razorbacks were pushing the pace and scoring in transition early which South Carolina uncharacteristically struggled to defend. The Gamecocks were notably frustrated, and they turned up their intensity levels to claw back into it, specifically Collin Murray-Boyles who scored 12 first-half points. Down the stretch of the first half, the two teams continued to consistently trade baskets as the first half ended, 38-35 in favor of the Gamecocks.

South Carolina pulled away as soon as the second half began. They stretched their lead out to 13 points within the first four minutes of the second half. The Razorbacks could not answer and struggled to stop them offensively. Collin Murray-Boyles remained extremely efficient and earned player of the game as he scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds. South Carolina will advance to play the four-seed, Auburn Tigers, after they beat Arkansas, 80-66.

Ole Miss (#10) vs. Texas A&M (#7)

Texas A&M dominated the offensive glass as expected as they are the number one offensive rebounding team in the nation. Ole Miss didn’t allow them to build a lead as they would answer on the offensive end as soon as A&M scored. Each team would go on small runs to build a lead and then go cold as the other team would minimize the deficit. Andersson Garcia, forward for the Aggies, picked up a Flagrant One foul at the 3:55 mark which let Ole Miss generate momentum going into halftime. The Aggies did have a four-point lead, 35-31, at the end of the first half in what was a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes.

The beginning minutes of the second half were almost an exact replica of what happened in the first half as both teams were just consistently trading baskets. Texas A&M eventually started pulling away in the later stages of the second half. They held a 12-point lead with six minutes remaining, as Wade Taylor IV took over down the stretch. Ole Miss went on one final run in the last two minutes of the game when they narrowed the lead down to three but after a series of fouls, A&M pulled away and won, 80-71. The Aggies will take on the Wildcats of Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament.

Georgia (#11) vs. Florida (#6)

The Gators got off to a fast start, securing an early double-digit lead. The height of the Gators gave Georgia some real problems when defending in the paint and grabbing rebounds. The easy fix is to knock down threes which is what the Bulldogs started to do. Florida cooled down as the half was coming to an end as Georgia took advantage of this and grabbed a 37-34 lead heading into halftime.

Florida got back to what they are good at, getting the ball into the paint and finishing at the rim. The Gators have a significant height advantage which helped them block shots to get some stops. The referees were not allowing a very physical game as both teams entered the bonus early in the second half. Walter Clayton Jr and Tyrese Samuel controlled the offense for Florida as they combined for 39 points. Georgia gave their best effort but ultimately lost to the Gators, 85-80. Florida will progress to the quarterfinals where they will find the Alabama Crimson Tide.