SEC Tournament Day 1 Review

GEORGIA 69, AUBURN 51

Trey Thompkins declared himself fully healthy yesterday, and he certainly showed it for the Bulldogs. He led Georgia with 22 points and 10 rebounds as UGA beat Auburn to stay on track for the Big Dance. Travis Leslie also had a double-double with 12 and 10 for the victors, while freshman G Chris Denson led Auburn with a career high 21 points.

Georgia moves on to play Alabama, who won the regular season matchup at home in Tuscaloosa. Both teams need a win to keep their March Madness hopes alive.

OLE MISS 66, SOUTH CAROLINA 55

Stop me if you've heard this before, but Chris Warren's 20 points his Ole Miss Rebels to a win on the hardwood. It was a back-and-forth game, with Ole Miss taking a large lead in the first half before the Gamecocks' defense clamped down and got them back in the game. The men from Mississippi took another large lead in the second half, but South Carolina's comeback ran out of gas.

Today Ole Miss faces Kentucky, who the Rebels beat 71-69 in Oxford back in February. Another win would solidify Ole Miss's standing in the NIT.

TENNESSEE 74, ARKANSAS 68

In a game that sort of summarized Tennessee's season, the Vols displayed inconsistencies but yet still held on to defeat Arkansas. Tobias Harris led UT with 20 points, while Brian Williams returned from injury to lead the Vols with eight boards. Tennessee led by 12 at the half and extended the lead to 16, but Arkansas went on a remarkable 16-0 run to tie things up at 68 with just over two minutes remaining. As is so often the case after furious comebacks though, the Razorbacks didn't score another point as the Vols finished them off.

Tennessee advances to play Florida, who swept UT this year for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

VANDERBILT 62, LSU 50

Vandy had John Jenkins ready if needed, but he instead got the whole night off to rest his foot as the Commodores beat LSU without him. Jeffery Taylor picked up the slack with 21 points for Vanderbilt. LSU kept things surprisingly close for most of it, aided by Vandy's inability to hit three without Jenkins. The Tigers finished the game cold though, failing to score in the final four minutes of the game. That allowed the Commodores to close it out with free throws, as they failed to make a field goal in the last five and a half minutes.

Vanderbilt goes on to play Mississippi State, who the Commodores beat in Starkville in the regular season.