Rubber match set
After splitting season series, Arkansas and Missouri get one more.
Justin Smith and Jeremiah Tilmon finally will play against each other tonight when the No. 8 University of Arkansas men’s basketball team takes on Missouri for the third time this season.
The Tigers (16-8) held on to beat Georgia 73-70 on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., to advance to play Arkansas (215) in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
Arkansas, the tournament’s No. 2 seed with a double bye into the quarterfinals, will play Missouri at 6 p.m. The SEC Network will televise the game.
When Missouri beat Arkansas 81-68 on Jan. 2 at Walton Arena — handing the Razorbacks their only home loss this season — Smith missed the game because he had undergone surgery on his right ankle the day before.
Tilmon, a 6-10 senior, dominated inside with Smith on
the bench, tallying 25 points and 11 rebounds.
When Arkansas beat Missouri 86-81 in overtime on Feb. 13 in Mizzou Arena, Tilmon missed the game because of a death in his family. Smith, recovered from his surgery, had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
“I look forward to every game,” Smith, a 6-7 graduate transfer from Indiana, said earlier this week when asked about the possibility of facing Tilmon. “I look forward to every matchup.
“I’m going to still give my 110%, and I know he will, too. He’s a good player.”
Missouri Coach Cuonzo Martin said after Thursday night’s victory that he’s looking forward to playing Arkansas, which has won 11 consecutive SEC games for the first time since 1994 and finished second in the conference standings to Alabama at 13-4. The Crimson Tide were 16-2.
“I felt like in my opinion we had a chance to finish in the top two or three [of the SEC],” said Martin, whose Tigers were seventh with an 8-8 conference record. “You have to say two or three the way Alabama took care of business.
“But when Tilmon went down, it took a lot out of us as a team.”
Martin said Arkansas can say the same thing about playing without Smith.
“Justin Smith didn’t play the first time,” Martin said. “Tilmon didn’t play the second time. I’m looking forward to it. As a ball player, it’s what you look forward to.”
Junior guard Xavier Pinson, who led Missouri with 17 points against Georgia, hit two free throws with 6.5 seconds left to give the Tigers a 73-70 lead.
P.J. Horne then missed a three-point attempt for Georgia with one second left, and Pinson secured the rebound.
Senior guard Dru Smith had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists for Missouri. Sophomore forward Kobe Brown had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, and Tilmon added 10 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
Missouri forward Mitchell Smith, a senior from Van Buren, was scoreless in 20 minutes off the bench. He was 0 of 3 from the field and didn’t attempt a free throw.
Sophomore guard Sahvir Wheeler led Georgia (14-12) with 14 points and 13 assists. Sophomore forward Toumani Camara had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs.
Toumani’s dunk gave Georgia a 35-32 lead with 19:37 left.
Missouri moved ahead 6250 on Javon Pickett’s layup with 7:31 left, but Georgia pulled within 71-70 with 8.2 seconds remaining on Justin Kier’s three-pointer.
The Tigers improved to 6-1 in games decided by five or fewer points, with their only loss in such games to Arkansas.
Pinson scored 23 points in each of Missouri’s games against the Razorbacks.
“It’s going to be a dogfight,” Razorbacks sophomore guard JD Notae said earlier this week when asked about a possible third game between Arkansas and Missouri. “And we’re prepared for a dogfight.”
Tonight will be the 46th meeting between Arkansas and Missouri, but the first in the SEC Tournament. In the teams’ only previous matchup at a neutral site, the Razorbacks beat the Tigers 81-73 in Anchorage, Alaska, on Nov. 28, 1980, in the Great Alaska Shootout.
Arkansas leads the series 29-26 after the teams split their regular-season games.
“Obviously Tilmon is such a focal point for Missouri, and it was a very difficult matchup for us in game one,” Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman said earlier this week. “And certainly Justin makes us a completely different basketball team as well.”
Missouri was picked to finish 10th in the SEC in a preseason poll, but the Tigers jumped into the national rankings with early victories over Illinois, Oregon and Wichita State.
The Tigers were ranked No. 12 when they won at Arkansas, and No. 10 when the Razorbacks beat them. They fell out of the rankings after losing to Ole Miss for a second time and were 2-5 in their final seven regular-season games.
“Missouri has had its highs and lows, but they’re a really good team,” said Moses Moody, the Razorbacks’ AllSEC freshman guard. “We’re going to have to bring everything we’ve got to beat them.”
MISSISSIPPI STATE 74, KENTUCKY 73
Iverson Molinar scored eight of his 21 points in the final 3:07 to erase a fivepoint deficit as Mississippi State held off Kentucky.
Mississippi State (15-13) made just 3 of 14 from three-point range until Molinar hit three-pointers on two consecutive possessions to retake the lead at 72-71 — after leading by as many as 15 earlier in the half. He had a three-pointer roll off on their next possession, and Olivier Sarr gave Kentucky a 73-72 lead at 1:18.
Molinar, an 81% free-throw shooter, made two with 7.1 seconds left for a one-point lead. Davion Mintz dribbled it down the court and found a hot-shooting Dontaie Allen on the wing, but the shot bounced off the rim.
Tolu Smith finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Abdul Ado added 12 points and 9 rebounds for Mississippi State. D.J. Stewart had 9 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists.
Kentucky (9-16) made seven of its first 11 three-pointers of the second half.
Mintz had 16 points and 8 assists, and Sarr added 14 points for Kentucky. Allen had 23.
FLORIDA 69, VANDERBILT 63
Tre Mann scored 22 points, and Florida held off Vanderbilt.
The fifth-seeded Gators (14-8) snapped a two-game skid coming into the tournament, and they will play No. 4 seed Tennessee today for the second game between the teams in six days.
Noah Locke scored 13 points for Florida, and Tyree Appleby (Jacksonville) added 12 off the bench.
Vanderbilt (9-16) lost to Florida for the third time this season.
Scotty Pippen Jr. led the Commodores with 23 points, making all 10 free throws. D.J. Harvey and Trey Thomas each had 12 points.
MISSISSIPPI 76, SOUTH CAROLINA 59
Jarkel Joiner paced Mississippi with 18 points in a victory over South Carolina.
Mississippi (16-10) jumped out to a 4126 halftime lead.
Jalyn McCreary led South Carolina (615) with 15 points. Wildens Leveque added 14 points and six rebounds for South Carolina, which was 21 of 59 (35.6%) from the floor.