TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Saturday, March 6, the 65th day of 2021. There are 300 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History: On March 6, 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Dred Scott v. Sandford, ruled 7-2 that Scott, a slave, was not an American citizen and therefore could not sue for his freedom in federal court.
On this date:
In 1475, Italian artist and poet Michelangelo was born in Caprese in the Republic of Florence.
In 1836, the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, fell as Mexican forces led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna stormed the fortress after a 13-day siege; the battle claimed the lives of all the Texan defenders, nearly 200 strong, including William Travis, James Bowie and Davy Crockett.
In 1853, Verdi's opera "La Traviata" premiered in Venice, Italy.
In 1944, U.S. heavy bombers staged the first full-scale American raid on Berlin during World War II.
In 1962, what became known as the Ash Wednesday Storm began pounding the mid-Atlantic coast; over a three-day period, the storm resulted in 40 deaths and caused more than $200 million in property damage.
In 1964, heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay officially changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
In 1970, a bomb being built inside a Greenwich Village townhouse by the radical Weathermen accidentally went off, destroying the house and killing three group members.
In 1973, Nobel Prizewinning author Pearl S. Buck, 80, died in Danby, Vermont.
In 1981, Walter Cronkite signed off for the last time as principal anchorman of "The CBS Evening News."
In 2015, during a town hall at South Carolina's Benedict College, President Barack Obama said racial discrimination by police in Ferguson, Missouri, was "oppressive and abusive" as he called for criminal justice reform as part of the modern struggle for civil rights.
Ten years ago: The space shuttle and space station crews hugged goodbye after more than a week together, but saved their most heartfelt farewell for Discovery, which was on its final voyage after nearly three decades.
Five years ago: Former first lady Nancy Reagan died in Los Angeles at age 94. Former President Jimmy Carter announced he no longer needed treatment for cancer, less than seven months after revealing he'd been diagnosed with melanoma that spread to his brain.
One year ago: The number of people infected by the coronavirus worldwide reached 100,000, with more than 3,400 dead.
A look at the final weekend in the Southeastern Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEKEND
Florida (13-7, 9-6) at Tennessee (16-7, 9-7). Sunday's rematch, rescheduled from Feb. 10 in Knoxville, concludes the SEC regular season on a weekend left open to make up postponed games.
A Volunteers victory claims a first-round bye, while the Gators could earn the No. 3 seeding with a win and a LSU loss at Missouri. Florida aims to rebound from Wednesday's last-second, 72-70 loss to Missouri.
Tennessee also looks to bounce back after falling out of the rankings with a fivepoint loss at Auburn last weekend. The Volunteers have lost two of three but remain the league's stingiest defense, allowing just 63.1 points per game overall and 67.1 in SEC play. Florida beat then-No. 6 Tennessee 75-49 in the season's first meeting in Gainesville, beginning a Vols slide in which they lost three of five.
ALSO SCHEDULED
LSU visits Missouri on Saturday, postponed from Jan. 9, while Auburn hosts Mississippi State after being originally scheduled on Feb. 16.
Texas A&M, which had all eight games postponed last month, travels to No. 12 Arkansas to make up a Feb. 20 meeting. South Carolina visits Kentucky to make up a Dec. 29 game.
No. 8 Alabama at Georgia and Vanderbilt at Mississippi are new, added last month to mirror the site of previous matchups and help balance teams' home and away schedules.
Vandy and Ole Miss are meeting on consecutive Saturdays, a week after the ‘Dores' 75-70 road win in Oxford despite missing leading scorer Scotty Pippen Jr.
TIDE TURNAROUND
Alabama clinched its eighth SEC regular season title and first since 2002 with Saturday's 64-59 win at Mississippi State.
It's the first time since the 1975-76 academic year the school has won conference titles in men's basketball and football.
The top-seeded Crimson Tide earned a double bye into next Friday's SEC Tournament quarterfinals, two years after being the No. 10 seed.
IMPACT PLAYER
Moses Moody, Arkansas. The freshman guard and Razorbacks' leading scorer (17.0 points per game) tied a career high with 28 in Tuesday night's 101-73 rout at South Carolina. He has averaged 20.0 points over his past five outings. Moody was 10 of 15 shooting against the Gamecocks, including 4 of 9 from long range, and made all four free throws to set a program freshman record with 120 made.
Two games earlier, he made 16 of 19 from the line for 24 points on the way to earning freshman of the week honors.
The No. 12 Razorbacks (205, 12-4) enter Saturday's regular season finale against Texas A&M having won their past 10 SEC games and last seven overall, including a win over Alabama.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Three LSU players posted triple doubles in Tuesday's 83-68 win over Vanderbilt, led by Cameron Thomas' 23 points and 10 rebounds. Trendon Watford's season-high 13 boards helped the Tigers dominate the Commodores 51-29 on the glass.