Alabama rallies past Tennessee into SEC tourney finals.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Bad as Alabama looked while trailing by 15 points, Herbert Jones still believed the Crimson Tide could shift momentum by stringing baskets and stops together.
The Southeastern Conference's best player had a huge role in achieving both goals, and his teammates joined in to help them reach the doorstep of their biggest prize in 30 years.
Jones scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half and No. 6 Alabama rallied from a big deficit in the final 17 minutes to beat Tennessee 73-68 Saturday in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
“At halftime, we decided to just come out and play our brand of basketball,” said Jones, chosen this week as the league's top defender and player. “We came out and competed on the defensive end and that led to our offense.”
Jahvon Quinerly added 19 points, including two free throws with 15.5 seconds left, to help the Crimson Tide hang on.
“We came out a little bit slow, down nine going into the half and we fought our way back slowly but surely,"
Quinerly said.
Top-seeded Alabama (23-6) faces the LSU-Arkansas winner in Sunday's championship in search of its first SEC Tournament title since 1991.
Tennessee (18-8) awaits an NCAA Tournament seeding on Sunday.
The Volunteers trailed 69-68 when Davonte Gaines missed two foul shots with 25 seconds left. Down 71-68, Victor Bailey Jr. missed a 3-point try with nine seconds to go.
Behind 48-33 with 16:56 remaining, the Crimson Tide stormed back with help from a 14-0 run to lead 60-59 with 5:26 left, their first edge since the opening basket. They went ahead with just over four minutes left as Jones whipped a pass out to behind the arc to wide-open Keon Ellis for a tiebreaking 3-pointer to put Alabama up for good.
Jones made one of two free throws with 3:24 to make it a two-possession game before later feeding Quinerly in the lane for a layup and a 69-65 lead. Yves Pons' 3-pointer got Tennessee within 69-68 with 41.4 seconds left, but Quinerly added two free throws and Ellis two more with 3.7 seconds left to seal a tense game.
Jones also had 13 rebounds and four assists for the Tide, who won despite shooting 37%. But they held the Volunteers to 35% shooting after halftime and made key 3s despite a shaky start. Quinerly was 8 of 13 shooting off the bench.
It was one of those gut-check wins, where guys expect to win," Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “I think we're 6-3 in one- or two-possession games this year. Last year, I believe we were 4-7. It's one of those deals where our guys have changed their attitude. They expect to win.”
Keon Johnson had 20 points and Jaden Springer 18 for Tennessee, which sought to make its third consecutive SEC final and win its first title since 1979.
NO. 9 OHIO STATE 68, NO. 4 MICHIGAN 67
1INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Ohio State guard Duane Washington Jr. just wanted a second chance at his home-state team.
On Saturday, the former Michigan prep star made sure it counted.
He scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds and had four assists, helping the ninth-ranked Buckeyes fend off a frantic finish by the fourth-ranked Wolverines for a 68-67 victory and a trip to the Big Ten Tournament title game.
“This rivalry means a lot to a lot of our guys, a lot of our Ohio guys," Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann said. “Even guys like E.J. (Liddell), who has seen what it means to our fans. Duane feels that, he knows what this game means to our fans. It's not football, we understand that. But Duane understands it."
It sure wasn't easy. For the third straight day, the Buckeyes nearly blew a double-digit lead in the second half.
Michigan (20-4) scored the final seven points and Mike Smith even had a chance to win it with a long jumper with 2 seconds left. Instead, it bounced off the back of the rim and time expired in a scramble for the ball.