Shackelford leads ’Bama over Vandy

Alabama’s frequently l aunched 3-pointers weren’t falling with their normal regularity, and Vanderbilt just wouldn’t go away.

The result was familiar, if not the methodology: another Crimson Tide win.

Jaden Shackelford scored a seasonhigh 27 points and No. 8 Alabama came from behind to beat Vanderbilt 82-78 Saturday and move a step closer to a Southeastern Conference championship.

“That’s what our team is about,” Tide guard John Petty Jr. said. “We’re about pulling wins out even though we’re not shooting well or doing what we do best.

“It was an ugly win, but no matter how ugly it was, it is a win. So we’re proud of our team.”

The Tide (18-5, 13-1 SEC) moved within a win of clinching at least a share of their first regular-season title in 19 years despite an off 3-point shooting performance.

Jahvon Quinerly made a late 3-pointer and a clinching free throw with 2 seconds left to help Alabama quell the upset bid by the Commodores (6-12, 2-10), who went nearly five minutes without a basket but stayed in it at the free-throw line.

Kentucky keeps climbing: Kentucky coach John Calipari saw Saturday’s game as a signpost for his team this difficult season.

“Let’s see where we are …,” he said Friday. “Let’s see what we’ve got to do to keep this climb going.”

Kentucky looked much closer to the summit than the base camp in handling Tennessee 70-55 in Knoxville, Tenn. UK won its third straight game, its longest winning streak since Jan. 2-9. The Wildcats improved to 8-13 overall and 7-7 in the Southeastern Conference.

Jayhawks push winning streak: A rejuvenated Kansas men’s basketball team has rattled off five consecutive victories since losing five of seven games and temporarily dropping out of the AP poll.

David McCormack scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Ochai Agbaji added 14 points and Jalen Wilson 11 points and 11 rebounds as No. 23 KU, which exited the rankings on Feb. 8 only to return a week later, clipped No. 15 Texas Tech 67-61 on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.

Marcus Garrett contributed 10 points, while Christian Braun had 10 points, three off a huge 3-pointer that extended a 64-61 lead to six points with 24 seconds left, as KU (17-7, 11-5) swept the regular-season series against Tech (14-7, 6-6).

TIlmon returns for Missouri: Missouri set itself up for another second-half collapse on the road Saturday at South Carolina, surging to a 19-point lead before halftime at Colonial Life Arena. This time, though, the Tigers had Jeremiah Tilmon.

Mizzou showed early signs of splintering in the second half but quickly restored order and snapped its three-game losing streak with a 93-78 victory to complete an SEC regular-season sweep for the first time since 2014. It was No. 20 MU’s highest-scoring SEC game in Cuonzo Martin’s four seasons.

The Tigers (14-6, 7-6 Southeastern Conference) got a lift from Tilmon’s return after the senior center missed the last two games because a death in his family. He finished with 17 points and didn’t miss a single shot or commit a foul in 21 minutes.

West Virginia rallies vs. Texas: Sean McNeil and No. 13 West Virginia erased a 19-point deficit in the second half, then withstood a flurry of last-second misses to hold off No. 12 Texas 84-82 on Saturday. Trailing by two, Matt Coleman III missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation with eight seconds left. The Longhorns got the ball back, but Andrew Jones’ 3-point attempt rimmed out with four seconds left.