The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Vols, Tigers reach SEC Tournament title game
Tennessee’s Lamonte’ Turner picked a perfect time to snap out of his shooting slump.
Turner sank a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30 seconds left as No. 8 Tennessee rallied to beat No. 4 Kentucky 82-78 in a Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinal thriller Saturday. Before making that shot, Turner had gone 8 of 52 from 3-point range over his past 10 games and 1 of 19 over his past five contests.
“Big moments like that, man, I thrive on those moments,” Turner said.
The third-seeded Volunteers (29-4) trailed by eight with less than three minutes left before rallying to advance to a championship matchup today with No. 22 Auburn, the tournament’s third seed. Auburn beat Florida 65-62 in the other semifinal in Nashville, Tenn.
One way or another, this tournament will have an unfamiliar champion. Tennessee hasn’t won it since 1979, and Auburn earned its lone SEC Tournament crown in 1985. The Vols also are chasing their first NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed in program history.
Kentucky’s chances for a fifth straight SEC Tournament title vanished when Tennessee closed the game on an 18-6 run.
“With an eight-point lead, we should win that game,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “They said, ‘You’re not winning the game. We’re not giving up. We’re not stopping.’”
No. 22 Auburn 65, Florida 62: The Tigers are stringing together some impressive accomplishments with coach Bruce Pearl. Now they have a chance at something particularly special before the NCAA Tournament.
Jared Harper hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left as No. 22 Auburn held off Florida 65-62 Saturday to reach the SEC Tournament championship for the first time since 2000.
Auburn (25-9) came in as the fifth-seeded team after sharing the SEC regular-season title a year ago, and now the Tigers will play No. 8 Tennessee today, looking for their second tournament championship and first since 1985.
The title game also will give them a chance to burnish their NCAA Tournament seeding.
“There’s a difference between having a Top 25 team and having a Top 25 program,” Pearl said. “The more we win, the more we have both.”
Florida (19-15) may have needed one more upset after knocking off regular-season champ LSU in the quarterfinals to earn its at-large NCAA berth.
“We’re just trying to stay hopeful,” Gators senior Kevarrius Hayes said. “It’s up to the selection committee and what they decide.”
Big Ten
No. 10 Michigan 76, Minnesota 49: Isaiah Livers scored a career-high 21 points, and No. 10 Michigan closed in on a record third straight Big Ten Tournament championship with a 76-49 romp over Minnesota in the semifinals in Chicago.
The third-seeded Wolverines (28-5) took control with a big run in the first half and put the game away in the second. They will try to become the first team to win the conference tournament three years in a row when they face No. 6 Michigan State today.
Nailing four 3-pointers, Livers matched a personal best. Zavier Simpson added 15 points and nine assists, helping Michigan win its 10th straight Big Ten Tournament game, the conference’s longest such streak.
Amir Coffey led Minnesota (21-13) with 14 points.
No. 6 Michigan State 67, No. 19 Wisconsin 55: Once Cassius Winston and Kenny Goins powered Michigan State to a fast start, Wisconsin was in deep trouble. Tough to chase down the Spartans in March.
Winston scored 21 points and Goins had 13 points and 12 rebounds, helping No. 6 Michigan State beat No. 19 Wisconsin 67-55 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
The top-seeded Spartans (27-6) earned their ninth win in 10 games and will go for their sixth Big Ten tourney title today against Michigan.
AAC
No. 11 Houston 61, (at) Memphis 58: Corey Davis Jr. scored 17 points, and No. 11 Houston weathered a late Memphis rally to defeat the Tigers in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
Jeremiah Martin led Memphis (21-13) with 23 points, most of them from the free throw line, as he made only 5 of 24 shots, including going 1 of 7 from outside the arc.
Houston (31-2), the tourney’s top seed, heads to today’s championship game against the winner of the late semifinal between No. 24 Cincinnati and sixthseed Wichita State.
America East
(At) Vermont 66, Maryland-Baltimore County 49: Anthony Lamb scored 28 points, and Vermont beat UMBC to win the America East championship and earn an NCAA Tournament bid.
It was the seventh conference title overall and second in three years for the Catamounts (27-6), who got their revenge on the anniversary of 16th-seeded UMBC’s shocking upset of top-seeded Virginia in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
MEAC
N.C. Central 50, (at) Norfolk State 47: Zacarry Douglas scored all 10 of his points during a 25-6 second-half run and North Carolina Central won its third consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title with a victory against topseeded Norfolk State (21-13).
The Eagles (18-15) earned another trip to the NCAA Tournament despite missing nine of their last 10 shots and not scoring for the final 4:03.