Mississippi State opened day two of the SEC Tournament by clinching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a big win over LSU. It will mark the second straight tournament appearance under second-year head coach Chris Jans.

Josh Hubbard led the way in his SEC Tournament debut with 24 for the Bulldogs and was a joy to watch as he had been all season.

He, along with the rest of the Bulldogs, had a rough shooting start in the first half, as Mississippi State went 1-10 from three-point range and 7-13 from the free-throw line.

Hunter Dean was a dominant presence for LSU in the first half and helped the Tigers to a halftime lead as they looked to play spoiler.

It was when Mississippi State needed its best from its top stars that they began to shine. Tolu Smith touched the ball on nearly every second-half possession, and his passing and paint presence catalyzed the State offense, getting open looks for guys like Hubbard. 

Despite the best efforts of Trae Hannibal, who finished with 16 in his final game as an LSU Tiger, Mississippi State was too much to handle. Hannibal’s hard drives to the rim were about the only offense that LSU could string together in the second half.

Jans has clearly seared the grind-it-out identity into this Mississippi State team, as they are poised for another crack at the Big Dance.

While the season ended on a low note for Matt McMahon and LSU, the last month has been the best since he took the job at the start of last season. Year 3 will be decisive for McMahon, but his Tigers will carry some momentum into next fall. 

In game four, Arkansas’s nightmare season met its disastrous end as the Razorbacks imploded down the stretch in the second half as South Carolina cruised to an 80-66 win. 

Arkansas came out the gate strong after their overtime victory on Wednesday. However, the strong start slowed when Trevon Brazille tweaked his ankle and had to leave the game.

South Carolina began to lean on their strength inside as they started to impose their will down the stretch of the first half. Collin Murray-Boyles, who finished with 24 points, and BJ Mack, who finished with 19, had their way in the paint all afternoon. This dominance continued on the other side of halftime as the Gamecocks finished with 52 points in the paint.

While Arkansas was able to cut into the South Carolina lead at times, hoping to get back in the game, the Gamecocks continually were able to find easy buckets at the rim. After a crucial technical foul helped them reestablish a double-digit lead, they cruised down the stretch.

In some ways, the game was a microcosm of the season for the Razorbacks, a team full of talented individuals who were unable to maintain consistency and lost the will to fight when things began to slip away from them.

Lamont Paris on the other side proved he was worth the extension he received prior to tipoff as his team will get a shot at Auburn Friday afternoon.

Ole Miss and Texas A&M both entered Thursday’s game in positions that would have seemed impossible just about a month ago.

For Texas A&M, a loss would have eliminated them from March Madness contention while Ole Miss needed to put together four straight wins to keep their season alive. Both these teams were all but locks before the start of February.

The desperation was apparent as both teams scrapped and fought for every loose ball. For the Aggies, it was a welcome surprise that Manny Obaseki helped shoulder the load normally carried by guards Tyrece Radford and Wade Taylor IV.

Ole Miss thought the solution to a stingy Aggie defense was to run at breakneck speed on offense. While it got them some good looks and helped them to 31 points at the break, they had seven costly turnovers with several of them resulting in points the other way.

The game became even muddier in the second half as both teams fought tooth and nail for every bucket. For Texas A&M, the boards became its best friend.

The Aggies’ ferocity on the glass was rewarded, as they shot vastly more field goals than Ole Miss throughout the period of normal play, which was ultimately the difference in the game as the Rebels ended up shooting a higher percentage.

Both teams struggled to find any sort of rhythm offensively. The fact that both teams reached the double bonus at just under the ten-minute markk demonstrated how choppy the second half was.

In the end, it was an ugly win for Texas A&M, which is just the way that Buzz Williams likes it, and a win that helped keep the Aggies’ season alive. He has become a master at winning tournament games in the SEC and his team will have its work cut out for them as they face off against Kentucky Friday night.

The final matchup of the night had everything one could want out of a rivalry game. Back-and-forth runs, 37 missed free throws, and a physicality level unmatched so far. Florida edged out Georgia 85-80 in the nightcap to move on to face Alabama.

Georgia led the majority of the way in the first half. The Bulldogs’ 2-3 zone gave the Gators’ offense all sorts of trouble as they were stuck in neutral most of the way. 

Florida’s offense was not helped by the litany of missed free throws that doomed them to a half-time deficit. One of my biggest remaining questions for the Gators is whether or not they can make catch and shoot jumpers outside of their top three guards.

While Georgia’s quickness made them nearly impossible to guard in the first half, the Gators’ length helped them stem the tide in the second half. Florida used its length inside to the tune of 16 offensive rebounds, which helped keep their offense afloat until Walter Clayton started to catch fire.

Both teams went back and forth throughout the second half.. Walter Clayton was absolutely phenomenal with 22 points and Justin Hill, who struggled for most of the night, willed Georgia back into the ball game with 11.

These matchups lead us to day three of the SEC Tournament, which tips off Friday with a noon game between Mississippi State and No. 1 seed Tennessee.