Editors Note: KCOU will be covering the entirety of the SEC Men’s Basketball tournament, including Mizzou’s games. Andy Humphrey and Mark Kim will be filing reports daily from Atlanta.
BY: Andy Humphrey
ATLANTA – In the second game of the Wednesday night double-header in the SEC Tournament, the 14^th-seeded Mississippi State Bulldogs (14-18, 3-15) upset the 11^th-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores (15-16, 7-11) by a final score of 82-68.
The usual suspects led the scoring charge for the Bulldogs.  Sophomore guard Craig Sword was the high-point man with 20 points and also provided four rebounds and six assists.  Other contributors included junior forward Roquez Johnson, who totaled 18 points and five rebounds, and sophomore guard Fred Thomas, who scored 16 points, including four 3-pointers.  Overall, the team shot 59 percent from the field.
Freshman center Damian Jones led Vanderbilt in scoring with 16 points, but was limited to just four in the second half due to foul trouble.  Junior guard Dai-Jon Parker and senior forward Rod Odom both chipped in with 15 points apiece.
Mississippi State moves on to face their in-state rivals, the 6^th-seeded Ole Miss Rebels.  The two teams were 1-1 against each other in the regular season, with the home team winning both contests.  The Bulldogs won 76-72 in Starkville on Jan. 11, while the Rebels prevailed 82-63 in Oxford on Jan. 25.