SEC Men’s Tournament semifinals recap
| March 17, 2024 | Blog, Sports,
The SEC Tournament semifinals featured an enticing blend of underdogs. Auburn was the only team with a double-bye to advance out of the quarterfinals, which shows how deep this conference has been throughout the season.
Auburn outlasted Mississippi State 73-66 to advance to the championship. The game was by far the most physical of the tournament. Both teams fought and scrapped for every loose ball and rebound.
Mississippi State pounded the glass early with 11 offensive rebounds in the first half. While Auburn did not entirely shut that down in the second half, the Tigers limited the Bulldogs’ opportunities.
Auburn led for almost the entirety of the second half, but the Bulldogs wouldn’t go away. They eventually cut the Tiger lead to one at 57-56, but that was as close as they would get as Auburn closed the game on a 16-10 run. There was balanced scoring from Auburn today in a way that there has not been for most of the season, with five players finishing in double figures.
Chad Baker-Mazara was vital with massive shots to keep the Bulldogs at bay. Auburn showed once again today that when they lock in and guard, they are as good as anyone in the nation. Auburn found shots when they needed them, something that has been an issue this season.
On the Mississippi State side, Josh Hubbard was phenomenal with 20 points to keep them in the game. If he can get hot and the team can defend the way that they have been defending, there is no reason that they cannot make a March run.
The second semifinal had all the swings you could want in a heavyweight fight.
Texas A&M leaped out to an early lead as Wade Taylor IV and the Aggies were nearly impossible to guard in the opening half. Taylor had 20 to help the Aggies jump ahead by 14; however, the Gators stomached their frustration with the officiating and pulled themselves to within eight at halftime.
Denzel Aberdeen was the master of the comeback for Florida as he had 20 points on the day. The Gators shot a terrifying 54% from deep, shooting 14-26. Aberdeen had four triples, one of three Gators with at least that number along with Will Richard and Walter Clayton.
Wade Taylor and Tyrece Radford started to come alive late in the half, pulling the Aggies back into the game. While the Gators had some early struggles with the pressure, they managed to settle in.
Some late free throws and just enough stops propelled the Gators onward, winning 95-90. The game, however, was marred by the combined 67 free throw attempts between the two teams.
Games like today are why Florida can be lethal. Its guards can shoot just about anybody out of the game and its length inside makes easy buckets so hard to come by for opponents.
This Aggie team suffered from the fatigue of Radford and Taylor, especially in the second half. Texas A&M is so reliant on their offense, that when they wore down late it was very difficult to score. Luckily, they will not be playing three games in three days during the NCAA Tournament which should assuage some of the concerns.