Greg Sankey reflects on SEC Tournament returning to Nashville after COVID pandemic
Greg Sankey took time to reflect on the SEC over the last three calendar years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a full return to normalcy since the wild year of 2020, Sankey was pleased the SEC Tournament returned to Nashville for its bracket.
With a full crowd on display, fans took in Mississippi State’s overtime win over Florida in the first game while viewing Ole Miss versus Tennessee in the second one of a back-to-back.
Sankey described what he saw in detail.
“This is the first time we’ve been back with a full crowd since what, 2019?” Sankey said during the Ole Miss-Tennessee broadcast on SEC Network. “I have gone through and self-scouted and some of the things I said to see if I was on point, was I careful with the intention in my words, you just brought back a lot there in a very short period of time.”
Sankey talked about the tournament’s return to Nashville with a full crowd and the ability to deliver high quality, postseason basketball.
“It’s great to be back in Nashville,” Sankey said. “We were in Tampa last year and had a great crowd there. But we’re so familiar here. And this is a special hub for us. We’re gonna be here for the next decade. And to have fans back in, the enthusiasm we saw last time … And not to be dealing with those issues right now, this is actually enjoyable.”
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What was enjoyable was the first game Thursday afternoon. The Bulldogs took down the Gators in epic fashion.
With no Colin Castleton for Florida (16-15), Mississippi State (20-11) was able to zero in on the Gators as the elite defensive team they are in the first half. 12 early points from Shakeel Moore and nine points and six rebounds from Tolu Smith on the offensive end also helped the Bulldogs head into halftime with a 36-26 lead.
However, as Florida came back and this became a war of attrition offensively in the second half, it became obvious this matchup would end up in overtime.
Somehow, though, the Bulldogs found enough points in the extra five minutes, specifically of the Smith variety, to take the 69-68 win, earn their spot in Friday’s quarterfinals, and likely send themselves to the NCAA Tournament.