Mississippi State upsets Tennessee in SEC Tournament Quarterfinals

What’s the perfect way to start Kentucky’s first gameday of the SEC Tournament? A Tennessee loss.

The No. 1 seed Volunteers didn’t just lose to No. 9 seed Mississippi State in the quarterfinals, they got run off the floor by a final score of 73-56. The Bulldogs never trailed, taking a double-digit lead, 15-4, at the 12:37 mark. In the first half, Chris Jans’ defense held Tennessee to 20.6% shooting from the field and 11.1% from the outside while hitting a scorching 61.5% on the other end.

The Volunteers cut Mississippi State’s lead to 12 with five minutes to go but DJ Jeffries, one-time UK commit, hit back-to-back buckets to push the lead back to 17. From there, it was pretty much over. The Vols finished the game shooting 30.6%, 24.2% from three, and the Bulldogs 55.3%. Dalton Knecht only had 14 points on 4-17 shooting. Mississippi State advances to face the winner of No. 5 South Carolina vs. No. 4 Auburn, which tips off momentarily on ESPN.

This game is significant for NCAA Tournament seeding. First, it solidifies Mississippi State’s spot in the field. Coming into the game, the Bulldogs were one of the last four byes in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology. It also likely ends Tennessee’s dreams of getting a No. 1 seed. The Vols were No. 5 on Lunardi’s seed list this morning and had to win to stay in the hunt. Now, they’ll head back to Knoxville to await their NCAA Tournament fate.

The Cats have to take care of business themselves, but if you were thinking of coming down to Nashville for the weekend, tickets should be much easier to come by. In fact, I may walk around Broadway just to soak up the Voluntears.

Updated SEC Tournament Bracket

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