SEC Hoops Delivers the Drama with Late Game-Winning Buckets

by:Nick Roush•about 11 hours•

RoushKSR

Florida guard Will Richard celebrates an SEC win at South Carolina, via Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

In the SEC, it just means more drama. The basketball has never been better in the Southeastern Conference and Wednesday was another example of why.

No. 13 Texas A&M and No. 5 Florida won road games by taking their first lead of the game on their final possession. That’s wild if it happens once, but twice in the same night?!?!? That’s nuttier than a Payday.

South Carolina shot nearly 50% from the field and had a 13-point lead over Florida with nine minutes to play, but couldn’t seal the deal at Colonial Life Arena. Will Richard scored 22 points in the comeback victory, and none were bigger than the final two.

WHAT A COMEBACK 🤯

No. 5 @GatorsMBK completes the 14-point comeback to defeat South Carolina! 🐊 pic.twitter.com/thSWLgLMZm
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 23, 2025

It was a similar story in Oxford. No. 16 Ole Miss was in command throughout the rock fight against Texas A&M. Chris Beard’s team led by eight points with two minutes to play and couldn’t hold on. Zhuric Phelps made a couple of buckets to keep A&M within reach, then let the Rebels miss a free throw. Manny Obaseki stepped into the shot and delivered a dagger behind the three-point line with 12.5 seconds on the clock.

ANOTHER @SEC CLASSIC 💯

MANNY OBASEKI WINS IT FOR @aggiembk 🤯

(via @espn)

pic.twitter.com/R7fBbcO8DC
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 23, 2025

Calipari Gets His First SEC Win at Arkansas

It wasn’t as improbable as the other two SEC wins, but it was just as dramatic and exponentially sillier. Arkansas trailed by 15 points when Zvonimir Ivisic buried the Razorbacks’ first three-pointer of the night five seconds before halftime. They were down double-digits for most of the second half until the game ground down into a free-throw shooting competition. The two teams combined to shoot 63 in the game that took two hours and 45 minutes to play.

The charity stripe is where the game was ultimately decided. Georgia’s Asa Newell hit a pair of free throws to tie the game with 14 seconds remaining. DJ Wagner‘s game-winning attempt was short, but Adou Thiero was fouled on the offensive rebound. He made the first, then got his own rebound and tipped it in as time expired to give the Razorbacks a 68-65 victory.

SEC Standings

The middle of the pack is an absolute cluster and that might be the case for the entirety of SEC play. There are six 2-loss teams in league play and 11 teams with five or fewer total losses.

Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning

By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.

Team	SEC	Overall
Auburn	5-0	17-1
Alabama	5-1	16-3
Florida	4-2	17-2
Tennessee	4-2	17-2
Texas A&M	4-2	15-4
Missouri	4-2	15-4
Ole Miss	4-2	15-4
Kentucky	3-2	14-4
Mississippi State	3-3	15-4
Vanderbilt	3-3	15-4
Georgia	2-4	14-5
Texas	2-4	13-6
Oklahoma	1-4	14-4
LSU	1-4	12-6
Arkansas	1-5	12-7
South Carolina	0-6	10-9

Join KSR Plus! With a KSR Plus membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

Rick Pitino got a Comeback Overtime W at The Garden

The Red Storm got something going in Rick Pitino’s second season. They only made 1-12 three-pointers and turned it over 14 times, yet they were able to overcome a 15-point deficit to defeat a Big East foe for the third time this season. Kadary Richmond had a season-best 17 points as the Johnnies outscored Xavier 14-6 in overtime to win their sixth straight game. St. Johns is 17-3, the start for the Red Storm since the 1986 season.

Indiana has Reached a Sad New Low

The Mike Woodson era is hitting a pretty big damn bump in the road during his fourth year in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have felt hapless in Big Ten play, and yet their NCAA Tournament hopes are still alive. The 14-6 team (5-4 in Big Ten) is hanging on for dear life and they didn’t help their case any last night.

Indiana lost 79-70 to Northwestern. It’s Indiana’s fifth straight loss to Northwestern. The last time the Wildcats started a five-game win streak against the Hoosiers, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was still alive. I don’t think they were dunking like this back in 1913. The dude dunked Indiana to death so hard that he hurt his nose on the hardwood.

brooks barnhizer from northwestern- first his teeth and now his nose 💥 pic.twitter.com/ouNc5EyZcq
— Julie (@jpr_rn) January 23, 2025

Catch the Nebrasketball Fever!

The Huskers had a moment in last year’s NCAA Tournament, albeit brief. That is the exception to the norm. They’re back near the bottom of the Big Ten standings, but at least this guy is leaving the game with a brand new car!