SEC Hoops: Arkansas Keeps March Hopes Alive, South Carolina Finally Wins

You never know what’s going to happen on a Saturday in the SEC. That statement was typically only reserved for what happens on the gridiron, but the hardwood has been equally unforgiving this season. We saw that with a rash of upsets around the league.

Arkansas has been playing good basketball, but the close calls weren’t turning into resume-building wins. Fortunately, the SEC continually gives teams opportunities to notch Top 25 victories.

Fresh off an eye-opening beatdown of Alabama at Mizzou Arena, the 15th-ranked Tigers looked poised for a fourth-straight win. After surviving the initial push from the Razorbacks, Missouri took the lead and built up a 7-point advantage by halftime.

The Arkansas offense didn’t look like it had enough firepower to knock down contested looks against Missouri. Then they got hot. Zvonimir Ivisic and Johnell Davis knocked down a couple of threes during a 16-4 run that gave the home team all the momentum they needed entering the homestretch. Arkansas only had two field goals in the final six minutes, but they were good enough from the free throw line to close out Missouri with a 92-85 win, putting them back on the right side of the bubble.

The Razorbacks close out the season with four winnable games: Texas, at South Carolina, at Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State. If they don’t stub their toe, it should be enough for John Calipari to get to the Big Dance.

TAKE FLIGHT TREVON BRAZILE 😮‍💨@RazorbackMBB pic.twitter.com/psrWcFpYL1

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 23, 2025

The Mississippi Schools Go Down

There were two surprising Top 25 upsets in the SEC and the Mississippi schools were the victims.

Vandy hosted Ole Miss and they almost Vandy’d the game away. The Commodores led by 19 points in the first half, but they didn’t shut the door on Chris Beard’s crew. Ole Miss clawed their way back and took the lead with 7:36 to play on a Malik Dia three-pointer. Vandy had one more 9-0 run in them to put away Ole Miss and secure a 77-72 win.

That result wasn’t nearly as shocking as what happened in Norman. Mississippi State had back-to-back wins over Top 25 foes and Oklahoma had not won a game since Feb. 1. The Sooners had three players score 17+ points, led by 27 from freshman point guard Jeremiah Fears in a 93-87 victory. Not everybody from Oklahoma avoided losing, just ask Duke Miles.

Amazing photo of @OU_MBBall's Duke Miles from USATSI. Multiple fragments of his teeth coming out after diving for a loose ball. pic.twitter.com/Px4fQ6E4PW

— Kyle Boone (@kyletheboone) February 22, 2025

There will not be a Winless Team in the SEC

Nobody understands the rigors of SEC basketball this year more than South Carolina. The worst team in the league has come up short time and time again at home, narrowly avoiding monumental upsets over Top 25 teams. In jeopardy of going winless in SEC play, as Missouri did a season ago, they finally put together a 40-minute performance at Colonial Life Arena.

The Gamecocks held Texas to only 12 points in the first 15 minutes of the game, building up enough of a buffer to stave off Tre Johnson, the freshman phenom who tallied 29 points Texas. He was the only Longhorn to score in double figures. Collin Murray-Boyles had 22 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocked shots in the 84-69 win. Texas’ win over Kentucky put them on the right side of the bubble. They may have fallen off of it with this loss.

Threes Define Top 10 SEC Matchup

You never know which Tennessee team is going to show up. The Vols will either miss all of the threes or make them all. To Texas A&M’s chagrin, Saturday was a day where they made ’em all.

In a battle between No. 6 and No. 7, the Vols went on the road and knocked down 13 three-pointers. Chaz Lanier had eight of them, en route to a 30-point afternoon. Meanwhile, A&M went 5-30 from deep, giving Tennessee a 24-point advantage at the three-point line. That was more than enough to secure a 77-69 victory at Reed Arena.

Florida Survives Scare from LSU

Two games on the SEC Saturday slate weren’t necessarily appointment television. Auburn did what you expected against Georgia. Johni Broome had 31 and 14 in a ho-hum 12-point win. Things were a lot more interesting in Baton Rouge.

Florida appeared to be in cruise control, up 14 points at the PMAC, when LSU got hot. The Tigers ended the first half on a 22-2 run to lead by six at halftime. A trip to the locker room was the last thing LSU needed. The Tigers cooled off, then went four minutes without a bucket during closing time, paving the way for a 79-65 Florida win.

SEC Standings

RANK	TEAM	CONFERENCE	GAMES BACK	OVERALL	REMAINING
1	Auburn	13-1	–	25-2	OM, @UK, @TAMU, AL
2	Florida	11-3	2	24-3	@GA, TAMU, @AL, OM
3	Alabama	11-3	2	22-5	MSU, @TN, FL, @AU
4	Tennessee	9-5	4	22-5	@LSU, AL, @OM, SC
5	Texas A&M	9-5	4	20-7	VU, @FL, AU, @LSU
6	Missouri	9-5	4	20-7	SC, @VU, @OK, UK
7	Ole Miss	8-6	5	19-8	@AU, OK, TN, @FL
8	Kentucky	7-7	6	18-9	@OK, AU, LSU, @MZ
9	Mississippi State	7-7	6	19-8	@AL, LSU, TX, @AR
10	Vanderbilt	6-8	7	18-9	@TAMU, MZ, AR, @GA
11	Arkansas	5-9	8	16-11	TX, @SC, @VU, MS
12	Texas	5-9	8	16-11	@AR, GA, @MS, OK
13	Georgia	4-10	9	16-11	FL, @TX, @SC, VU
14	Oklahoma	4-10	9	17-10	UK, @OM, MZ, @TX
15	LSU	3-11	10	14-13	TN, @MS, @UK, TAMU
16	South Carolina	1-13	12	11-16	@MZ, AR, GA, @TN

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.