Skip to main content

Thursday evening notes from my first trip to the SEC Tournament

Zack Geogheganby:Zack Geoghegan03/14/24

ZGeogheganKSR

thursday-afternoon-notes-first-trip-sec-tournament
Photo by Tyler Thompson | Kentucky Sports Radio

Good evening, folks! This is KSR’s Zack Geoghegan reporting live from Nashville at my first-ever SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament. I’ve covered SEC Tournaments before, but back when Matthew Mitchell was coaching a young Rhyne Howard. Those games were played in Greenville, SC, which is a city I’ve grown to love, but surely it doesn’t compare to Nashville.

But now, I’ve officially graduated from watching the postseason at home in jealousy to now being part of the adventure alongside my fellow hard-working KSR employees. So far, I’ve only had two cups of Sunkists (three if you count the strawberry flavor).

And yes, there is indeed more to this event than just the free orange soda (which I love. I do, I do, I do, ooooo). Join me on my journey as I take you through my first day at the SEC Tournament.

My Thursday morning began my picking up longtime KSR photographer Dr. Michael Huang. Doc loaded up my (probably totaled) Toyota Corolla with bags of camera equipment and a cooler filled with Diet Coke and salty snacks. We were officially ready for a three-hour trek to the Nasty Nash (I don’t like Diet Coke).

We walked into KSHouse (a tidy condo a mile down the road from Bridgestone Arena), where we’ll be staying hopefully until Sunday, and were greeted by a sleepy Steven Peake, KSR’s producer/videographer. Steven arrived the day prior to get a head start on our YouTube content. Can you guess what he had playing on the TV? If you know him, you won’t be surprised to hear it was the Kentucky-Tennessee SEC Championship game from 2018. That Shai Gilgeous-Alexander guy sure did turn out to be pretty good. I still don’t like Grant Williams, either.

After settling in, our friend and colleague Jack Pilgrim finally decided to show up (the gall of this man). We gathered around our living room TV to watch the second half of Kentucky’s 77-72 win over the Volunteers, which happened six years ago now — time waits for no one, something I’m slowly understanding more and more.

From there, it was time for a quick lunch at the new On3 headquarters where we met several people we’ve only known through Zoom and group messages. A buffet of food awaited us (apologies to the local establishment as I forgot your name, but your tacos were delicious). I even received a new On3 polo for my troubles. So did Jack and Steven — they just couldn’t stand to not steal my flow.

We made our way back to KSHouse, filled up our backpacks, and hopped in an Uber to the arena. We were dropped off right outside the building where I was immediately greeted by hundreds upon hundreds of SEC basketball fans (and a couple of Bachelorette parties). Mind you, not only is this my first SEC Tournament, but this is also my first trip to Nashville since being of legal drinking age. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first stepped on Broadway, but the smell emitting from garbage bags full of backwashed alcohol brought me back to an earlier stage in life.

I was now ready for a shot of something disgusting, but there was work to be done (like this article you’re reading right now). We all dipped inside to regroup with head honcho Tyler Thompson and Drew Franklin in the media room. I was shown the Sunkist dispenser immediately upon arrival and downed it in one gulp, much like the masses right across the street at Tootsies with their PBRs. Mmmm, PBR…

After some mulling around, a bit of work, and getting a sense of my surroundings, I popped back outside where Drew and Steven — veterans of these streets — accompanied me on a quick trip up and down Broadway for a video to document my experience (coming to a KSR YouTube channel near you soon). This is when I realized that I had forgotten how warm 80-degree weather is. Pants might not have been the best choice, but my fresh On3 polo sure did keep me nice and cool (this is not an ad).

Kentucky fans lined the sidewalks, as did a large contingent of Tennessee supporters. South Carolina, which had just beaten Arkansas minutes before, even had some loud fans as we paced past the country music-blasting bars and restaurants. The Smell began to grow louder than the drums piercing my ears (in an oddly enticing way). Drew gave me the rundown of where to go and where not to go. Tooties? Yes. Justin Timberlake’s hoity-toity bar? No.

Drew soon left for Tin Roof where Shannon The Dude’s band, Alice Blue Gown, was about set to go on stage. Once back inside the arena, I saw Dawn Staley congratulating Lamont Paris on his big tournament win. I then sat down next to Jack on media row and his plate of mac-and-cheese and maple-glazed pork loin (I tried the mac and it did not disappoint). It was now time to settle in for some important basketball: Texas A&M-Ole Miss — winner plays Kentucky in tomorrow’s quarterfinal.

What could be better than two mediocre SEC teams going head-to-head with their season on the line? Unironically, nothing.

And that is where my story ends. I need to stop typing and watch this basketball game. I hope you enjoyed a day in the life at my first SEC Tournament experience. I can only imagine the extracurricular activities we’ll be getting into later this evening. I have been given almost too many recommendations and it hasn’t even been 12 hours yet.

It should be a fun weekend. Go ‘Cats.

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2025-02-07