Leader of the SEC at the end of the regular season, Auburn was automatically qualified for the quarter-finals of the conference tournament, which takes place in Tampa this week. Opposed to Texas A&M, which had defeated Florida in the previous round, the Tigers, although very big favorites on paper, were surprised and took the front door (67-62)!
Weighed down by a catastrophic address (21/69, 9/36 at 3-points), the formation of Bruce Pearl dug its own grave in the first half (-16 at the break). And despite a resounding comeback at the end of the game, Jabari Smith (17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals) and his teammates were too short and suffered an “upset” which made Kentucky’s business.
Because John Calipari’s Wildcats, another favorite to win the SEC tournament (and the NCAA tournament) provided the essentials against Vanderbilt in the quarter-finals (77-71). Hooked in the first half by the valiant team coached by Jerry Stackhouse, Kentucky made the difference after the break, driven in particular by a very good Tyty Washington Jr (25 points at 8/17).
Now that Auburn is eliminated, the road to the Conference Finals becomes clearer for “Coach Cal” and his players. But before that, we will still have to defeat the tough Tennessee team in the semi-finals, tonight at 9 p.m.
– ESPN Player will broadcast all 67 March Madness matches, including Final Four and Finals
– Tune into ESPN Player to catch all of March Madness from March 15 to April 4 through this link https://bit.ly/ESPNBasketUSA
– ESPN Player is only available in English
– Terms and conditions apply
