Team Tampa Bay's Take with Joey Johnston: SEC Tourney - Day Two

By Joey Johnston

Kentucky’s Big Blue Nation has arrived. Actually, if you want to be accurate, they have been in the Tampa Bay area for a few days now. When the SEC Tournament’s first public team practices were held, a couple from Louisville was patiently sitting on a bench outside Amalie Arena, waiting for the doors to open.

“We’ve got to scout our competition,’’ said Jonathan Pincus, sporting a blue cap, blue polo shirt and blue sneakers.

Yes, they take it very seriously in Kentucky. Teams come and teams go in the SEC. The one thing that never changes: Kentucky’s rabid fan support. Coach John Calipari’s No. 3-seeded Wildcats, who open tonight against No. 11 Vanderbilt, are seeking the program’s 32nd SEC Tournament championship.

“I love basketball,’’ said UK fan Kathy Kenney of Richmond, Ky., who is attending her 26th SEC Tournament. “We came in (Wednesday morning) on a 5:30 a.m. flight from Louisville and about 98 percent of people on the plane were Kentucky basketball fans.

“We’ll be the only people (consistently) in the stands through the whole tournament. It will be a sea of blue by Friday night. It’s just the passion. There are no professional teams, so people rally around the university in a way that doesn’t happen in other states.’’

Kenney’s T-shirt: “I Still Hate Laettner’’ — a reference to Christian Laettner’s buzzer-beater for Duke that knocked out UK in the 1992 East Region final.

“We haven’t forgotten,’’ Kenney said.

Regardless of UK’s fortunes, the fans continue to travel.

“We’re going to turn Tampa Bay into Tampa Blue,’’ said UK fan John Snowden of St. Augustine. “You won’t be able to walk without seeing blue.’’

we travel well, we’re going to turn Tampa Bay into Tampa Blue. You won’t be able to walk without seeing blue.’’

“This has been since birth for me,’’ said UK fan Haley Kestner of Bristol, Tenn. “It doesn’t leave you. We keep showing up.’

Kestner’s T-shirt: “January…February…Kentucky…April.’’

Kim Silvey of Lexington, Ky., a season-ticket holder at Rupp Arena, said she expects a contingent of Wildcat fans at every venue.

Silvey’s T-shirt: “Kentucky Vs. All Y’all.’’

“Our fan base goes from the east coast to the west coast,’’ Silvey said. “We just love the players and what they do for the state of Kentucky. Our fans come in all shapes and sizes.’’

And all ages.

Jimmy Smallwood, 90, and wife Roberta, 83, from Lee County, Ky., are among the UK contingent.

“We’ve been as far as Maui with the Wildcats, and now we’re in Tampa,’’ Roberta Smallwood said. “No place we’d rather be.’’

Simple 7-Up SEC FanFare

With four more games set Friday, the Simple 7-Up SEC FanFare official fan event picked up steam with thousands of visitors during Thursday’s first full day of action.

Located in Thunder Alley, just outside the arena, the fan event features interactive games, food, drinks, entertainment, exhibits, comfortable seating and the ability to take selfies by a giant likeness of the official 2022 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament logo, along with the SEC logo and slogan (“It Just Means More’’).

“We’ve having a ball … and our team hasn’t even taken the court yet,’’ said Allen Bestwick of Knoxville, Tenn., a Tennessee graduate. “Tampa is a pretty cool place. There’s lots and lots to do.’’

And plenty to do at the SEC FanFare as well.

At the Shoot and Stack/Score 4 game — think of it as a basketball “Connect Four’’ — Darlene Harvey was jubilant when she sunk her final basket, giving her a diagonal match and a victory against her husband, Chris.

“Yeah, I beat him,’’ she said. “I hope that’s the start of a winning weekend.’’

Harvey, who played in four state tournaments with her Marshall County High School Marshalls, met her husband at the University of Kentucky. Two of their sons attended UK. They have attended SEC Tournaments in Nashville, Atlanta and St. Louis. They are impressed with what Tampa has to offer.

“I love having all these fun and games outside in nice weather,’’ Harvey said. “We’re not ready to be in the gym all day and night. We want to have some fun.’’

The SEC FanFare is free and open to anyone, ticket-holders, curiosity seekers or downtown Tampa workers.

The hours — Thursday until 8 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m. through 8 p.m., Saturday, 10:30 a.m. through 5 p.m., Sunday, 10:30 a.m. through 1 p.m.

Gator Heartbreaker

Thursday’s play got off to a riveting start with Texas A&M’s 83-80 overtime victory against the Florida Gators. When the Gators rallied from a 16-point deficit to force overtime, the crowd was involved, roaring and mostly standing on its feet. Texas A&M’s Hassan Diarra won it on a 3-pointer from the top of the circle with 0.4 seconds remaining.

“They had a very good crowd out there, a very good environment,’’ Diarra said. “It definitely feels like a road win.’’

In other second-round results from Thursday:

No. 5 LSU beat No. 12 Missouri 76-68 in a Tigers vs. Tigers matchup. LSU shot 56 percent overall and had five players score in double figures, led by Tari Eason with 25 points. LSU led 34-9 late in the first half. Missouri kept battling and made it an eight-point game with 24 seconds remaining — way too late.

No. 10 Mississippi State defeated the No. 7 South Carolina Gamecocks 73-51. Tolu Smith had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who put the game away with a 19-4 second-half run. Overall, the Gamecocks shot just 28.3 percent. Mississippi State has now won eight of the last 11 meetings against the Gamecocks.

No. 11 Vanderbilt beat the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide 82-76. Scotty Pippen Jr. had 26 points, including 15-for-21 from the free-throw line, as the Commodores rallied from a 15-point deficit from 14:06 remaining. Vanderbilt took the lead for good, 71-68, on Rodney Chatman’s 3-pointer with 3:15 remaining.

Today’s Quarterfinals

Here’s the Friday SEC hoops menu at Amalie Arena:

No. 1 Auburn (27-4) vs. No. 8 Texas A&M (21-11) — Auburn should be secure for a No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament as long as it takes care of business, but the Aggies probably need an upset to climb off the NCAA bubble. With the SEC Tournament’s double-bye, the Tigers are well-rested and the Aggies are likely exhausted following Thursday’s 83-80 overtime nail-biter against the Florida Gators. Home-standing Auburn defeated Texas A&M 75-58 on Feb. 12, when the Aggies were limited to 27.1 percent shooting. Auburn’s Walker Kessler had a triple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds, 12 blocked shots). The Aggies lead the all-time series 11-6. Auburn and Texas A&M have split two previous meetings at the SEC Tournament.

No. 4 Arkansas (24-7) vs. No. 5 LSU (22-10) — Arkansas comes in as one of the nation’s hottest teams. The Razorbacks had won 14 of 15 games — after an 0-3 SEC start — until falling 78-74 in the regular-season finale at Tennessee. Arkansas swept the season series against LSU, winning 65-58 on Jan. 15 at Baton Rouge, La., using a 17-2 run over the final 6:55. Then Arkansas prevailed 77-76 on March 2 at Fayetteville, Ark., on JD Notae’s two free throws with 8.6 seconds remaining. Arkansas got the SEC Tournament’s double-bye. LSU defeated No. 12 Missouri 76-68 in Thursday’s second round. Arkansas leads 40-34 in the all-time series with LSU.

No. 2 Tennessee (23-7) vs. No. 10 Mississippi State (18-14) —

Tennessee got the SEC Tournament’s double bye. Mississippi State advanced Thursday with a second-round 73-51 victory against No. 7 South Carolina. Tennessee defeated home-standing Mississippi State 72-63 on Feb. 9, behind the 18 points of freshman Kennedy Chandler. Tennessee, which leads the all-time series 72-63, hasn’t won the SEC Tournament since 1979 (the first one of the modern era).

No. 3 Kentucky (25-6) vs. No. 11 Vanderbilt (17-15) — Kentucky got the SEC Tournament’s double bye. Vanderbilt advanced with a 82-76 second-round victory against No. 6 Alabama on Thursday night. Kentucky swept the regular season series against Vanderbilt, winning 78-66 on Jan. 11 at Nashville, Tenn., in a showdown of stars. Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe had 30 points and 13 rebounds, while Vanderbilt’s Scotty Pippen Jr., had 32 points. Kentucky prevailed 77-70 on Feb. 2 in Lexington, Ky., surviving a 33-point onslaught from Pippen. Kentucky leads 153-47 in the all-time series against Vanderbilt. The Wildcats have beaten the Commodores 12 straight times and Vanderbilt last won on Feb. 27, 2016.