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

By Joey Johnston

Visitors to the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament have stopped along the Amalie Arena concourse to watch the live broadcast of “The Paul Finebaum Show,’’ which is syndicated on dozens of Southeast radio stations and simulcast daily on the SEC Network.

Finebaum’s content is all things SEC, mostly football, but basketball has been a prime topic, too, since the league is on the upswing. The presence of Finebaum’s set, just off the Simple 7-Up SEC FanFare event, also assured priceless advertisement for the Tampa Bay area.

As Finebaum debated SEC topics with his ever-passionate (and often hilarious) callers, the SEC Network showed visuals of Centro Ybor, the Tampa skyline, the Riverwalk and the area’s beaches.

“This is a beautiful place … and those photos do nothing but enhance that all over the country,’’ said Marty Smith, the sideline reporter who has worked this week’s SEC Tournament games for ESPN and the SEC Network.

“Those things matter,’’ said ESPN studio host Dari Nowkhah. “Especially when the rest of the country is bundled up and freezing.’’

(Editor’s note: Allegedly, the temperatures are prepared to take a dip on Saturday. Consider it an educational exposure to Tampa’s rare forays into “one-day winters’’).

“I think I’ve done 11 or 12 of these SEC Tournaments,’’ Nowkhah said. “My goal is to get up (Saturday) and go for a jog along the Bayshore or Riverwalk. I couldn’t do such a thing in Nashville, Atlanta or St. Louis. You get off the plane here and it’s 80 degrees. You see the sun shining and boats going by outside your hotel windows. It’s great. And it’s good for the league to explore new places.’’

Smith and Nowkhah both worked at Tampa’s College Football Playoff championship game in 2017, when Clemson defeated Alabama in an instant classic. They are grateful to return.

“I’m a big fan of Tampa,’’ Smith said. “I think it’s great for Tampa to host this event. SEC fans travel like none other. It’s going to be a great experience and the energy in the building is beautiful. That will only continue as the weekend progresses.

“Once you leave the arena, there’s so much to do here. The downtown is awesome and very concentrated. Really cool restaurants and bars, even some cool places if you’re a nerd like me who’s a nutrition guy. It’s just a really fun place to be.’’

Nowkhah said he was struck by reports from other conference tournament sites, such as the Big 12 in Kansas City and the ACC in Brooklyn.

“It’s freezing in those places,’’ Nowkhah said. “I’d rather be in Tampa than any of those places. You see shots of the water, the boats, the tiki huts. Tampa’s reputation is enhanced by all the success that the pro teams are having. The more winners you have, the better. It really sets a nice tone and a sense of place.

“Plus, this year’s SEC Tournament is really outstanding. You have four teams that could legitimately make it to New Orleans (Men’s Final Four). You just don’t see that every year. The league is getting better. I think we’re in for a big-time competitive weekend. I would be shocked if there wasn’t an SEC team in the Final Four and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are two that make it.’’

Top-seeded Tigers deflated

Friday’s opening quarterfinal not only changed the SEC Tournament’s power structure, but it will likely have major ramifications for the NCAA Tournament as well.

The No. 8-seeded Texas A&M Aggies upset the No. 1 Auburn Tigers 67-62. That result could cost Auburn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA field and it could open the door for Texas A&M, which has beaten Florida and Auburn in succession, while also successfully battling the home-court-like conditions for both opponents.

Auburn led only once (3-2 in the opening moments) and fell behind by 20 points with 11:14 remaining. The Tigers rallied furiously and cut it to 62-58 with 37 seconds remaining, but it was too late.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl had talked about his program traveling to tournaments with a fan base that rivaled Kentucky’s legendary following. Friday, Pearl’s vision came to life as thousands of rowdy Auburn fans made their way to Tampa and responded to the Tigers’ magical regular season.

“In this one, how many cousins and brothers and friends traveled?’’ Pearl said. “Many of my players’ families, that’s bit out of their budget to come to Tampa and spend two, three nights in a hotel. We feel badly for our fans that came out in great numbers.

“I think it makes a strong statement about this conference when a basketball program like Auburn’s can travel like we are traveling. Our fans love this team. This team has given them a lot to love and support, so I know they’re disappointed. We do feel like we let them down. Absolutely.’’

In other quarterfinal results from Friday:

No. 4 Arkansas defeated the No. 5 LSU Tigers 79-67. It was a satisfying victory for Arkansas, which swept the Tigers in the regular season, then won convincingly in Friday’s tournament game. Arkansas players remember being eliminated by LSU in last season’s SEC Tournament, so a sweep of the Tigers was especially meaningful. The Razorbacks got standout performances from Au’Diese Toney (22 points) and JD Notae (19), but the real catalyst was 5-foot-7 guard Chris Lykes, a transfer from Miami, who provided 18 points off the bench.

No. 2 Tennessee beat the No. 10 Mississippi State Bulldogs 72-59. The Vols placed five players in double figures, led by 16 points from Josiah-Jordan James. Star freshman guard Kennedy Chandler had 11 points despite suffering an ankle injury. Tennessee shot 50 percent from the field and committed just six turnovers.

No. 3 Kentucky defeated the No. 11 Vanderbilt Commodores 77-71. Vanderbilt was seeking its third straight SEC Tournament win, but Kentucky roared to a second-half lead and held on, despite a furious late 3-point flurry from the Commodores. UK was led by freshman guard TyTy Washington with a team-high 25 points and center Oscar Tshiebwe (12 points, 14 rebounds). Vanderbilt’s Jordan Wright had 27 points (on 10-for-11 shooting), while Scotty Pippen Jr., (who had 65 points in two previous games against UK), managed just 10 points on 2-for-17 shooting.

Connections

Among the Tampa-centric storylines from Friday’s quarterfinals:

* Auburn had been the only SEC team to play in Amalie Arena with a 58-52 victory against USF on Nov. 19. The Bulls played well that night and led by 15 points, which turned out to be the biggest deficit Auburn faced during the entire regular season. That obviously changed Friday, when the Tigers trailed Texas A&M by 20 points in the second half.

* Texas A&M assistant coach Steve Roccaforte was an assistant on Stan Heath’s USF staff from 2011-14, including USF’s 2012 NCAA Tournament team.

* Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua was USF’s head coach from 2014-17. He was on Illinois’ staff from 2017-21 before joining Coach John Calipari at UK.

* Arkansas coach Eric Musselman is the son of Bill Musselman, who coached the Tampa Bay Thrillers, the back-to-back CBA champions in 1985 and 1986. The younger Musselman became head coach when the franchise moved to Rapid City, S.D., then returned as the Florida Beach Dogs in West Palm Beach.

Today’s Semifinals

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

No. 4 Arkansas (25-7) vs. No. 8 Texas A&M (22-11) — It’s the rubber match for what was a hotly contested regular-season series. Texas A&M won 86-81 at home on Jan. 8. The Aggies had five double-digit scorers and withstood a 31-point onslaught from Razorbacks star JD Notae. Arkansas won 76-73 in overtime at home on Jan. 22. Arkansas never trailed in regulation, but Texas A&M’s Hassan Diarra forced overtime on a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining. That was the second game in what became an eight-game losing streak for the Aggies. Obviously, things have gotten better. Arkansas leads the all-time series 76-73.

No. 2 Tennessee (24-7) vs. No. 3 Kentucky (26-6) — This one should be memorable. From 1995-2015, the Vols were just 9-33 against the UK Wildcats. But the tide has turned. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes is 9-7 against Kentucky in seven seasons, including four wins when the Wildcats were No. 4 or better in the Associated Press top 25 rankings. This season, the Vols and Wildcats have split. Tennessee, which has the nation’s third-best defensive efficiency according to KenPom was embarrassed 107-79 on Jan. 15 at Rupp Arena. The Vols won the rematch 76-63 at Thompson-Boling Arena on Feb. 15 in a wildly intense affair that featured three technical fouls in the first eight minutes (including one on the OK strength coach). Kentucky is going for the program’s 32nd SEC Tournament title. Tennessee hasn’t won the SEC Tournament since 1979, the first edition of the modern era. Kentucky leads the all-time series 151-76.