Vanderbilt and Arkansas are set up to clash for the SEC Tournament Championship on Sunday.
It was a surprise Saturday, with another upset-filled day in Nashville, with the defending champion Gators getting sent home packing by the hometown Commodores.
The defending champs were ice cold from the floor, as they were 8-37 in the first two games in Music City.
From the jump, Vanderbilt set the tone and ended it with a 91-74 win.
“This will be something that they cherish and remember,” said Commodores’ head coach Mark Byington.
The Ole Miss Cinderella run came to an end after winning three games in three days, and they fought until the very end, with plenty of chances to lie down and give up, and never did.
AJ Storr went coast-to-coast to force overtime. Storr went off in overtime and even had a chance to win it in the end, but rimmed out on a three as Arkansas holds on 93-90.
Storr finished with 24 points on the day.
Nick Pringle will now appear in his second SEC Tournament final with a second team, the first was with Alabama in 2023.
“It’s a memorable moment. You’re making history for yourself, for your team, and for your fanbase. It’s here forever,” said Pringle. It’s the first time since 2018 that John Calipari is in the SEC Tournament Final.
The championship is set for Sunday at Noon ct. with 4-seed Vanderbilt and 3-seed Arkansas having a matchup of two of the top guard rooms in the conference to cut down the nets in the Music City.
Vanderbilt’s lockdown defense plus clutch shotmaking
March is when the unsung heroes step up, and that is when veterans like Jalen Washington and Devin McGlockton hit big threes when the team needed it most. Washington finished with 17 points, and McGlockton had 12, making three from deep.
Duke Miles and Tyler Tanner put on a show again as the guards won in March, and they outplayed the Gators’ guards big time, with 20 from Tanner on 8-10 shooting and Miles with 15 points, 10-10 from the charity stripe.
“We’re gonna get a ring tomorrow,” said Miles.
As a team, the Dores shot 21-23 from the lane to the Gators’ 17-23 from the line.
Florida as a team dominated yet again on the glass, 38-23, but the poor shooting and Vanderbilt’s resilient defense kept the Gators from any rhythm.
Thomas Haugh and Boogie Fland were the bright spots with 19 and 15 points, but outside of that, not much.
Dores forced 14 turnovers as a defense.
Maleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr. fend off Ole Miss in overtime
Maleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr. may be freshmen, but the moment never gets too bright, even when things got tight late and even into overtime.
Thomas went for a career-high 29 points on 9-15 shooting, as Ole Miss doubled and denied the ball to Acuff all game, allowing more looks for Thomas to get his.
“When I’m going, I feel like it’s hard for the defense to stop me,” said Thomas.
Darius Acuff Jr. was held in check for the first half with only four points, but when clutch time came in the second half went for 20 second-half points combined with overtime.
The lights never get too bright for the expected lottery pick in this upcoming draft.
Malique Ewin and Trevon Brazile both had double-doubles and matched the intensity that Malik Dia brought to the floor.
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