It's the first men's hoops Saturday in March, which means March Madness is on the horizon. Here's how No. 5 Tennessee came back to beat No. 6 Alabama, how No. 1 Auburn took down No. 17 Kentucky and more from a stacked Saturday in men's basketball.
Mashack, No. 5 Tennessee beats No. 6 Alabama with buzzer-beater
No. 5 Tennessee鈥檚 winning window was closing quickly with 36 seconds left.
No. 6 Alabama had just taken a four-point lead, while the Volunteers were still looking for their first basket since the 6:18 mark of the second half. The game's winner could easily determine which team received a No. 1 seed come March Madness. Also, a win for Alabama would secure a share of the SEC regular season title.
Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack kept both possibilities intact, rattling in a top of the key three at the buzzer to beat the Crimson Tide 79-76.
The Volunteers ended the contest on a 7-0 run.
JAHMAI MASHACK IS A HOOPER
鈥 Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops)
The top-six matchup embodied the storylines of most SEC games this season: physical, back-and-forth battles that are filled with scoring runs and droughts. Between nine ties and 10 lead changes, predicting the winner before the final buzzer was like a shot in the dark.
The two teams were only separated by four points at halftime, and the second half was no different. After Tennessee guard Jordan Gainey鈥檚 jumper to knot it up at 68 with six minutes left, neither team hit a shot until two minutes remained.
Madness ensued after Alabama's three-pointer and free throws from guards Mark Sears and Labaron Philon, respectively, to give the Crimson Tide a four-point lead. Volunteers guard Chaz Lanier made an and-one layup, and his missed free throw turned into another foul on Alabama. Tied at 76 with 30 seconds left, it was a brand new ball game.
The Crimson Tide searched for a game-winning shot on the next possession but ended with a five-second inbound violation with three seconds left.
From there, Mashack made the most out of his moment, sprinting down the floor and pulling up not even past the team's elongated logo. The shot gave Mashack his first double-digit performance in over a month and handed the Volunteers its eighth ranked win of the year.
No. 1 Auburn handles No. 17 Kentucky
Top-ranked Auburn (27-2 overall, 15-1SEC) continued its impressive season, defeating No. 17 Kentucky (19-10, 8-8), 94-78. The Tigers have now compiled 10 victories over top-25 teams and secured at least a share of the SEC regular season crown.
Auburn wasted no time, surging in front by 15 at the half.
The Tigers then quickly expanded their advantage, at one point holding a commanding 22-point lead. The Tigers shot an impressive 51.8% from the field, including 12 of 26 (46.2%) from beyond the arc, and capitalized on 18 Kentucky turnovers, scoring 22 total fast-break points.
The win was a team effort. Miles Kelly led the charge with 30 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Kelly also hit nine of Auburn's 12 3-pointers. Chad Baker-Mazara added 22 points, three steals, two rebounds, one assist and a block. Tahaad Pettiford came off the bench to contribute 21 points, four assists and two rebounds.
Auburn closes conference plays at Texas A&M and then at home against rival Alabama.
Vanderbilt stuns No. 14 Missouri in OT
If there was a question of whether March Madness was near, Vanderbilt's upset win over No. 14 Missouri (21-8, 10-6 SEC) was the answer. The Commodores (20-9, 8-8 SEC) shocked the Tigers with back-to-back threes in the last 12 seconds to force overtime and eventually win 97-93.
The Commodores were in catchup mode for most of regulation 鈥 consistently a stride behind Mizzou and never able to completely surpass the Tigers. The team鈥檚 biggest lead was just two points in the first 40 minutes of play, while the Tigers led by as much as nine points multiple times during the contest.
However, that two-point lead came at the perfect time with less than five minutes left, where anything could happen and no doors were closed.
And that鈥檚 exactly what ensued. Behind Mizzou鈥檚 missed free throws down the stretch and Vanderbilt鈥檚 clutch shot-making, the Commodores didn鈥檛 go away. This sentiment came to a climax when Vanderbilt hit back-to-back threes from guards Jason Edwards and Tyler Nickel with 12 seconds left to send the matchup to overtime.
狈滨颁碍贰尝尝尝尝尝尝尝尝尝尝尝尝尝尝尝尝尝鈥硷笍
鈥 Vanderbilt Men's Basketball (@VandyMBB)
OT 鈿擄笍猬囷笍
The uphill battle was no more, both teams were on a leveled playing field.
The Commodores built on their end-of-regulation momentum and kept the good times rolling, hitting 4-of-5 shots in overtime to the Tigers鈥 4-of-8 performance. In the victory, three Vanderbilt players finished with 17 or more points 鈥 Edwards, Chris Manon and AJ Hoggard.
Mizzou, a team that's had a strong bounce-back season after a disappointing 2023 campaign, loses its second game in the last three outings.
No. 3 Florida handles No. 12 Texas A&M
No. 3 Florida put on an offensive clinic against No. 12 Texas A&M, winning 89-70. It was the program鈥檚 fourth-ranked victory of the season.
Not only did the Gators (25-4, 12-4 SEC) spread the love at a high rate, nearly every player had something to eat in the 19-point feast. Eight of nine players scored. The team dished out 21 assists, and they shot 47.8% from the field and 42.4% from three.
The Aggies (20-9, 9-7 SEC) showed promise early, building an early lead for the first seven minutes of the contest. That all changed by the 12:24 mark, when forward Denzel Aberdeen found a wide-open forward Thomas Haugh at the top key for three, giving Florida its first lead of the game, 19-17.
The Gators didn鈥檛 look back, maintaining a lead for the remainder of the game. Florida鈥檚 lead reached as high as 14 before the end of the first half and ended the contest on a 9-0 run.
The run of ranked opponents continues for both teams, as the Gators take on No. 6 Alabama on the road and TAMU welcomes in No. 1 Auburn next.
