SEC Tournament: Tennessee wins again

by Barca Blog

Recap: [E3] Tennessee 76, [W2] Ole Miss 65
AP -- Wayne Chism had 16 points and 15 rebounds as No. 15 Tennessee beat Ole Miss 76-65 in the Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinals on Friday. More

Quotables
Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy on their NCAA chances:
"You know, I don't know. There's so much made of this team in, this team out. To be honest with you, it's just counterproductive for us to live in that world. We just can't live in that world. All we can do is continue to play the game that's in front of us. Now there are no more games until they tell us what's next. Obviously, it's not a good position to be in. I've got a locker room full of very disappointed guys. So we'll have to wait and see."

UT coach Bruce Pearl on the Kentucky matchup:
"If you want to be a champion, you've got to beat the best, and Kentucky is the best. They are the best team here. They're one of the best teams in the country. And, obviously, an opportunity to play them and win a championship is something that you relish that opportunity. And we'll prepare, and we'll get after it"

UT's Wayne Chism on what it takes to beat Kentucky:
"The way to beat Kentucky is just play basketball. A lot of teams probably get scared to play these guys, but obviously when you go out and play somebody bigger and better on your schedule, you just come out and play basketball because that's one thing you know how to do. You come out and play different than what you all usually do, it's going to be a big mistake."

Notes
*Points off turnovers were a telling stat, as the Vols turned 14 Rebel turnovers into 20 points. By contrast, Ole Miss only had seven points off of Tennessee’s eight miscues.

*Neither team shot better than 40 percent from the field, but the Vols did have a decided advantage at the free throw line. UT made 70 percent of its 33 free throw attempts, while Ole Miss made only 48 percent of its 25 tries.

*Ole Miss went nearly five minutes without a field goal in the second half.

*Chris Warren went 5-of-12 from long range and tied a school-record for consecutive games with a made three-pointer by connecting from deep in his 41st straight game.

Next Up
Tennessee will face East No. 1 seed Kentucky in the semifinals Saturday at noon CT on ABC. The teams split their two regular season meetings. For complete coverage of the tournament, go to SECsports.com.