FINAL Bama 64 South Carolina 53 SEC MBB Tourney Game 8

[jbcarol]

 Drew Franklin‏ @DrewFranklinKSR 12h12 hours ago

I crossed the street (jaywalked) with Frank Martin. I was worried about the oncoming car. He stared it down until it locked up its brakes.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/TideSports/status/840014920502661122

Every time Alabama basketball fans are ready to set aside their crazy dreams for this season, pointing their focus on the future, this 2017 team does something that, like the paddles of a defibrillator, jolts those dreams back to unexpected life.

No one is predicting the Crimson Tide is going to storm through three more games in the SEC Tournament and make the stunning leap from Nashville to the NCAA. But watching the Crimson Tide put together two strong halves in a blowout of Mississippi State at least gave those in town something to chew on besides the hot chicken at Hattie B's.

Could Alabama get past South Carolina playing the way it did on Thursday? Well, UA has already beaten the Gamecocks in Columbia, and while South Carolina is an NCAA-bound team, the Gamecock style suits Alabama. The game will match the two best defensive teams in the league by any statistical measure and if it grinds around in the 55-point range, that's just the sort of mud that Alabama likes to roll around in. The Crimson Tide would also appreciate South Carolina duplicating its 3-for-30 first-half shooting numbers from that game.)

Let's just assume Alabama will pull the mild upset and get past South Carolina. That would probably put UA up against Kentucky – the "probably" is there because Georgia has been a tough matchup for UK this season, playing the Wildcats to the final minute and beyond (in one overtime loss) in both meetings. If the opponent were to be Georgia, Alabama would have a chance as it showed by winning in Athens. If it's Kentucky, well...

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Michael_Carvell/status/840232584906956801

[jbcarol]

 Cecil Hurt‏ @CecilHurt 5m5 minutes ago

So far this season, South Carolina has made 3 of 35 first-half shots vs. Alabama. @AlabamaMBB up 2-0 in this scorefest

[jbcarol]

 Gamecock MBB‏Verified account @GamecockMBB 4m4 minutes ago

Strong defensive shutdown by the #Gamecocks, but not finding the shots yet, still tied up at 4-4.

[jbcarol]

 Alabama M Basketball‏Verified account @AlabamaMBB 2m2 minutes ago

#Alabama leads 9-6 with 10:54 left in 1H. The UA freshmen have scored all 9 pts (Ingram 5, Key 4). The Tide owns a 13-6 edge on the glass.

[jbcarol]

 David Cloninger‏ @DCTheState 27s27 seconds ago

Evan Hinson sparking the Gamecocks. He drives from the baseline for a 14-13 lead on a layup, has four points and two boards.

[jbcarol]

 SportsTalk‏ @sportstalksc 60s60 seconds ago

Alabama calls time out with 6:50 left in half, USC up 14-13. 8-2 run for USC. Hinson leads with 4.

[jbcarol]

Bama 21  SC 19  2:56

[jbcarol]

Bama 23  SC 22  Halftime

[jbcarol]

Bama 52  SC 48  3:57

[jbcarol]

 David Cloninger‏ @DCTheState 3m3 minutes ago

USC has missed its last three free throws and nine for the game...

[jbcarol]

Bama 56  SC 53  2:00

[jbcarol]

FINAL Bama 64 South Carolina 53

Hope you had the under

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/840324991145115649

[jbcarol]

 Cecil Hurt‏ @CecilHurt 5m5 minutes ago

Final:@AlabamaMBB 64, South Carolina. Crimson Tide (19-13) headed to the SEC semifinals for the first time since 2013.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/johnclayiv/status/840382963154059264

Avery Johnson's team had lost three of four coming into the tournament, but on Thursday night it took apart Mississippi State 75-55 in a second round game at Bridgestone... But then the Crimson Tide knocked off No. 4 seed South Carolina 64-53 in Friday's quarterfinal. Braxton Key led the way with 18 points as Alabama broke open a close game by scoring the final 10 points of the contest. The Tide shot 44.9 percent for the game in reaching its first conference tournament semifinal since 2013.

Alabama led the Gamecocks 23-22 at the half, then held off the Gamecocks in the second half. True, South Carolina made just 13 of 23 free throws for 56.5 percent, but USC coach Frank Martin gave credit to the Tide.

"If you're going to play Alabama, you've got to have some dogs," said Martin. "We had puppies today."

Ken Pomeroy's numbers rank the Tide as the ninth-best team in the nation in terms of defensive efficiency.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/840337532768391168