NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee will face Kentucky one more time with a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament potentially at stake.
Admiral Schofield scored 20 points and No. 8 Tennessee defeated Mississippi State 83-76 in a Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinal on Friday night. The third-seeded Volunteers (28-4) advanced to a Saturday semifinal with No. 4 Kentucky (27-5), the second seed in this tournament.
Tennessee lost 86-69 at Kentucky on Feb. 16 to end a school-record 19-game winning streak but trounced the Wildcats 71-52 at home two weeks later.
The semifinal pairing represents a rematch of last year’s SEC Tournament championship game, which Kentucky won 77-72 to capture its fourth straight title. The other semifinal matches No. 22 Auburn (24-9) against Florida (19-14).
BIG PICTURE
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs couldn’t get to the semifinals, but they’ve done enough to earn their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2009.
“It’s not just making it,” Howland said. “We want to go in there and perform. No doubt, this entire team has earned this through a long campaign.”
UP NEXT
Mississippi State finds out on Sunday the date, location and opponent for its NCAA Tournament first-round game.
Tennessee faces Kentucky in an SEC semifinal Saturday.
