SEC tournament roundup: Arkansas hangs on to defeat South Carolina

Trevon Brazile scored 16 points Wednesday and Jonas Aidoo added a double-double as No. 9 seed Arkansas built a 20-point lead, then barely held on to eliminate 16th-seeded South Carolina 72-68 in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Nashville.

Aidoo finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds as the Razorbacks (20-12) advanced to a second-round matchup Thursday with No. 8 seed Ole Miss. Johnell Davis added 14 points, including two foul shots with 2.5 seconds left to seal the outcome, and D.J. Wagner chipped in 13 points plus six assists.

Collin Murray-Boyles scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Gamecocks, who finished their season with a 12-20 record. Jamarii Thomas added 16 points and Jacobi Wright hit for 13 plus four assists.

Texas 79, Vanderbilt 72

Tre Johnson and Tramon Mark scored 19 points each to help the 13th-seeded Longhorns hold off the 12th-seeded Commodores in a Southeastern Conference tournament first-round slugfest.

The Longhorns won despite not making a field goal in the final 6:17. Texas (18-14) -- considered a bubble team to make the NCAA Tournament -- advanced to play rival Texas A&M, the No. 5 seed, in the second round on Thursday. Texas and Texas A&M split their two games this season.

Jordan Pope added 14 points, Arthur Kaluma scored 11 and Jayson Kent took 10 rebounds for Texas. Vanderbilt's Jason Edwards led all scorers with 20 points while Tyler Nickel had 14. The Commodores now await their fate for the NCAA Tournament.

Mississippi State 91, LSU 62

Josh Hubbard scored 26 points and the No. 10 seed Bulldogs routed the No. 15 seed Tigers in Nashville.

Hubbard made more 3-pointers (six) than all of the Tigers combined (five), and Mississippi State finished with a 30-point advantage from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs (21-11) will oppose No. 21 Missouri, the No. 7 seed, in the second round.

Jordan Sears scored 20 points, Robert Miller III had 14 and Cam Carter added 13 for LSU (14-18).

Oklahoma 81, Georgia 75

Freshman Jeremiah Fears scored 29 points and led a late run that lifted the 14th-seeded Sooners to a win over the 11th-seed Bulldogs.

The Sooners (20-12) strengthened their case to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. Oklahoma will oppose sixth-seeded Kentucky in the second round on Thursday. Jalon Moore scored 14 points, hitting a career-high four 3-pointers, while Fears tied a season high with four 3-pointers.

The Bulldogs (20-12), who figure to be in the NCAAs for the first time since 2015, now await their tournament fate. Silas Demary Jr. led the Bulldogs with 24 points while freshman Asa Newell added 21 and a season-high 17 rebounds.

--Field Level Media