Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. ó When Mississippi State finished its surprising run through the Southeastern Conference tournament, Twany Beckham grabbed an SEC sign and hoisted it high above his head.
One problem: It was upside-down, which may have been fitting considering it was the Bulldogs celebrating the league title and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament, not regular-season winner LSU, co-East Division champion Tennessee or perennial powerhouse Kentucky.
“The only thing I know is we don’t have to sit here and worry about being on a bubble,” Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said. “We busted that bubble. That’s all that matters.”
The Bulldogs showed the rest of the SEC teams that were waiting for the decision of the NCAA selection committee that the best way to get in is take care of your own business.
Phil Turner scored seven of his 12 points in the final 1:35 Sunday, and No. 3 West seed Mississippi State knocked off East No. 1 seed Tennessee 64-61 for their first bid since 2005.
Turner, who had 10 rebounds, hit a big 3-pointer to put Mississippi State (23-12) in front for good, then made two free throws with 8 seconds left to help the Bulldogs hold off the Volunteers (21-12) in a wild finish.
Cameron Tatum’s long 3-pointer bounced off the rim and Mississippi State’s Barry Stewart rebounded as time ran.
Wayne Chism led the Volunteers with 15 points, but he missed seven of nine 3-points attempts a day after going 4-of-6 to key a victory over Auburn in the semifinals. J.P Prince had 14 points and leading scorer Tyler Smith had 12 on 2-of-14 shooting.
The win was the sixth straight for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs’ first SEC title since 2002 ensures the league at least three spots, with Tennessee and LSU considered locks.
Tennessee had hoped winning the SEC tournament for the fifth time would improve its seeding.
“I told our guys that first of all, we obviously didn’t help our seed, so the road to the Final Four will be much more difficult, much more challenging.” coach Bruce Pearl said.
“We’ve been consistently inconsistent. If we can get it going again, because we’ve been playing great basketball here in March, we’ll forget about the disappointment of not winning this tournament. But if we’re not able to pick us up again, this missed opportunity will hurt for a long time.”