SEC Basketball: Takeaways from quarterfinal round of 2021 tournament

By Matt Melton | Mar 13, 2021

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 12: Juwan Gary #4 and Jahvon Quinerly #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrate connecting on a alley oop dunk as head coach Ben Howland of the Mississippi State Bulldogs calls a timeout during the first half of their quarterfinal game in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 12, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

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SEC Basketball Alabama Crimson Tide Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

After an action-packed first full day of action at the 2021 SEC Basketball Tournament, Friday turned out to be even better. Let’s take a look at a few takeaways from the Quarterfinal Round of the 2021 SEC Tournament, a day in which top-seeds dominated at times, and a team’s NCAA Tournament chances potentially disappeared.

Tide Dominate

Alabama was dominant from start to finish on Friday afternoon as the Crimson Tide cruised to an 85-48 win over Mississippi State in the Quarterfinal Round of the 2021 SEC Tournament.

It was a dominant showing for the nation’s #3 defense on Friday as Alabama forced 18 Mississippi State turnovers on the defensive end. Alabama also had 11 steals in the game and held the Bulldogs to 29% shooting from the field.

It wasn’t just the Tide’s defense however as Alabama shot 48.5% from the field, while also making 13 3’s. The Crimson Tide were led by SEC Player of the Year Herbert Jones who posted an 8-7-7 line, while also having three players score in double-figures. A question for the Tide however is the availability of freshman guard Joshua Primo, who suffered an injury in the second half.

With the win, top-seeded Alabama advances to the SEC Tournament Semifinals on Saturday afternoon to face Tennessee. This sure felt like a statement game from the Crimson Tide, and if Alabama plays like this from here on, it’ll be hard to find someone able to beat them.

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