Tennessee basketball will face Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday afternoon after the Bulldogs defeated LSU in the second round on Friday afternoon.
Mississippi State overcame a poor first 20 minutes and a seven-point halftime deficit by outscoring LSU 48-31 in the second half and coasting to a 10-point win.
The Bulldogs knocked off Tennessee 77-72 in the lone meeting between the two teams in Starkville during the regular season. In fact, Mississippi State is the only SEC team Tennessee hasn’t beaten this season with the Vols splitting matchups against South Carolin, Texas A&M and Kentucky in the regular season.
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Tennessee drawing Mississippi State in the quarterfinals is a big win for its NCAA Tournament seeding hopes. Defeating the Bulldogs would give the Vols their eighth Quad 1 win of the season while a victory over LSU would only be a Quad 2 win.
The Vols claimed the outright SEC Regular Season Championship by posting a 14-4 conference record and is the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament for the first time in Barnes tenure.
Tennessee is looking to bolster its one-seed case in the NCAA Tournament this week in Nashville as they look to defend its regular season crown with an SEC Tournament Championship.
Tipoff between the Vols and Bulldogs is at 1 p.m. ET at Bridgestone Arena on Friday afternoon. ESPN is broadcasting the game.
