Caleb Homesley scored 22 of his 30 points in the second half and Lovell Cabbil hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to send 12th-seeded Liberty to the first NCAA tournament win in school history, 80-76 over fifth-seeded Mississippi State on Friday.
We're halfway through the second half and Mississippi State already has committed nine team fouls. Seems like the kind of thing that might eventually become important against Liberty, which ranks 12th in the country in free-throw percentage.
After briefly losing its early lead, Mississippi State closed the first half on a 6-0 run to go into the break leading 37-35 over Liberty. The Bulldogs' backcourt of Lamar Peters and Quinndary Weatherspoon combined for 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting. But after starting off a little tight, Liberty also found its offensive groove and is shooting 50 percent in the first half. It's been, thus far, the best-played matchup of the first three games here in San Jose today.
If the opening minutes of this game are any indication, Liberty is going to have some problems getting open shots against the taller, longer, more-athletic Mississippi State defenders. The Flames are 1-for-6 from the floor heading into the first timeout of the half, an unusual predicament for a team that ranks 13th in the nation by shooting 49 percent from the floor.
ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi's team of bracketologists examine the 2019 NCAA tournament outlook for the Mississippi State Tigers.
Admiral Schofield scored 20 points and No. 8 Tennessee defeated Mississippi State 83-76 in a Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinal on Friday night.
Lamar Peters scored 15 points, and Mississippi State routed Texas A&M 80-54 Thursday night in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSU | 16-2 | - | 28-7 |
| Tennessee | 15-3 | 1 | 31-6 |
| Kentucky | 15-3 | 1 | 30-7 |
| Auburn | 11-7 | 5 | 30-10 |
| South Carolina | 11-7 | 5 | 16-16 |
| Mississippi State | 10-8 | 6 | 23-11 |
| Ole Miss | 10-8 | 6 | 20-13 |
| Florida | 9-9 | 7 | 20-16 |
| Arkansas | 8-10 | 8 | 18-16 |
| Alabama | 8-10 | 8 | 18-16 |
| Texas A&M | 6-12 | 10 | 14-18 |
| Missouri | 5-13 | 11 | 15-17 |
| Georgia | 2-16 | 14 | 11-21 |
| Vanderbilt | 0-18 | 16 | 9-23 |
| NAME | POS | STATUS | GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elias King | PF | Signed | 82 |
| Iverson Molinar | SG | Signed | 80 |
| Devin Butts | SG | Signed | - |
| Final Fours | 1 |
| Tournament Record | 11-10 |
| Championship Seasons | None |
| Tournament Appearances | 10 |
