NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The top-seeded University of Tennessee men’s basketball team dropped a 73-56 decision to ninth-seeded Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Friday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena.
Fifth-ranked Tennessee (24-8, 14-4 SEC) fell behind early by double digits and could not claw back. Junior guard Zakai Zeigler, who surpassed 1,000 career points in the setback, paced the SEC regular season champions with a game-best 20 points.
Along with Zeigler leading all scorers, both fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht and junior guard Jahmai Mashack finished in double figures. Knecht scored 14 points, while Mashack recorded 10 on 4-of-6 shooting. Junior forward Jonas Aidoo led all players with 10 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end, in the defeat.
Tennessee shot 42.9 percent (12-of-28) in the second half, but still finished the day with a 30.6 percent (19-of-62) clip overall. At the other end, Mississippi State, which had a 42-14 edge in paint points, shot 55.3 percent (26-of-47) in the win.
The Volunteers will now return home to Knoxville, Tenn., where they will await their matchup, seed and destination for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, as the program is expected to reach the field for the sixth consecutive time.
