ATLANTA - Georgia, which pulled out of the SEC tournament last season because of an academic scandal, took an 11-0 lead and cruised to a 73-59 victory over Auburn in the opening round Thursday.
The Bulldogs (16-12) were determined to leave a more favorable impression than the 2003 scandal.
"This is a nice tribute to the seniors," athletic director Vince Dooley said. "Those guys have been through some difficult times. But they have really persevered through some dramatic changes."
Freshman Levi Stukes scored a career-high 25, making eight 3-pointers.
"The seniors sat down the freshmen and let them know they wanted to really get to the (NCAA) Tournament because of what happened last year," Stukes said. "Each time we got to the practice floor, they let us know how hard we had to play to get there."
Auburn (14-14) can only hope for the NIT after losing for the fifth time in six games. On their first eight possessions, the Tigers had seven turnovers and a missed shot.
S. CAROLINA 91, ARKANSAS 81: Mike Boynton scored a career-high 32, making five 3-pointers, for the Gamecocks (22-9).
Boynton made 17 of 19 free throws, and the Gamecocks were 39-of-50 from the line.
The Gamecocks took the lead for good barely three minutes in.
The Razorbacks (12-16) lost eight of their last nine to complete a second straight losing season under coach Stan Heath.
ALABAMA 84, TENNESSEE 49: Kennedy Winston scored 17 and the Crimson Tide (17-11) hit seven of its first eight shots, advancing to play Florida at 10 tonight.
With an RPI ranking of 23 at the end of the regular season, Alabama likely will get a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide made it in 2003 with a 17-12 record and a fourth-place finish in the SEC West.
VANDY 70, MISSISSIPPI 50: Dawid Przybyszewski scored 17 and the Commodores (20-8) solidified their credentials for their first NCAA bid in seven years. The plodding Rebels (13-15) fell behind 42-27 at halftime and never made a serious run after that. Midway through the first half, Ole Miss forward Aaron Harper was hit in the face during a scramble for a loose ball. He needed 17 stitches and left for the rest of the half.
