More madness in Atlanta


ATLANTA — Take a good, long look at Arkansas center Steven Hill.

He’s 7-feet of awkwardness, from the gangly limbs to the puffy hair to the Chewbacca starter kit of beard stubble on his face. Add to this a red headband and Hill looks like he should be posting up Jackie Moon, the Will Farrell character in the soon-to-be released comedy/ABA homage ''Semi-Pro.''

Thanks to Hill, we've just witnessed the sort of moment that makes college basketball so riveting in March.

Hill, the Sasquatch look-a-like who dresses as if he's about to play squash, just buried a turnaround jumper a heartbeat before the buzzer to give Arkansas a 92-91 win over Tennessee in Saturday night's Southeastern Conference tournamnet semifinal at Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

Unless you're a Tennessee fan, you have to love a moment like this. Before sinking a shot on a play that wasn't even supposed to run through him, Hill had produced a grand total of zero points and four fouls.

"It obviously was designed for me,'' Hill joked after the game. "I need more shots.''

Other than the tornado that shook the Georgia Dome Friday night and forced the SEC to move to an ACC court, this tournament will be remembered for drama engineered by backups and stiff 7-footers.

First, Dave Bliss knocks in a bank at the overtime buzzer to lift Georgia over Ole Miss in the first round. Then Tennessee escapes against South Carolina. Then freshman guard Zac Swansey, on the court solely because a senior starter fouled out, airmails a whirl-and-shoot 3-pointer to propel Georgia past Kentucky. Later Saturday, it was Hill's turn to create March magic.

What was it that they said about Michael Jordan? It's got to be the shoes.

Take a look at the water ski-length sneakers on Hill's feet. The No. 4 is scrawled on the top of both high-tops in black magic marker. It serves as a tribute to recently retired Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre.

"He's my all-time favorite athlete,'' Hill said.

Brett would undoubtedly be proud of Hill if he saw that last shot. The guts required to take it, let alone make it, were positively Favre-like.

Intimate setting

ATLANTA — Anybody happen to have a Dunwoody High School roster handy?

Wait, you mean this isn't the Georgia High School Association playoffs being played today at Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum?

Actually, GHSA postseason crowds are generally larger than what Georgia and Kentucky played in front of Saturday in the quarterfinals of the relocated Southeastern Conference tournament.

Damage done to the Georgia Dome by a tornado late Friday night necessitated a move somewhere, what with debris falling from the rafters of the arena and a hole punctured in the roof. Nearby option -- the Gwinnett Arena and Phillips Arena -- were already booked, leaving SEC officials with no other option but a 9,000-seat venue at Tech. They were also saddled with a collosal headache since the Georgia Dome basketball seating arrangement could accomodate 26,000 fans.

That meant a lot of hacked-off Kentucky fans were waiting outside the coliseum and wondering why their SEC tournament passes couldn't get them in the door Saturday morning. SEC officials determined the only way to ensure security and equitability between the schools was to limit passage into the arena to players' families, pep bands and cheerleaders.

As a result, a mere 1,458 fans witnessed Georgia's thrilling 60-56 overtime win over Kentucky.

Day one observations


ATLANTA -- Georgia just outlasted Ole Miss in overtime, 97-95, despite doing everything possible to keep the Rebels in the game.
Georgia committed fouls on a pair of Ole Miss 3-point attempts, once at the end of regulation and once at the end of overtime, allowing the Rebels to tie what seemed to be an airtight game on both occasions.
The Bulldogs made the most of the 5.5 seconds left on the clock in the latter instance. Corey Butler pushed the ball upcourt and found Dave Bliss unguarded to the right of the lane. Bliss, the senior center who is undoubtedly the last option to consider for a game-winning shot, banked in a 6-footer just before the buzzer to seal the deal.
Since I'm waiting for Dennis Felton to arrive for his postgame press conference (in case anyone is still awake), I'll fill the time by running down some players who stuck out.

Shan Foster, Vanderbilt: The 6-foot-6 guard, who earned SEC player of the year honors, lived up to his billing with 26 points against Auburn. He made 6-of-9 3-pointers, many of them coming from waaaaay deep, and displayed a nice mid-range game.

A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt: Hard to believe he's a freshman. What stood out -- other than his 12-of-13 shooting, was his footwork and soft hands. It's rare to see a 6-11 player with considerable bulk run the floor so well.

Anthony Randolph, LSU: This freshman can afford to stick around. He'll merely boost his NBA earning potential by bulking up his thin 6-10 body and expanding his skill set. He went off for 22 points and eight rebounds in a loss to South Carolina.

Mykal Riley, Alabama: Riley has been lethal from long-range in the last two games. He absolutely buried Florida by hitting crucial 3-pointers in the second half. He may be a bit one-dimensional, but it's a good dimension to have. Keep stepping back until they choose not to guard you and bury it in their face. Riley went 8-of-12 on threes on the way to a 26-point night.

Sundiata Gaines, Georgia: Haven't seen the final box score yet, but he had 20 points and applied some suffocating defense. He's the consummate point guard -- tough in the lane, good court vision and scrappy on defense. He made life miserable for Ole Miss freshman point guard Chris Warren.

Alabama advances


ATLANTA -- Alabama just bounced two-time defending national champion Florida out of the SEC tournament, 80-69.

The Crimson Tide finished strong after allowing a 23-point halftime lead to get cut to 57-51 in the second half.

Mykal Riley was lights-out for Alabama for the second straight game, hitting eight 3-pointers and finishing with 26 points.

Uh, not so fast ...


ATLANTA — Now we're seeing a glimpse of the Alabama team that went 5-11 in SEC play this season.

The Crimson Tide’s 23-point halftime lead over Florida dissolved to seven a couple minutes ago. Mykal Riley just buried another 3-pointer to help push it back to 11 points with about five remaining.

Riley has gone absolutely bonkers. Haven't seen updated stats, but he had 14 points at halftime after going 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Richard Hendrix was unstoppable in the first half with 15 points and five rebounds.

It's rare for a Billy Donovan-coached team to go out with a whimper, but the Gators could be playing their way out of the NCAA tournament equation. They were 21-10 (8-8 in the SEC) going into Thursday and were widely believed to be in need of a win or two in the league tournament in order to offset a weak RPI rating (64th).

Florida has won 18 consecutive postseason games over the last two years, but it's looking like any extension to that will come in the NIT.

Alabama looking sharp


ATLANTA -- If this keeps up, Florida may soon find its NCAA bubble pierced by a stilleto.

Your score from the Georgia Dome at the first TV timeout:

Alabama 14, Florida 2.

The Crimson Tide jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the Gators came ''roaring back'' with their first basket of the game.