2008 SEC Tournament – One for the Books

Play had to be delayed with 2:11 left in overtime of the Alabama-Mississippi State quarterfinal game in the SEC Tournament on Friday when a tornado struck the Georgia Dome.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the Atlanta area at 9:26 p.m. ET after radar indicated a storm capable of producing a tornado located about six miles west of Atlanta.

The tornado passed over Northside Drive, causing the Georgia Dome to shake and sway as the twister passed. Insulation from the Dome’s roof fell on the floor as both teams quickly evacuated the court.

Large sections of the Georgia Dome’s exteriors were on the ground outside of Gate E facing the Georgia World Congress Center. Several holes were visible near the Dome’s roof on the interior. Outside, full-grown trees lay on the ground uprooted.

Several fans said metal bolts and washers fell from the ceiling and said a pipe ripped a hole in the roof.

Mississippi State was leading Alabama 64-61 at the time.

After a more than 45-minute delay, the game was resumed and State held on for a 69-67 victory.

Georgia pulled off the story of the conference tournaments, winning the SEC. The Bulldogs came into the tournament with a losing record, but won three games in two days. Georgia also overcame a severe storm, which hit the Atlanta area Friday evening, ripping a hole in the Georgia Dome and postponing its quarterfinal game vs. Kentucky.

As for the rest of the conference, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Arkansas are virtual locks. Kentucky is the most intriguing team, going 12-4 in the SEC, but finishing with just a 18-12 overall record. Ole Miss was just the opposite, going 7-9 in conference play, but 21-10 overall. Both didn’t make the Big Dance. The two-time defending national champion Florida, which fell to Alabama in the first round, will try to redeem themselves in the NIT. Ole Miss received an invitation to the NIT as well.

The most surprising statement of the year: Georgia in the NCAA Tournament

Georgia vs Ole Miss

Dave Bliss banked in a shot with 0.4 seconds left in overtime, giving the last-place Bulldogs a thrilling 97-95 victory over Ole Miss in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament Thursday night.
The Rebels (21-10) finished the regular season on a three-game winning streak, including a 76-62 victory over Georgia last weekend that put the team squarely on the bubble for its first NCAA bid since 2002. They got to face the Bulldogs again six days later, but this time Georgia (14-16) prevailed.

Ole Miss sent the game to overtime when David Huertas was fouled on a 3-pointer and made all three free throws, and the Rebels looked to have forced another extra period when Chris Warren sank three after a virtually identical foul with 5.5 seconds left in OT.

But Georgia inbounded the ball to Corey Butler, who had fouled Warren. The walk-on guard drove nearly the length of the court before dumping the ball off to Bliss for an open 10-footer. He banked it in softly off the glass, sending the Bulldogs on to face Kentucky in the quarterfinals Friday night.

Georgia appeared to be in control when Gaines hit two free throws for a 63-50 lead with 12:58 remaining in regulation. Led by Huertas, the Rebels bounced back to outscore the Bulldogs 18-2 over the next 4½ minutes for a 68-65 lead. The sophomore guard from Puerto Rico accounted for 12 of the points on four 3-pointers, the last of which hit the rim, bounced off the backboard, hit the rim again and dropped through- the ultimate shooter’s roll.

Georgia withstood the Ole Miss run and appeared to have the game back in hand when Billy Humphrey hit a pair of free throws with 43 seconds left to make it 81-76.
Huertas hit another 3, and he got the ball back after Gaines missed a free throw with 15.5 seconds to go. With his team trailing 84-81, Huertas went up for a shot behind the arc and drew the foul from Humphrey, then swished three straight free throws to force overtime.

Georgia holds off Georgia Tech, 79-72

The Georgia Bulldogs defeated the visiting Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 79-72 in front of a raucous crowd of 10,503 on Wednesday night. Guard Billy Humphrey led all players in scoring with 23 points, while adding four rebounds and three steals.

Joining Humphrey in that backcourt was senior guard Sundiata Gaines, who had a fine game of his own. Gaines contributed 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the victorious effort. Guard Corey Butler added eleven points of his own.

The first half of action was back and forth until the Bulldogs went on a nine point run over a nearly three minute span. Georgia took the lead with 10:21 remaining in the first period and never gave it back. Georgia Tech tied the game with 10:05 left in the second half, but a Corey Butler three pointer returned the lead to the Dogs. Another Butler three pointer with 1:38 remaining sealed the win for Georgia and sent the near-sellout crowd into a frenzy.

Maurice Miller was the leading scorer for the Yellow Jackets with 15 points. Anthony Morrow added 14 and Lewis Clinch had 11. Georgia plays the Mississippi State Bulldogs next on Saturday January 12 in Starkville. The game tips at 2:00 pm eastern time and can be seen live on Raycom Sports.