It's no secret that the Vanderbilt Commodores are always reliant on the three point shot and getting to the charity stripe. While they did a decent job of executing the latter, the former element of their game was seriously lacking as they fell to the Florida Gators in the 2011 SEC Tournament, 77-66. The Commadores' three point shooting was truly woeful, as they managed just six three-pointers out of 33 attempts, good for a terrible 18.2%.
Vanderbilt started hot and jumped out to a lead early, but it became quickly apparent that they were inferior to the Gators in depth and fitness on the day. As the game wore on, Vanderbilt's shooting got worse while Florida's speed advantage became more obvious. John Jenkins was especially poor on the day, shooting 2-12 from behind the arc. Festus Ezeli provided a solid inside scoring and rebounding presence for Vanderbilt, but his effort wasn't enough to help his team to victory.
Chandler Parsons put in a solid and balanced performance, notching 16 points and nine rebounds, while Kenny Boynton's 5-9 performance from three, with most of those coming in the second half, helped the Gators pull away late.
Florida advances to the championship game, where they will play Kentucky tomorrow afternoon for the SEC Tournament Championship.
For more on this game, Florida Gators fans should visit Alligator Army and Vanderbilt fans should check out Anchor Of Gold.
First Round: Thursday, March 10
East No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs def. West No. 5 Auburn Tigers, 69-51
West No. 3 Mississippi Rebels def. East No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks, 66-55
East No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers def. West No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks, 74-68
East No. 3 Vanderbilt Commodores vs. West No. 6 LSU Tigers, 10:00 p.m., SEC Network
Quarterfinals: Friday, March 11
West No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide def. East No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs, 65-59
East No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats def. West No. 3 Mississippi Rebels, 75-66
East No. 1 Florida Gators def. East No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers, 85-74
East No. 3 Vanderbilt Commodores def. West No. 2 Mississippi State Bulldogs, 87-81
Semifinals: Saturday, March 12
East No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats def. West No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide, 72-58
East No. 1 Florida Gators def. East No. 3 Vanderbilt Commodores, 77-66
Championship game: Sunday, March 13
East No. 1 Florida Gators vs. East No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats, 1:00 p.m., ABC
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