(AP photo/Reggie Solis)
SEC links for Friday:
Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger: “Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings was looking for a breakthrough moment and Jeffery Taylor delivered it Thursday night. Mississippi State and Vanderbilt delivered blow after blow and exchanged leads 16 times, but it was Taylor who delivered the knockout punch in an 81-74 victory for the 19th-ranked Commodores – the first for Stallings in Starkville.”
Dan Fleser of the Knoxville News-Sentinel: “Tennessee’s Glory Johnson did the math beforehand, figuring that she had to help cover for three missing teammates. Afterward, the statisticians and record keepers were left to account for the Lady Vols’ junior forward, who did the work of three players and more in an 81-55 SEC women’s basketball victory over Mississippi State on Thursday night.”
David Helman of the Times-Picayune: “LSU junior forward LaSondra Barrett’s bid for school history serves as a metaphor for her team’s fourth SEC loss — a frustrating miss. Barrett entered Thursday night’s game against Arkansas (16-4, 4-4) with a chance to become LSU’s first player to reach 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds in the same game. She reached 1,000 points, but she fell one shy of 500 rebounds, just as the Lady Tigers (14-8, 4-4) stumbled their way to a 53-45 loss.”
Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger: “Mississippi State enters the final weekend before signing day scrambling to recover from several big hits. MSU won a battle against Ole Miss last week when it landed a commitment from defensive tackle P.J. Jones of Tupelo, bolstering an already-strong class of defensive lineman. Jones is listed as a four-star prospect (on a five-star scale) by Rivals.com. But Bulldog fans on Internet message boards entered meltdown mode this week after losing five-star linebacker C.J. Johnson from Philadelphia High School to Ole Miss on Tuesday.”
Tommy Hicks of the Mobile Press-Register: “Today is Nick Fairley Day here in Mobile. Are you kidding me? Of course it’s Nick Fairley Day. There will be many others, too, including the likelihood of April 28, the first day of the NFL draft. If not for a slightly more famous and beloved Auburn teammate named Cam, the 2010 college football year might well have been the Season of Nick Fairley.”
Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News: “No one is going to confuse University of Alabama sophomore guard Ben Eblen with Jimmer Fredette, college basketball’s latest shooting sensation out of Brigham Young. The point is, Eblen wouldn’t want you to. For the entire 19-game Crimson Tide season to date, Eblen has taken a total of 21 shots. Fredette took 24 Wednesday against San Diego State. But the two do have something in common – they are playing a valuable role in helping their teams enjoy conference success.”
Scott Hotard of the Baton Rouge Advocate: “The LSU men’s basketball team, reeling after three straight blowouts, is in line to have leading scorer Ralston Turner back for Saturday’s game at Alabama. Turner, a 6-foot-6 freshman, suffered a stress reaction in his right foot Jan. 2 at Virginia. He has not played in any of LSU’s five Southeastern Conference games. ‘He’s just glad to be in a situation where he can help his teammates,’ LSU coach Trent Johnson said.”
Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News: “There’s no doubt the road has been a forgettable place for Arkansas this season. The 0-4 record, including an 0-3 mark in Southeastern Conference play is the ugly proof. So, too, is the fact the Razorbacks have played some of their worst basketball in those outings – including 33- and 32-point losses to Texas and Florida, respectively. But Arkansas remains confident a breakthrough is coming when it steps outside of Bud Walton Arena.”
