The 2023 SEC Tournament was, in fact, a South Carolina coronation.
The early action introduced a pair of Cinderellas, with No. 13 seed Texas A&M and No. 14 seed Kentucky both improbably advancing to the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, No. 4 seed Tennessee finally toppled a favored opponent by coming back from a 17-point deficit to defeat No. 2 seed LSU and earn a spot in the championship game.
But, the clock repeatedly struck midnight each time the No. 1 seed and unbeaten Gamecocks took the court. On Sunday afternoon, South Carolina reclaimed the SEC Tournament championship with a 74-58 victory over Tennessee.
The Lady Vols, however, admirably delayed the inevitable.
In the first half, the tough shotmaking of Rickea Jackson and Jordan Horston kept the Lady Vols within striking distance. The first quarter began with Jackson sinking a number of smooth jumpers, but, on the other end, Tennessee could do little to slow SEC Player of the Year Aliyah Boston, who made her first five shots on her way to 10 points in the opening frame.
Early in the second quarter, it appeared the Gamecocks were poised to begin to run away from the Vols, turning defense to offense behind an infusion of extra energy from Laeticia Amihere. Zia Cooke took over the scoring burden, tallying 12…
