ABDUL ADO

Memphis players and staff celebrate their win against Mississippi State in an NCAA college basketball championship game in the NIT, Sunday, March 28, 2021, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)FRISCO, Texas – Memphis has its first title with Penny Hardaway as coach, and these young Tigers could be set up for more. “We had a goal of cutting the nets down in the NCAA Tournament, but I do feel like we should’ve been there," sophomore guard Lester Quinones said. Mississippi State (18-15) tied the game at 33-all when Andersson Garcia had a steal at midcourt and drove for a layup to beat the halftime buzzer. STYMIED BULLDOG GUARDSAfter being the first Mississippi State player with three consecutive 20-point postseason games, Stewart was 1-of-10 shooting, and 0-for-5 on 3s.

6 Alabama blew out Mississippi State 85-48 on Friday in an SEC quarterfinal. Alabama followed a couple of small early runs with a 17-0 surge over nearly five minutes for an eventual 43-13 cushion just before halftime. The Tide also swarmed the Bulldogs defensively, scoring 24 points off 14 first-half turnovers and holding them to 30% shooting overall. “To get beat this badly was really, really a bitter pill,” he said. Alabama drained 3s in bunches to put this game away early and protected the ball.