re: Best SEC MBB game you ever watched?

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that game was on the SECN the other night.

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It was electric. State was #5 in the country and 13-2 in the SEC. It was in the middle of what was a very bitter 5 year rivalry between Bama and MSU in hoops. Baja was 2nd in the SEC West and had beaten MSU earlier that season at the Hump. State was playing for an outright SEC title (a loss would have meant a tie with Kentucky), and Bama was playing for a bye in the SEC Tournament.

During that stretch of great MSU basketball teams, Bama was a bit of a problem. First, Gottfried had some great teams, and they simply played a brand of basketball that gave us fits. I remember losing by 50 in Coleman when we were a top 15 team. MSU would win the West, but Bama would make a Elite 8 run so there was bitterness on both sides. Add in that about that time, MSU snatched Mr. Basketball from Alabama, Mario Austin, from about 25 miles from Tuscaloosa. Gottfried and Stansbury didn't care for each other.

Baja ran us out of the gym for 30 minutes. They were up 16 with 9:00 to go and we went on a 19-3 run to tie it. Ended up winning in overtime. 30 minutes after the game we were still in the stands with 1000 or so MSU fans and Coleman turned the lights out on us.

We ended up losing to Vandy in the SEC tournament for our third loss of the season, which cost us a No. 1 seed. As the No. 2 seed, we beat Monmouth and then ran into a No. 7 seed Xavier that we had beaten by 25 earlier in the year.

In typical MSU fashion, Xavier had the game of their life. Got blown out in the second half.