IVERSON MOLINAR

Kellan Grady scored eight points in overtime, including consecutive 3-pointers about a minute apart, and Sahvir Wheeler added two free throws to lift No. 12 Kentucky over Mississippi State 82-74 on Tuesday night.

Memphis guard Boogie Ellis (5) makes a pass as Mississippi State forward Derek Fountain (20), Cameron Matthews (4), Abdul Ado, bottom front, and D.J. After just missing out on their first NCAA Tournament since 2013-14, the Tigers went into the NIT as a No. Cameron Matthews scored 19 to pace Mississippi State, and Deivon Smith had 17. STYMIED STEWARTAfter being the first Mississippi State player ever with three consecutive 20-point poststeason games, D.J. Iverson Molinar, who had 25 points in the semifinal for Mississippi State, finished with six against Memphis.

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.

But things began spiraling downward for the Wildcats long before Thursday's disappointing 74-73 setback against Mississippi State that sealed their fate: No NCAA Tournament this year. AdDigesting the reality and enduring a losing season at college basketball's winningest program will make for a long offseason for the Wildcats. “But at the end of the day, you've gotta win games and you've gotta be tough and you've got to play winning basketball. The Wildcats rebounded to win their first three SEC games, only to seesaw between a four-game skid and three-game winning streak. One of the main issues for the Wildcats was putting up points, as Kentucky ranked 200th in Division I in scoring.

– Jaden Shackleford scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half, and No. 6 Alabama beat Mississippi State 64-59 on Saturday night to clinch its first Southeastern Conference regular-season championship since 2002. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs had plenty of good looks in the first half that just didn’t fall. The second half began much better and they were able to get close, but couldn’t get that one key basket or stop Alabama on the glass. Mississippi State visits Texas A&M on Wednesday night.