COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- As Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi worked around the arc during pregame shoot-around, he felt as if he was trying to force a basketball through the eye of a needle. That feeling changed in a big way after the opening tipoff minutes later.
Vescovi scored a career-high 23 points, including six three-pointers, despite the rough practice before the game to push the No. 9 Volunteers past Texas A&M, 68-54, on Saturday.
"I was not feeling that good like in terms of rhythm of my shot," Vescovi said. "I really don't know what happened today. I was shooting the warmup and couldn't make (a) shot and then I got into the game and they started falling, so I just started taking opportunities."
Vescovi's hot hand began early for the Vols (9-1, 3-1 SEC) as he hit his first four shots from behind the arc. His barrage was part of a 17-4 Tennessee run that pushed the Volunteers' lead to 14 midway through the opening half.
Senior Savion Flagg was the Aggies' saving grace at the end of the first, connecting on three consecutive three-pointers to pull the Aggies (6-4, 1-3) within six. Flagg entered Saturday's contests on a 3-for-21 clip from the floor over the previous three games.
"I've been getting a lot more shots up outside of practice and coming into the gym, getting extra work with the coaches, and getting the managers to come help me rebound," Flagg said. "Just trying to find my touch again."
Texas A&M closed the first half hitting five of its final six from three-point range, including makes by Quenton Jackson and Andre Gordon, and trailed 37-30 at halftime.
ALABAMA 94,
AUBURN 90
AUBURN, Ala. -- Joshua Primo scored a career-high 22 points, Jordan Bruner added a season-high 20 and first-place Alabama edged last-place Auburn despite a strong debut by freshman point guard Sharife Cooper.
Cooper, a five-star recruit, was cleared to play before the game after the NCAA completed a prolonged inquiry into his eligibility. He finished with 26 points on 8-of-19 shooting with several dazzling passes that led to nine assists. But he was only 1 of 7 from three-point range and had five turnovers with two of those misses and two miscues coming in the final two minutes.
After seven lead changes, a Jaden Shackelford three-pointer gave Alabama (9-3, 4-0) a four-point lead that they extended to eight with 6 1/2 minutes left despite Cooper scoring 11 consecutive points. With 6:15 to go, two Cooper free throws began a 10-0 run that he concluded with a dunk for a 84-82 lead with 4:43 remaining.
Again the lead went back and forth before Herbert Jones made two free throws and Bruner followed his own miss with a basket for a 93-90 edge with a minute to go. Cooper missed consecutive long-range shots and then turned the ball over with nine seconds remaining.
Alabama led 37-36 at halftime, but after Cooper sent a pass to JT Thor for a one-handed dunk to get Auburn (6-6, 0-4) within one, the Tigers took their first lead on a three-point play by Devan Cambridge with under 16 minutes left in the game.
Jones added a career-high 19 points for the Crimson Tide, Shackelford had 11 and John Petty Jr. 10 plus some strong defense on Cooper late.
Allen Flanigan (Little Rock Parkview) scored 19 points for Auburn.
KENTUCKY 76,
FLORIDA 58
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- In his first game of the season, Keion Brooks Jr. scored 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting and Kentucky more closely resembled its No. 10 pre-season ranking by throttling Florida.
Brooks is the only returning scholarship player who played last season, and only until last week was he medically cleared to return to competition after missing the first nine games of the season with a left leg injury.
The Wildcats (4-6, 3-0) used a 16-4 run to start the second half after leading 35-29 at the break.
Anthony Duruji scored 15 for Florida (5-3, 2-2) and Tyree Appleby (Jacksonville) 10.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 84,
VANDERBILT 81
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Iverson Molinar scored 24 points, D.J. Stewart Jr. added 16 and Mississippi State made just enough free throws in the closing seconds to hold off Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt's Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 18 points, dished 12 assists and Vanderbilt (4-5, 0-3) hit 3 three-pointers on its last four shots, coming as close as 82-81 with eight seconds left.
Tolu Smith added 18 points and seven rebounds for Mississippi State (8-4, 3-1).