NASHVILLE — The Mississippi State men’s basketball fell 83-76 to the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers during Friday’s quarterfinal action at Bridgestone Arena.
The Bulldogs (23-10) will now await the NCAA Tournament, while Tennessee (28-4) will advance to meet second-seeded and No. 4 Kentucky in Saturday’s semifinal game.
The squads traded baskets early on before a 9-0 run for the Volunteers made it 17-9 with 9:59 remaining in the first half. An Aric Holman 3-pointer cut the deficit to five points at 25-20 with 5:39 to go before the Vols answered with a 3-pointer of their own to increase their lead back to eight.