Stewart keeps Bulldogs' hopes alive

NASHVILLE -- Barry Stewart has developed a penchant for stepping his game up come tournament time.

The former Shelbyville Central standout, who was the most valuable player of the TSSAA state tournament his senior year of high school and made the SEC All-Tournament team with Mississippi State last year, came through again by hitting several key shots in the Bulldogs' 75-69 win over Florida on Friday night.

Stewart's most noticeable contributions came at the beginning and end of the quarterfinal contest.

Less than six days after a woeful start led to a deflating loss to Tennessee, Stewart picked the Bulldogs up early by draining a 3-pointer and tallying five points in the first four minutes on Friday. He finished the first half with a pair of 3s as Mississippi State raced to a 39-28 advantage at intermission.

"That (Tennessee) game was last season as far as I'm concerned. This is a new season and we're competing for a championship," Stewart said. "I think that our energy tonight came from the whole team, not only the ones out there, but the ones on the bench too. I think it gave us a lot of emotion out there."

Two of Stewart's most memorable plays were a four-point play after being fouled on a made 3-pointer early in the second half and taking a charge moments later to help stem a Gator rally. But his most important shots of the night were the five free throws he drained while the Bulldogs held off Florida in the final minute.

Stewart finished with a team-high 17 points while shooting 50 percent from the field.

"We know what our team is capable of ... but when you think about what's going on around you, you might play tight," Stewart said. "I think, as for now, we're doing a great job of staying in the moment and going game by game."

JENKINS GOES OFF: Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings stopped short of calling guard John Jenkins completely unstoppable. The Georgia Bulldogs might care to differ after watching the freshman drop in 25 in the Commodores' 78-66 victory Friday night.

Jenkins sank four 3-pointers and amassed 22 of his points in the second half. Three of those treys came in succession, helping the Commodores stretch a tenuous three-point lead to 12 with just over eight minutes remaining.

"Coach was telling me to go out there and be more aggressive, so that's what I did," Jenkins said. "The first time I came out kind of slow just trying to get myself into it. In the second half, I just really let loose."

TATUM TIME: Tennessee guard Cameron Tatum reintroduced himself to SEC basketball observers by being the spark plug every time the Volunteers went on a run in their 76-65 win over Mississippi on Friday.

Tatum, who was suspended four games for his involvement in the infamous traffic stop on Jan. 1, scored seven consecutive points -- including a pair of 3-pointers -- to help Tennessee keep from getting buried in a sluggish first half. He showed up again by hitting an off-balance jumper to cap a 9-0 Volunteer run and give Tennessee a 53-44 edge midway through the second half.

The Vols were never seriously challenged the rest of the way.

"Cameron, little by little, has just put himself into the personality of this basketball team," Vol coach Bruce Pearl said. "He has always been a big face on our team this year, but because of some injuries and missing a few games, he just hasn't been able to shine consistently.

"So it's a great time to have him back, and he's a terrific weapon."