SEC Women's Tournament

Injury bug bites SEC's top teams

Tennessee center Isabelle Harrison (20) gets tied up by Mississippi guard Shandricka Sessom (23) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Oxford, Miss., Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

The injury bug hit the SEC women's basketball teams in a big way in 2014-2015.

When the SEC Women's Tournament tips off Wednesday at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, some of the best players in the conference won't be playing.

At a glance

WHEN Wednesday-Sunday

WHERE Verizon Arena, North Little Rock

TICKETS Tournament package $100 plus service charges (package includes general admission seating Wednesday and Thursday sessions; reserved seat ticket for Friday, Saturday and Sunday sessions); Single session tickets: Reserved seats $20.50 (ages 13 and over), $15.50 (military), $13.00 (ages 12 and under). General admisson $13 (ages 13 and over), $9 (military and ages 12 and under)

— Schedule, Page (insert here)

SEC Women’s Tournament

All times Central

At Verizon Arena, North Little Rock

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

Game 1 (12) Florida vs. (13) Auburn, 6 p.m.

Game 2 (11) Vanderbilt vs. (14) Alabama*

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Game 3 (8) Ole Miss vs. (9) Arkansas, noon

Game 4 (5) Texas A&M vs. Game 1 winner*

Game 5 (10) Georgia vs. (7) Missouri, 6 p.m.

Game 6 (6) Kentucky vs. Game 2 winner*

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Game 7 (1) South Carolina vs. Game 3 winner, noon

Game 8 (4) LSU vs. Game 4 winner*

Game 9 (2) Tennessee vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m.

Game 10 (3) Mississippi State vs. Game 6 winner*

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Game 11 Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 4 p.m.

Game 12 Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner*

SUNDAY’S GAME

Championship

Game 13 Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 2:30 p.m.

*Second game in a session begins 25 minutes following the conclusion of the previous game.

Star players such as Tennessee senior center Isabelle Harrison, Kentucky junior guard Janee Thompson, Georgia junior guard Shacobia Barbee and Texas A&M junior guard Jordan Jones have been lost to season-ending injuries this season. Jones, the SEC's assists leader with 6.6 per game, was the latest star player to see her season end when she suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament against Missouri on Thursday.

Harrison tore her ACL in her right knee Feb. 15, Thompson dislocated her ankle and broke her fibula Jan. 12 and Barbee broke a bone in her lower right leg Jan. 25.

Harrison (12.8 points per game) and Barbee (11.6 ppg) led their respective teams in scoring before getting hurt. Thompson was Kentucky's fourth-leading scorer at the time of her injury, averaging 10.1 points per game.

Not only was Harrison Tennessee's leading scorer, she was also the Lady Volunteers' leading rebounder with 9.1 per game. But Tennessee Coach Holly Warlick said she has been pleased with her team's resilience and credited senior guard Ariel Massengale (11.4 ppg) for leading the Lady Vols in Harrison's absence.

"Our seniors have had great leadership and more-so when Izzy went down," Warlick said. "Ariel plays with a lot of energy. It carries on to our team. She's had some tough shoes to fill."

In addition to Barbee, Georgia also lost Jasmine Carter and Nasheema Oliver this season. Georgia started 5-2 in SEC play, but finished the conference season 6-10 and will be the 10th seed in this week's tournament. The Lady Bulldogs play seventh-seeded Missouri on Thursday.

"We're a basketball team that has tried to reinvent itself in the past month," Georgia Coach Andy Landers said. "We've played the last five to six games without our starting three, four and five men.

"I've been pleased with how we've competed. We were competitive in almost every single game."

Landers said having 15 scholarships in women's basketball is necessary.

"The facts and studies show that there are more injuries to the knees and shoulders in women. Those injuries are normally serious," Landers said. "They take a player out for an extended amount of time.

"If we were operating with 13 scholarships, we would be in a dire situation."

Since losing Thompson, Kentucky is 7-5 and became the only SEC team to beat South Carolina this season, defeating the No. 2 Gamecocks 67-56 on Sunday.

"It was a big blow to our team. There's no two ways about it," Kentucky Coach Matthew Mitchell said of Thompson's injury. "The week after the SEC Tournament, where we can get our health back, I think we can be a dangerous team going into the NCAA Tournament."

Mississippi State Coach Vic Schaefer said the injury situation in the SEC this season is becoming an epidemic. He added that collegiate players are being asked to become bigger, faster and stronger when, in some situations, they don't have the foundation to do so in high school.

"You hate to see kids being affected," Schaefer said. "It's a concern. You're talking about some great, great players who haven't played in this league. Somebody has to do some educating and research because it's not good."

South Carolina women's Coach Dawn Staley called the SEC's injuries this season sad, but believes that unlike in other conferences, the SEC's depth has been able to absorb the losses.

"The good thing about our conference is that there's layers and layers of talent," Staley said. "The teams still have their heads above water. We've got great coaches and players. I would have liked to have seen the best our conference has to offer.

"When you take key people off those teams, it does have an affect on it. We find a way to get other people to step in."

Sports on 03/03/2015