Mar 15, 2008 - 3:32 AM
0 shoutsATLANTA (Ticker) -- Heavy winds battered the Georgia Dome on Friday evening, delaying one matchup in the Southeastern Conference tournament and postponing another.
With Mississippi State holding a 64-61 lead with 2:11 remaining in overtime, the roof of the Georgia Dome reportedly rippled like waves on the ocean as a storm with winds of upward of 60 miles an hour rocked downtown Atlanta.
The teams were sent back to their respective locker rooms and, following a delay of about an hour, both teams returned to the court as Mississippi State completed a 69-67 victory.
However, the ensuing quarterfinal matchup between Kentucky and Georgia was postponed, as tournament directors feared more bad weather.
"When we restarted the Mississippi State-Arkansas game, the structure was deemed safe," SEC associate commissioner for media relations Charles Bloom said. "It's these upcoming (storm) cells we're looking at. It's going to take a while (to decide what to do next).
"After the (next) cells come through, we have to review the situation."
Due to the initial storm, the Georgia Dome - which first opened in 1992 - had two panels near the upper deck torn open.
Outside the dome, there was further damage, including overturned police barricades and large chunks of debris on the sidewalks around the facility.
The Georgia Dome was not the only building affected. So were Philips Arena, the home of the NBA's Hawks and NHL's Thrashers, as well as the CNN Center and the Omni Hotel, although damage was not as severe.
The postponement of the Kentucky-Georgia game forced the SEC into the unfortunate position of having to finish the quarterfinals on Saturday prior to hosting the semifinals.
Therefore, either the Wildcats or Bulldogs will have to play two games, a situation Georgia coach Dennis Felton finds daunting.
"That would be a major, major change," Felton said. "Playing two games in one day (would be very tough). You put out a lot of energy, as these games are just very important."
The SEC also has opted to change venues, as local ABC affiliate WSB-TV reported that the tournament will shift to Alexander Memorial Coliseum - the home of Georgia Tech.
The report also stated that Kentucky and Georgia will play their quarterfinal game at 12 noon EDT, with the times for the remaining two games yet to be announced.
