This feels like one of the most unpredictable Wednesday schedules we’ve had in a while in the SEC.
I don’t feel overly confident about any of these picks, and that’s strange when one of the games involves a team that has won one game since December 19.
Let’s dive into the predictions.
Prediction Record: 69-36 (conference play + SEC/Big 12 Challenge)
Auburn at Georgia – 6:30 PM ET, SEC Network
Auburn has played its way out of the NCAA tournament discussion by losing four of five, but Georgia has gone in the opposite direction.
The Bulldogs are winners of four of five after losing five straight SEC games from mid-January to early February. The most impressive part? They’ve won the last two without Yante Maten.
With Maten still out due to injury, JJ Frazier has put Georgia on his back and delivered big performance after big performance. Frazier is averaging 27.8 points per game in the team’s last five games, and while many teams have tried, you just can’t stop this guy when he’s on a roll.
Georgia’s close call against LSU makes me hesitant here since Auburn can shoot the ball pretty well at times. However, nearly losing to LSU should’ve gotten the attention of the Bulldogs.
And considering they are in the mix for NCAA bid, they should take care of business.
Prediction: Georgia 76, Auburn 73
Arkansas at No. 12 Florida – 7 PM ET, ESPN2
Give Mike Anderson a lot of credit for turning the Razorbacks around after things got dicey for a few weeks. Getting blown out at Oklahoma State and at home against Vanderbilt weren’t ideal, and the road loss at Missouri didn’t exactly help matters.
But now Arkansas is playing some of its best basketball of the season, with the Hogs second in the SEC in field goal percentage (46.5%) and three-point field goal percentage (37.5%).
What I like most about this team is that it features numerous guys that can step up when needed. Teams like that can go far in the NCAA tournament, and the Razorbacks could take a big step toward securing an at-large bid (and higher seed) with a win in Gainesville.
That’ll be easier said than done, though. The Gators suffered their first defeat since January 21 in the loss at Kentucky last Saturday, so Mike White’s squad will be looking to get back on track.
Florida really missed John Egbunu in Lexington. Kentucky owned the boards in outrebounding the Gators, 48-30. Arkansas is not a particularly great rebounding team, so perhaps that won’t hurt Florida as much in this game.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see Arkansas get the win given how it has played recently, but I’ll go with the Gators in a close game.
Prediction: Florida 81, Arkansas 76
Tennessee at LSU – 7 PM ET, SEC Network+
LSU’s near win at Georgia shouldn’t have any impact on Johnny Jones’s future with the program. The Tigers have still lost 15 straight games, and I just don’t see him being back in Baton Rouge next season.
Meanwhile, Tennessee has hit a few bumps in the road after that four-game winning streak to end January. The Vols technically remain in the bubble picture, but it’ll take two wins this week and at the SEC tournament to make things interesting.
This game could go one of two ways.
Way No. 1: LSU has a major letdown after coming so close in Athens, and Tennessee runs away with the victory.
Way No. 2: LSU uses the momentum from Athens to finally put two halves together on its way to snapping the 15-game losing streak.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m gonna go with the latter. It just gets boring picking everyone to beat the Tigers by 25+.
Therefore, it should surprise no one if LSU loses by 30.
Prediction: LSU 74, Tennessee 72
Ole Miss at Alabama – 8:30 PM ET, SEC Network
Here’s another game that’s impossible to predict. We’ve seen both the good and the bad from Alabama and Ole Miss this season, and the problem is, we have no idea when to expect either.
The Crimson Tide saw their NCAA hopes come to a halt last week with losses to Georgia and Texas A&M.
No, it’s not time to fire Avery Johnson just yet. Alabama continues to be a program on the rise, and finishing out strong in the regular season would do wonders for confidence and momentum heading into what could be a breakthrough 2017-18 season.
On the flip side, the Rebels went 2-0 this past week against teams in the bottom three of the conference.
Andy Kennedy’s team is a long shot for making the NCAA tournament due to a lack of quality wins/70s RPI. But like Texas A&M, this is a team that could make a run in Nashville given the right draw.
Players like Terence Davis and Breein Tyree have added a larger presence in the scoring department, and with Deandre Burnett and Sebastian Saiz leading the way, Ole Miss can be pretty dangerous. Of course, that’s when the Rebels play defense, which hasn’t been a constant this season.
The good news for Ole Miss is that Alabama simply isn’t a great offensive team.
Those defensive weaknesses may not be as glaring in this game, and the Rebels’ ability to push the pace may lead to trouble for the struggling Crimson Tide offense.
Prediction: Ole Miss 72, Alabama 67