Lovell’s Notebook: Recapping another wild Saturday of SEC basketball

By
Blake Lovell
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It was another entertaining Saturday in the world of SEC basketball, which has become the norm for a conference that has had 28 of its 47 games decided by single digits.

Five of the seven games from the weekend fit that trend, and there was plenty that we learned from each of the matchups.

And while there may be some things we feel pretty certain about at the moment, let’s remember that things are sure to change in this unpredictable conference.

Let’s look at some takeaways from Saturday’s action.

Vanderbilt 77, LSU 71

– I wrote about this in yesterday’s notebook entry, but Vandy freshman Saben Lee was the difference in the game. He wanted the ball in his hands down the stretch, and he was aggressive in getting to the rim and making big plays. Of course, he also played a big role in holding Tremont Waters to just seven points on 3 of 12 shooting.

– Duop Reath‘s career night shouldn’t fly under the radar. This was a game that Reath needed to assert himself inside due to the Commodores’ inexperience in the paint, and he did just that by racking up 31 points and 13 rebounds. His progression has been fun to watch under Will Wade and company.

– As Bryce Drew pointed out in the postgame press conference, Riley LaChance got his redemption after missing three key free throws in last week’s home loss to Kentucky. The senior went off for 26 points and knocked down 4 of 7 attempts from 3-point range. Most importantly, he hit all six free throws. With Matthew Fisher-Davis‘ future unknown due to a shoulder injury, LaChance and Lee will need to continue playing at a high level.

– The Commodores’ struggled to handle the press once again, which allowed LSU to rally to take its only lead of the game with 2:21 remaining. It will be interesting to see if Vandy sees more of that throughout conference play, as Alabama also had success in implementing the same strategy against Drew’s team.

Arkansas 97, Ole Miss 93

– I’ve mentioned over the past few weeks that the biggest thing holding Arkansas back was its production beyond Daryl Macon, Jaylen Barford, and Daniel Gafford. Well, the Hogs got solid contributions beyond their big three in this one, as C.J. Jones and Darious Hall each scored 11 to join Macon, Barford, and Gafford in double figures. When those two play well, Arkansas is a much better team.

– The victory marked the 32nd straight time that the Razorbacks have won a game after leading at halftime.

– Terence Davis has struggled in SEC play thus far, but he broke out of that slump in a big way by going for a season-high 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He also added five rebounds, which marked the 15th time this season he’s posted at least five boards.

– Can Arkansas build momentum going forward? That’ll depend on the Hogs’ ability to win on the road. They’re 0-4 in true road games this season, and their next three SEC games are all away from home: at Georgia, at Texas A&M, and at LSU. This is where we find out whether Arkansas is a potential top four contender or a middle of the pack team.

Texas A&M 60, Missouri 49

– It’s just not easy to win games when you shoot 27.8 percent from the floor. That’s especially the case when you shoot that percentage on the road, and your top scorer in Kassius Robertson goes just 1 of 11 from the field. That combination resulted in Mizzou’s lowest point total of the season.

– We’ve talked all season long about the size and length of both teams, but it was Texas A&M’s big three inside that got the job done. Tonny Trocha-Morelos led the way with 14 points, Tyler Davis notched a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, and Robert Williams just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine boards. Having three 6-10 players that can contribute like that is what makes the Aggies very dangerous despite a slow SEC start.

– This was one of those rare games where neither team hit double digits in turnovers: Mizzou had eight while Texas A&M committed a season low with only four turnovers.

– Don’t look now, but the Aggies could be back to .500 in league play by February 3. Next three SEC games (with a trip to Kansas coming up next Saturday): at LSU, vs. Arkansas, vs. South Carolina.

Tennessee 70, South Carolina 63

– The Gamecocks managed to keep this close despite Chris Silva scoring just six points. There just isn’t enough offensive depth right now to outscore quality teams when that happens. This felt like a game where Silva could be dominant on both sides of the court, but it didn’t work out that way as he finished with only five shot attempts and went just 4 of 10 from the charity stripe.

– How many teams shooting 57.5 percent from the field against South Carolina? Not many. The Vols shot 62.1 percent from inside the arc, which is the second-highest two-point percentage given up by the Gamecocks this season.

– Lamonte Turner was huge off the bench for Tennessee, as he poured in 25 points to tie a career high. The sophomore went 6 of 9 from the floor and hit all three 3-pointers and all 10 free throws. It’s the third time this season that he’s went for 20 or more off the bench.

– South Carolina’s 10 3-pointers marked only the second time this season that it hit the double-digit mark from beyond the arc. The only other time came when the Gamecocks hit 11 in the season opener against Wofford.

Auburn 79, Georgia 65

– Auburn might be the best second half team in the country. The Tigers have now come back from three double-digit deficits in SEC play, and they continue to come out on a mission after halftime. Georgia was up by as many as 16 points in the first half, yet Auburn completely turned the game in the opposite direction by outscoring the Bulldogs 53-25 in the last 20 minutes. That speaks volumes about this team’s focus and determination in crucial stretches of games. Georgia obviously didn’t play well in the second half (missing its 14 field goals), but it’s misguided to think that Auburn didn’t have something to do with that.

– One big reason for Auburn’s success in this particular game was the ability to mirror what past Bruce Pearl teams have done: up the tempo and force the opposing team to make mistakes. The Bulldogs committed 19 turnovers, and Pearl’s squad was able to convert that into 27 points.

– In a league filled with excellent talent across the board, it’s not easy to choose the five most valuable players. But at some point, people are going to have to start considering Bryce Brown among that group. He continues to be one of the best shooters in the country, and his 28-point outing against Georgia once again proved how important he’s been to Auburn’s 17-2 start.

– I mentioned this on Twitter, but it’s worth repeating: Both teams shot over 90 percent from the free throw line on 20-plus attempts. Auburn went 21 of 23 for 91 percent, and Georgia went 19 of 21 for 90 percent. Maybe the art of free throw shooting isn’t lost just yet.

Florida 66, Kentucky 64

– I know some people thought I was crazy when I picked Florida to win this game despite missing key pieces inside against a Kentucky team that’s loaded with size and length. But entering the game, I felt like the Gators had turned a corner, and that now appears to be the case after being the first team to win at Rupp Arena since 2014. And they did it without playing their best basketball, which is something your rarely say about a team when it wins in Lexington.

– Keith Stone and Kevarrius Hayes once again came up big in the frontcourt. Stone hit double figures in scoring for the fifth time in the last six games, and Hayes’ nine rebounds were the most he’s had all season. Not many people thought it was possible for Florida to win a game like that without John Egbunu on the court. But with Stone and Hayes both starting to find their groove, it’ll make the Gators even harder to deal with once Egbunu is back in the mix.

– Another reason Florida found success was its ability to take care of the ball. The Gators committed only seven turnovers, which felt eerily similar to their six-turnover performance in stealing a win at Missouri a few weeks ago. And on National Cheese Day, it figures that Chris Chiozza would come through with a massive performance, as the senior posted 13 points, eight assists, and six rebounds while committing only a single turnover.

– What did we learn about Kentucky? I’m not sure we learned anything that we didn’t already know. I’ve talked all season about how this would be a year where the Wildcats would not only be vulnerable on the road, but also at home. This is only the ninth time in the John Calipari era that Kentucky has lost back-to-back games, and there’s a good chance that could happen again this season due to the increased depth in the SEC.

Alabama 68, Mississippi State 62

– While there were some concerns with Alabama letting the lead slip away in the second half, the biggest takeaway from this one was the play of Braxton Key. For the first time since his return from injury, Key actually looked like himself in posting 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists. His versatility is invaluable on this particular team, and hopefully this game will help him build some momentum.

– I think one of the problems we’ve seen the past two games from Alabama opponents is that you don’t really know what you’re getting with Collin Sexton on the sidelines. We’ve seen the Tide score in different ways in the wins over Auburn and Mississippi State, and because there’s such a small sample size to look at in terms of this team playing without Sexton, it makes it difficult to prepare for Alabama’s offensive attack.

– Mississippi State finally eclipsed the 58 point-mark in a road game, but the Bulldogs are still only averaging 56 points per game in their four road contests this season. That trend is what will likely hold this team back from making a big jump up the standings. The non-conference schedule helped the Bulldogs secure wins, but it didn’t prepare them for life on the road in the SEC this year.

– Alabama needs to keep its streak going as long as possible and hold serve at home over the next several weeks. Why? Because the Tide’s final five games in SEC play is likely the toughest stretch that any team will face entering postseason play: at Kentucky, at Auburn, vs. Arkansas, vs. Florida, at Texas A&M.

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