I mentioned in Friday’s podcast that several SEC teams could find themselves on upset alert due to the caliber of opponents that were on the schedule.
Sure enough, South Carolina fell at home to Stony Brook while Texas A&M lost to UC Irvine.
But other teams around the league kept their momentum rolling with big victories, with reigning co-champions Auburn and Tennessee showing no signs of slowing down.
Let’s look at some important notes from the action around the league.
No. 6 Tennessee 87, Louisiana 65
Even without Lamonte Turner, the Vols didn’t miss a beat by notching the 22-point victory.
Grant Williams was simply spectacular in scoring 31 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, and all five starters finished in double figures.
What continues to stand out about this team is the incredible chemistry and unselfishness, as those are the things that helped Tennessee find success last season.
And at least early on, it seems to be even better this year, which could equal one of the most memorable seasons in the school’s history.
Noteworthy Stats
- The Vols had 26 assists on 34 made field goals
- Tennessee shot 54.0 percent from the floor
Texas 73, Arkansas 71 (OT)
I’m not saying Texas is gonna win the Big 12, but Arkansas went toe-to-toe with a pretty talented team.
The biggest concern heading into the season was the Razorbacks’ youth, and while there were a few head-scratching moments and obvious areas of improvement, this group played with a toughness that you want from a young squad.
I thought the backcourt trio of Isaiah Joe, Mason Jones, and Jalen Harris showed a lot of promise, and they should only get better from here.
Daniel Gafford earned a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds while committing six turnovers.
This is a game that Mike Anderson’s squad will want back, but it should serve as a quality learning experience right off the bat.
Noteworthy Stats
- Joe had 17 points and made 5 of 8 shots from beyond the arc
- Jones and Harris each contributed 11 points
- Arkansas only got four points from its bench
- Texas won despite shooting 31 percent from the floor
- The Hogs were brutal from the free-throw line in making just 13 of 24 attempts
Stony Brook 83, South Carolina 81
Perhaps we should have been a bit more alarmed after the Gamecocks lost the exhibition game to Augusta, as Frank Martin’s team just hasn’t played well thus far this season.
I said in the preview for this game that Chris Silva getting in early foul trouble may give the Seawolves a shot at pulling off the upset, and that’s exactly what happened.
Silva played just 20 minutes in the game and finished with only seven points and two rebounds to go along with four fouls.
That allowed Stony Brook to find better opportunities offensively while attacking the offensive glass for numerous second-chance opportunities.
Noteworthy Stats
- The Seawolves had 22 offensive rebounds and 24 second-chance points
- AJ Lawson led South Carolina with 23 points and six assists
Iowa State 76, Missouri 59
If you paid your $6.95 to watch this game on Cyclones TV, you probably didn’t get your money’s worth if you’re a Missouri fan.
Iowa State played without multiple starters – including do-it-all guard Lindell Wigginton – yet still ran away with this one.
How did it happen? Well, the numbers speak for themselves: Missouri had 25 turnovers while Iowa State had just seven.
You’re not going to beat a Big 12 team turning the ball over that many times, and the Tigers are clearly still a work in progress on the offensive side of the court due to Jontay Porter’s injury.
Noteworthy Stats
- Mark Smith led the way once again with 15 points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes
- Jeremiah Tilmon had five points and seven rebounds but turned it over five times
No. 2 Kentucky 71, Southern Illinois 59
I expected this game to be a bit closer than most did because of the Salukis’ experience and overall talent.
However, Kentucky’s start to this game was very concerning. The Wildcats had 11 turnovers in the first 11 minutes of play and finished the first half with 14 of them, but luckily dominated the glass to pull away down the stretch.
John Calipari’s team finished with a 49-20 rebounding advantage, and that certainly helped ease some glaring problems in other areas.
How this team improves defensively and in taking care of the ball will define Kentucky’s season moving forward.
Noteworthy Stats
- Keldon Johnson and Immanuel Quickley each finished with 15 points
- Reid Travis dealt with early foul trouble and had just six points and five rebounds
- Nick Richards exploded for 19 rebounds, including nine offensive boards
Florida 76, Charleston Southern 46
This was exactly the response you wanted to see from the Gators.
After getting ran off the floor in the season-opening loss to Florida State, Mike White’s squad came out on a mission and had better energy on both sides of the court.
It was a night to forget for KeVaughn Allen in the loss to the Seminoles, but the senior knocked down shots early in this game and finished with 14 points.
I honestly don’t think Charleston Southern is a bad basketball team, so the margin of victory here was a little surprising.
However, for a Florida team that needed to prove something after Tuesday, this was a welcoming performance.
Noteworthy Stats
- Andrew Nembhard’s overall game continues to impress, with the freshman adding seven points, seven rebounds, and six assists
- Deaundre Ballard hit double figures once again with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting
- Florida had just eight turnovers
- The Gators forced 19 turnovers and converted that into 24 points
No. 18 Mississippi State 95, Austin Peay 67
Mississippi State’s length is going to present problems for many teams this season, and that was one of the things that stood out in the win over the Governors.
The Bulldogs earned 54 points in the paint and took efficient shots to shoot 58 percent on the night.
There are just so many options for Ben Howland and his staff to work with on this roster, and that balance was on display here as Mississippi State had five players in double figures.
This team keeps growing on me, and this was a dominant performance to start the season.
Noteworthy Stats
- Quinndary and Nick Weatherspoon combined for 40 points
- Aric Holman posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards
- Mississippi State scored 25 points off turnovers
No. 23 LSU 97, UNC Greensboro 91
This felt like an entertaining game on paper, and it definitely delivered with 188 points being scored (congrats to those who took the over).
There were plenty of things that stood out on both sides, but the most obvious was this: Naz Reid is absolutely the real deal, my friends.
The 6-10 freshman scored 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting, which included going 4 of 6 from 3-point range. The stats don’t tell the whole story on this kid, but if you watch the way he moves on the court, it’s clear that he’s on another level.
Reid also had a hustle play late in the game that made a huge difference. After Waters poked away the ball from a UNCG player in a six-point game with 40 seconds left, Reid dove on the floor and knocked it back into Waters’ hands. Those are what we call winning plays.
Speaking of awesome performances, UNC Greensboro guard Kyrin Galloway went off for 32 points and hit 8 of 10 shots from long range.
Noteworthy Stats
- Tremont Waters had a double-double with 21 points and 10 assists
- LSU was excellent from the free-throw line in making 28 of 31 attempts (90 percent)
- UNCG went 19 of 33 from beyond the arc
Georgia 110, Savannah State 76
When I saw Georgia about to hit the century mark, I started going back through year-by-year results to figure out when they’d last scored 100 points.
I got through about 15 years of results before the game actually finished and Georgia’s Twitter informed everyone that it had been 19 years since the Bulldogs scored this many points.
The opponent played an obvious role in that, but I do feel like Tom Crean’s system really meshes well with the personnel that he has.
This team won’t play as fast as it did in this game, but it will get up and down the floor to try to find better looks offensively rather than focusing solely on the half court game like it did in recent years.
Noteworthy Stats
- Tyree Crump scored 14 points and hit 4 of 7 3-point attempts
- Nic Claxton racked up a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds
- Teshaun Hightower scored 18 points
- Georgia had 28 assists on 40 made field goals
- The Bulldogs earned a 62-41 advantage on the glass
UC Irvine 74, Texas A&M 73
Here’s another game we had pegged as a potential upset, and that’s what happened when Eyassu Worku hit a shot with seconds remaining to lift the Anteaters to a victory.
I said it in the previews, and I’ll say it again: UC Irvine is a pretty good basketball team. They have great toughness and experience, and that paid off in a big way in this game.
On the flip side, the Aggies have some things to figure out. They want to play faster this season, but if that means taking more 3-pointers, they’ve gotta get better in that area rather quickly.
Texas A&M went 6 of 28 from beyond the arc and just never seemed to find a rhythm offensively down the stretch. That led to zero field goals in the last 3:50 of the game, which allowed UC Irvine to roar back for the win.
We probably shouldn’t completely count out this team until Admon Gilder and Wendell Mitchell step on the floor (both sat out again with injuries), but this is another SEC team that has some major room for improvement early in the season.
Noteworthy Stats
- TJ Starks struggled from the field in making just 3 of 15 attempts
- Josh Nebo impressed with 15 points and 10 rebounds in only 21 minutes of action
No. 11 Auburn 88, No. 25 Washington 66
This game simply never felt as close as the final score indicated, and the Tigers are playing with an insane amount of energy and confidence right now.
The atmosphere was incredibly rowdy and had a championship game-like feel to it, which helped fuel Auburn the entire game and put Washington on the ropes right from the opening tip.
One of the Huskies’ potential weaknesses that I mentioned in the game preview was allowing too many offensive rebounds, and Bruce Pearl had his team ready to take advantage of that.
The Tigers attacked the glass to pick up 19 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points, and that made a big difference in the outcome of this game.
Other areas that continue to help Auburn find success: 3-point shooting and turning defense into offense.
Auburn finished with 12 made 3-pointers and scored a whopping 30 points off turnovers.
Also, keep this in mind: the Tigers blew out a top 25 team with Jared Harper and Bryce Brown combining to shoot just 6 of 22 from the floor.
The depth on this team is tremendous, and it’ll get even better when Daniel Purifoy returns to action.
Noteworthy Stats
- Auburn took 70 shots while Washington attempted just 45
- The Tigers committed only 11 turnovers
- Chuma Okeke earned another double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds
- Samir Doughty scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting
- Austin Wiley scored five points in his return to the court
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.