It was another good weekend for teams around the SEC, and Sunday featured two impressive wins.
Tennessee continued rolling along with a blowout victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, while Missouri captured a great overtime win over UCF.
There are two games on today’s SEC slate, and it could equal a couple of more wins for the league.
Let’s get to the picks.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 76-17
Texas Southern (3-5) at Georgia (4-3) – 7 p.m. EST, SEC Network+
Well, it’s certainly rare that a SWAC team enters its ninth game of the season with two road victories over power conference opponents.
But that’s exactly what former LSU head coach Johnny Jones has been able to accomplish in his first year on the job at Texas Southern, as his team has wins at Baylor and at Oregon thus far.
So, the Bulldogs should certainly be prepared for a fight in this one, with Tom Crean’s squad still trying to adjust to the new style of play.
And style of play may be what decides this game. Texas Southern ranked 12th nationally in adjusted tempo and 40th nationally in average offensive possession length (15.5 seconds), so the Tigers want to get up and down the floor.
Georgia wants to do the same under Crean, and that’s led to the Bulldogs ranking 49th nationally in averaging 15.7 seconds per offensive possession.
What helped the Tigers score the two upset wins on the road was their ability to shoot a high percentage from inside the arc (shot 51.6 percent or better from 2-point range) while also getting to the free-throw line often (at least 21 attempts in each game).
Georgia is holding opponents to just 42.7 percent shooting inside the perimeter, and it will need to try to throw things off a bit for the visitors when it comes to finding points in the lane.
This game will be far from easy for the Bulldogs, but they should be prepared for the challenge.
Prediction: Georgia 84, Texas Southern 75
Northwestern State (2-6) at Texas A&M (2-4) – 8 p.m. EST, SEC Network
It has not been an idea start to the season for Billy Kennedy’s team, as the Aggies have simply been unable to find any consistency thus far.
Of course, it hasn’t exactly been the easiest schedule, with Texas A&M playing Gonzaga, Minnesota, Washington, and an underrated UC Irvine squad.
But this is a chance for TJ Starks and company to get back on track. Northwestern State’s sole Division I win on the season is against Alabama A&M, and five of its six losses have come by 25 points or more.
Mike McConathy’s team just hasn’t been very on offense, and that’ll likely be a welcome sight for a Texas A&M group that has struggled to find a rhythm on that side of the court.
The Aggies should take out some of their frustrations with a convincing win here.
Prediction: Texas A&M 81, Northwestern State 55
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