It was a 0-4 start for the SEC on Saturday before Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Auburn all picked up wins in the evening slate.
However, there are two big opportunities for quality wins on Sunday with both Alabama and Tennessee looking to earn resume-building wins.
Let’s get to the picks.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 89-20
Arizona (7-2) at Alabama (5-3) – 1 p.m. EST, ESPN
Avery Johnson’s squad now has back-to-back losses to UCF and Georgia State, and that’s certainly disappointing after such a good start to the season.
And while Arizona doesn’t feature the same type of roster as a season ago, Sean Miller still has a team that’s more than capable of winning this game.
Alabama’s best chance at victory will be attacking the offensive glass and finding plenty of second-chance looks. The Crimson Tide still struggle to find offensive consistency at times, so getting extra opportunities will be crucial in this type of game.
There’s not a ton that separates these two teams from a statistical standpoint, so it’s essentially a toss-up.
Losing at the buzzer to Georgia State was a tough blow for the Tide, and I feel like there may still be a hangover effect in this spot.
I’ll lean towards Arizona to grab the quality road win.
Prediction: Arizona 74, Alabama 72
Incarnate Word (5-5) at LSU (6-2) – 2 p.m. EST, SEC Network
The Tigers are still in great shape despite the two losses in Orlando, and this is one of the few remaining non-conference matchups that should see LSU completely overwhelm its opponent.
Four of Incarnate Word’s five wins are against non-Division I competition, and Will Wade’s team posts a huge size advantage against the Cardinals.
And when you consider that Incarnate Word ranks last nationally in defensive efficiency, it’s easy to understand why this could be a dominant win for Tremont Waters and company.
LSU cruises to victory.
Prediction: LSU 92, Incarnate Word 56
No. 1 Gonzaga (9-0) vs. No. 7 Tennessee (7-1) – 3 p.m. EST, ESPN (Phoenix, AZ)
Something tells me there may be a few eyeballs on this one, as these two teams both have hopes of winning a national title.
The Vols will undoubtedly have their hands full with a Gonzaga team that leads the nation in offensive efficiency and 2-point field-goal percentage. What’s also helps the Zags is their ability to take care of the ball, with Mark Few’s team committing just 11.1 turnovers per game (28th nationally).
But as we saw against Washington, the Zags can be challenged. Tennessee has the reigning SEC player of the year in Grant Williams while featuring its own efficient offense (15th nationally in offensive efficiency).
Rick Barnes has one of the most tough-minded teams in the country, and that should help the Vols present a serious challenge to the Zags on both sides of the court.
However, as we saw in the game against Kansas, there are some slight concerns with Tennessee’s approach should Williams find himself in foul trouble.
Even if that doesn’t happen in this one, Gonzaga feels like the better pick given the excellent performances from Rui Hachimura and company thus far this season.
Prediction: Gonzaga 85, Tennessee 80
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