The race for an SEC title is officially underway, with several teams already picking up crucial victories in their conference openers.
There are four interesting matchups on Tuesday’s schedule, with two top 15 teams set to hit the road.
Let’s get to the picks.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 134-34
No. 3 Tennessee at Missouri – 7 p.m. EST, ESPN2
Tennessee’s ability to get Georgia in early foul trouble led to a dominant 46-point in Knoxville, and the aggressiveness of Rick Barnes’ team could play a factor in this one as well.
Missouri has surprisingly been one of the best 3-pint shooting teams in the country this season (18th nationally at 39.3 percent), but the Vols are holding opponents to just 29.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc (23rd nationally).
With front court depth still a bit of a concern for the Tigers, Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield will likely continue their attacking ways.
I’ll take the Vols to pick up the win.
Prediction: Tennessee 70, Missouri 62
Texas A&M at No. 18 Kentucky – 7 p.m. EST, SEC Network
This is not an ideal spot for the Aggies, as they should go up against a motivated Kentucky squad.
The Wildcats didn’t play all that bad in the loss to Alabama, and it probably told us more about the Crimson Tide’s current hot streak than anything else.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M has been extremely inconsistent and has lost back-to-back games to Texas Southern and Arkansas.
Kentucky should take care of business in a big way.
Prediction: Kentucky 82, Texas A&M 64
Alabama at LSU – 9 p.m. EST, SEC Network
Even with several losses in non-conference play, LSU still feels like one of the most talented teams in the SEC.
Of course, Alabama enters this game with a ton of momentum after the Kentucky win, with the Crimson Tide having beaten five quality opponents in a row.
The Tigers should come out with a lot of energy after the long break, and their balance on offense (29th nationally in adjusted efficiency) should allow them to get off to a fast start in earning the victory.
Prediction: LSU 74, Alabama 69
No. 14 Mississippi State at South Carolina – ESPNU
The Gamecocks picked up a huge win at Florida last Saturday, and after an enormous amount of struggles in non-conference play, perhaps that was the momentum boost that Frank Martin’s squad needed.
But this should be a game where we find out if Mississippi State is capable of contending for an SEC title, as the Bulldogs are the more complete team overall.
Mississippi State has vastly improved its 3-point shooting this season (36th nationally at 38.2 percent), and that’s been a big reason for the team’s impressive start.
This is only the second true road game for the Bulldogs this season, but they should be able to grab the win.
Prediction: Mississippi State 77, South Carolina 68
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.