With SEC play off to a great start, many teams are trying to pick up quality wins to add to the conference’s potential total in the NCAA Tournament.
There are six interesting matchups on Saturday’s schedule, and it’s worth noting that the Missouri/South Carolina game was canceled due to travel-related issues.
Let’s get to the picks.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 138-37
Ole Miss at No. 14 Mississippi State – 1 p.m. EST, CBS
The Rebels have been the surprise of the conference thus far, and they have a ton of momentum after a 2-0 start on league play.
However, Mississippi State’s overtime loss at South Carolina puts Ben Howland’s group in a spot where they really need a victory due to a difficult upcoming schedule.
Both teams rank in the top 25 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, and both are in the top 40 in 3-point shooting. So, there should be plenty of scoring in this matchup.
The Bulldogs should be able to use their size to overwhelm Ole Miss in the paint, and that may be the difference here.
Prediction: Mississippi State 82, Ole Miss 75
Texas A&M at Alabama – 3:30 p.m. EST, SEC Network
Texas A&M hasn’t played all that bad in its first two conference games despite the overall struggles on the season.
Meanwhile, Alabama’s loss at LSU wasn’t all that disappointing, and the Crimson Tide are still sitting in a decent position in terms of tournament potential.
Avery Johnson’s team has been very good at home recently, and they are solid enough defensively to give Texas A&M some problems.
I’ll take the Tide to pick up the win.
Prediction: Alabama 73, Texas A&M 65
Georgia at No. 11 Auburn – 4 p.m. EST, ESPN2
There’s just something that’s off about the Tigers right now, as they’re trying to regain some confidence after the 15-point loss at Ole Miss earlier in the week.
The positive for Bruce Pearl’s squad in this particular matchup is that Georgia has simply not played well on the road, and the recent 46-point loss at Tennessee is proof of that.
While the Bulldogs’ size and length may cause some issues, their continued issues with turning the ball over (314th nationally with a 21.8 turnover percentage) is not ideal against an Auburn team that is the nation’s best in that category when it comes to forcing turnovers at a high rate.
The Tigers should bounce back in a big way.
Prediction: Auburn 85, Georgia 69
No. 3 Tennessee at Florida – 6 p.m. EST, ESPN
Florida continues to showcase why it could be a potentially great team if it can ever find consistent play on offense.
The Gators are fifth nationally in defensive efficency, and that’s been enough to give Mike White’s team a nice boost in key games this season.
But to beat Tennessee, there’s no doubt that Florida will need to find a lot of points. The Vols are fourth nationally in offensive efficiency, so stopping Grant Williams and company will not be an easy task for the home team.
Even with Florida’s strengths on defense, it’s still hard to completely trust this team at this point.
I’ll lean towards the Vols to earn another impressive victory.
Prediction: Tennessee 69, Florida 64
LSU at Arkansas – 6 p.m. EST, SEC Network
This should be one of the better games on the slate, and Arkansas is hoping to find a better offensive rhythm than it had in the 57-51 loss to Florida.
The Hogs need way more balance than they had in that game, with Mason Jones scoring 30 while no one else did much of anything.
Winning on the road in the SEC is a tough task, especially for a young team like LSU that has played just one true road game this season.
However, I feel like the Tigers are the better overall team, and I’ll take the chance with them in what feels like a toss-up type of game.
Prediction: LSU 79, Arkansas 78
Vanderbilt at No. 18 Kentucky – 8:30 p.m. EST, SEC Network
Vanderbilt finds itself in a difficult spot early on in league play, as it sits at 0-2 and now has to play a challenging road game at Rupp Arena.
The Commodores are struggling to find an offensive rhythm without Darius Garland running the show at point guard, and they’re having problems getting consistency across the board.
Kentucky’s biggest weakness continues to be 3-point defense (334th nationally at 38.9 percent), but the Commodores have surprisingly had issues converting from long range (187th nationally at 33.7 percent).
The Wildcats are the better pick considering where both teams are at this point.
Prediction: Kentucky 87, Vanderbilt 73
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