It’s been a fun start to SEC play, and as always, a few teams are vastly exceeding expectations thus far.
There are four games on Tuesday’s schedule, with one of those surprise teams in Ole Miss set to take the court as the No. 18 team in the country.
Let’s get to the picks.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 142-40
Arkansas at No. 3 Tennessee – 7 p.m. EST, ESPN2
The Hogs started the season pretty well, but they’ve had some issues with consistency over the past month.
Unfortunately for Mike Anderson’s team, that has not been a problem for the Vols, who appear to be the most complete team in college basketball right now.
Daniel Gafford may be able to give Tennessee some trouble, but the lack of experience for Arkansas will likely the Vols a big advantage this one.
Tennessee should pick up yet another win.
Prediction: Tennessee 80, Arkansas 65
Florida at No. 24 Mississippi State – 7 p.m. EST, SEC Network
This is essentially a must-win for the Bulldogs, especially considering the upcoming schedule.
Mississippi State is now 0-2 in SEC play, and with four of its next five games on the road after the matchup with Florida, Ben Howland’s squad simply cannot afford to lose this game.
The Gators still rank seventh nationally in defensive efficiency, so it’s not going to be easy for the Bulldogs.
But given how important this game is, I’ll take Mississippi State to earn a much-needed victory.
Prediction: Mississippi State 70, Florida 64
No. 12 Kentucky at Georgia – 7 p.m. EST, ESPN
Kentucky’s guard play has taken a step forward, and that should allow John Calipari’s team to continue to find different ways to attack offensively.
Of course, defense has also been an issue for the Wildcats, but they’re making strides in that area as well.
The most fascinating aspect of this game is that Georgia has played extremely well at home this season. And with the Bulldogs having the size to match up against the Wildcats, there’s reason to think they could pull off the upset.
But the problem for Georgia is that its guard play hasn’t been reliable enough in certain situations, and that may be the difference against Ashton Hagans and company.
Prediction: Kentucky 77, Georgia 70
LSU at No. 18 Ole Miss – 9 p.m. EST, SEC Network
The Rebels continue to outperform their preseason rankings, as they’ve went from being picked 14th in the SEC to ranking in the top 20 nationally.
Meanwhile, I mentioned in this week’s power rankings that people seem to be undervaluing LSU, who still feels like one of the most talented teams in the conference.
There should be no shortage of offense in this game, with both teams ranking in the top 30 nationally in offensive efficiency.
The Tigers certainly have the ability to keep up when it comes to scoring points, but we’ve reached a point where picking against Ole Miss is hard to do given that this team has back-to-back wins over top 25 opponents.
Kermit Davis has had his team ready to play game after game, and they should be prepared for the challenge here.
Prediction: Ole Miss 84, LSU 82
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