After a wild finish to the 2017 SEC Tournament First Round action on Wednesday, day two is loaded with intriguing Second Round games.
Let’s get right to the predictions.
Season Prediction Record: 78-40
No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Tennessee – 1 PM ET, SEC Network
Yante Maten practiced on Wednesday and should be ready to go for the Bulldogs. That’s not exactly great news for Tennessee.
However, the Vols’ biggest concern will be JJ Frazier. After all, he’s the one that scored 29 points to fuel the Georgia comeback in Knoxville, with the Bulldogs snapping a five-game conference losing streak with a 76-75 victory.
Frazier is averaging 29.6 points per game in his last five games.
As for Tennessee, it completed a comeback of its own in the regular season finale against Alabama. The Vols rallied late to end a three-game losing streak, even if they still feel like a team that has hit a wall late in the season.
It may take Maten a while to get going, but it’s tough to pick against Georgia in this spot.
Prediction: Georgia 70, Tennessee 62
No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 12 Mississippi State – 3 PM ET, SEC Network
While LSU was pretty bad, Mississippi State showed its potential for the future with a 27-point win over the Tigers in round one.
That was certainly a boost of confidence for a team that has only beaten one team not named LSU since January 28, so the Bulldogs will enter this game with a lot of momentum.
Meanwhile, Avery Johnson is hoping that his team will put together a complete game after playing pretty awful basketball in the second half at Tennessee.
The Crimson Tide won both regular season meetings between these two teams, and did something particularly well in both matchups that it struggles to do on a consistent basis: hit free throws (last in SEC at 64.4%). Johnson’s squad went 17-of-22 in the first meeting in Starkville, and 31-of-36 in the rematch in Tuscaloosa.
This game should go right down to the wire, and while it’s tough to beat a team three times in a season, Alabama should find just enough offense to move to the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Alabama 67, Mississippi State 65
No. 7 Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 Texas A&M – 7 PM ET, SEC Network
Speaking of beating a team three times, the Commodores will try to do exactly that against Texas A&M.
Vandy is the most talked about bubble team out there right now due to the possibility of it becoming the first team to make the NCAA tournament with 15 losses. But for Bryce Drew and company, earning that 15th loss in this game may eliminate that possibility.
The Aggies are playing some of their best basketball of the season, and people often forget how talented this frontline is. Tyler Davis and Robert Williams are tough to handle in the paint because of their size and athleticism, but fortunately for the Commodores, they have their own big man that’s made huge strides this season.
Luke Kornet is the reigning SEC Player of the Week, and his impressive play as of late has helped put Vandy in this interesting position.
But since Vandy fans have consistently begged me to pick against the Commodores (thanks to that unimpressive streak of incorrectly picking the outcome of seven straight games), I’ll go with Texas A&M.
Otherwise, I may get a lot of popcorn thrown at me at Bridgestone Arena.
Prediction: Texas A&M 72, Vanderbilt 69
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 14 Missouri – 9 PM ET, SEC Network
Kim Anderson delivered the line of the day following his team’s buzzer-beater win over Auburn in overtime.
When asked about his high emotions late in the game and afterward, Anderson responded with this:
Kim Anderson on high emotions late in game: "I probably yelled some words I shouldn't have. But what are they gonna do to me?" #SECTourney
— Blake Lovell (@theblakelovell) March 9, 2017
That’s a quote from a guy with nothing to lose. And his team played like it during the improbable comeback on Wednesday.
The Tigers now face an Ole Miss team that has mirrored Auburn on the defensive end of the floor this season. The Rebels have struggled to get big stops in important games throughout the season, and it’s led to Andy Kennedy’s team not reaching its full potential.
As crazy as it sounds, the inconsistencies of Ole Miss make this a tough game to pick. I never thought I’d be in deep contemplation over a game involving an 8-23 Missouri squad, but here we are.
Missouri lost the first meeting between the teams by four and second meeting by only three. To keep it close this time around, it’s all about controlling the pace and making Ole Miss play in the half court.
I’ve picked Missouri to win a game only once this season. That game was the one that ended the aforementioned Vandy streak, as the Tigers blew out the Commodores by 20 in Columbia.
And since predictions are meant to be fun, I’ll do it again.
Let the Anderson era continue.
Prediction: Missouri 74, Ole Miss 70