We have reached the third day of the college basketball regular season, and the SEC remains undefeated.
The league ran the table on Friday, with the 13 teams that were in action all winning.
So, now it’s just a matter of seeing who will be the first SEC team to let us all down and break the streak.
As for my picks, only Texas A&M’s thrashing of West Virginia kept me from being undefeated myself to start the new season.
Let’s get to predictions for Sunday’s two matchups, with both offering a bit more intrigue than meets the eye.
Season Prediction Record: 12-1 (straight up)
Vermont at No. 5 Kentucky – 3:30 PM EST, ESPN (Game Preview)
The Wildcats looked far from dominant in their opener against Utah Valley, but that could be a common theme throughout the non-conference schedule.
Although I picked Kentucky to grab a zillionth SEC regular season title this season, I also said that this team would hit more bumps in the road than usual.
The good news is that the young Wildcats should’ve gotten the first game jitters out of the way and look a bit sharper this time out.
The bad news is that Vermont returns its top four scorers from a team that won 29 games last season and features two potential America East Player of the Year candidates in Trae Bell-Haynes and Anthony Lamb.
Kentucky’s best bet will be to push the tempo and find easy baskets in transition. If that happens, John Calipari’s team should be fine due to its excellent depth.
But the experience and toughness of the Catamounts will likely keep this game close for a while.
Prediction: Kentucky 76, Vermont 65
Bucknell at Arkansas – 6 PM EST, SEC Network (Game Preview)
I talked all week about how the Hogs were on upset alert against Samford.
So, naturally, Arkansas came out and cruised to a 39-point victory over the SoCon favorite.
It was certainly an impressive performance from Mike Anderson’s squad in shooting 57 percent from the floor and forcing 19 Samford turnovers.
Turning defense into offense is a staple of the “Fastest 40” style that the Razorbacks want to play, and they’ll look to keep that pressure and tempo at a high level against the visiting Bison.
Bucknell only turned it over eight times in a somewhat surprising season-opening loss to Monmouth, and it’ll need to be just as efficient in taking care of the ball in this one.
With all five starters returning and Nana Foulland likely being the best big man on the floor, the Bison have what it takes to win.
But it’s Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford that make plays down the stretch to give the Razorbacks a narrow victory (which if you look at my Arkansas/Samford pick, probably means the Hogs win by 40).
Prediction: Arkansas 81, Bucknell 75