It was another good night of SEC basketball on Tuesday, with three of the four teams in action finding a way to earn victories.
There are three games on tonight’s slate, with top 10 teams Auburn and Kentucky both set to take the court.
Let’s run through some takeaways from yesterday’s action and make a few picks for Wednesday’s matchups.
South Carolina 81, Norfolk State 64
Freshman guard AJ Lawson had a good performance for the second-straight game, as he followed up his 23-point outing against Stony Brook with 18 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in this one.
There have been a lot of unknowns early in the season for the Gamecocks, but it appears that Frank Martin will be able to rely on the versatile 6-6 playmaker moving forward.
Meanwhile, something else Martin was concerned about following the Stony Brook loss was the play of his most experienced players. Chris Silva, Maik Kotsar, and Hassani Gravett have all struggled to find consistency this season, but the latter stepped up in a big way here.
Gravett finished with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including going 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. Perhaps more importantly, he didn’t commit a single turnover in 26 minutes of play.
Two of South Carolina’s biggest weaknesses have been shooting and taking care of the ball, so these types of performances by Gravett are going to be crucial as the season progresses.
Noteworthy Stats
- Silva had eight points and four rebounds in 26 minutes
- The Gamecocks went 11 of 29 from 3-point range (38 percent)
- South Carolina had 21 assists on 28 made field goals
Temple 81, Georgia 77
We figured there would be some good and some bad with the Bulldogs this season as Tom Crean tries to revamp the way this team plays.
Sure enough, we saw both aspects in this one, with Georgia not able to make enough plays down the stretch to earn what would’ve been a really great win.
Let’s start with the good. Derek Ogbeide and Tyree Crump showcased exactly what they’re capable of, and this may be a game that both can build off of.
Ogbeide posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds while playing a team-high 32 minutes. Crump made huge shots late in the game in finishing with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting in only 13 minutes of action.
And now for the bad. Simply put, you’re not gonna win many games on the road when you turn the ball over 20 times.
Georgia just couldn’t take care of the ball well enough in key situations to overcome a great night from Temple’s main duo of Shizz Alston and Quinton Rose, who each scored 25 points on the evening.
But as someone mentioned on Twitter, when you have that many turnovers and still have a shot to tie or win the game with seconds remaining, that’s at least a bright spot.
This will be a good learning experience for Crean’s squad heading into the Cayman Islands Classic.
Noteworthy Stats
- Rayshaun Hammonds scored 13 points but fouled out in only 17 minutes
- Georgia shot 50.9 percent from the floor
LSU 85, Memphis 76
Another game, another situation where Tremont Waters couldn’t crack double figures in scoring.
Now, had I told you that last season without showing you the final score, you probably would’ve assumed that LSU lost the game.
But it’s obvious at this point that this edition of the Tigers could be something special, because Waters had just eight points and yet LSU picked up a nine-point win over what feels like a very underrated Memphis team.
Will Wade had five players sore between 11 and 19 points, with Skylar Mays leading the way in going 9 of 16 from the field.
Of course, the 6-4 junior also had the play of the night when he decided to take an early flight to Orlando for the AdvoCare Invitational:
Skylar Mays was flying ?#SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/GsTFHGNbxQ
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) November 14, 2018
LSU has so many versatile players on the roster that it can win games in multiple ways. The Tigers weren’t great from the 3-point line (5 of 18), but they managed to attack the lane and score 48 points in the paint.
A great team can beat you in many different ways, and right now, Waters and company are proving that they are a team that has the athleticism and playmaking ability to going toe-to-toe with anyone in the country.
Noteworthy Stats
- Waters finished with eight assists
- Kavell Bigby-Williams scored 14 points and hit all seven of his shots from the field
- Emmitt Williams earned a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards
- Naz Reid had 11 points and five rebounds
Tennessee 66, Georgia Tech 53
It wasn’t entirely pretty, but the Vols kept showing why they’re worthy of a top-five ranking nationally.
We knew going in that Georgia Tech was going to play stingy defense and try to slow down the variety of options that Tennessee has to work with.
But even in shooting just 39.6 percent from the floor, Rick Barnes’ team turned their focus to the defensive side of the court in holding the Yellow Jackets to 16 made field goals and 27.6 percent shooting overall.
Tennessee even struggled from the line in making just 24 of 38 attempts (63.2 percent), yet it showcased the intangibles needed to make a run to a Final Four this season.
Grant Williams led the way once again with 22 points and eight rebounds, and he managed to get to the free-throw line 16 times.
The Vols’ toughness continues to be on display, and once Lamonte Turner returns from injury, they’ll be even harder to stop.
Noteworthy Stats
- Jordan Bone finished 15 points
- Kyle Alexander just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds
- Admiral Schofield had a tough shooting night with eight points on 3 of 13 from the floor
Wednesday’s picks
North Dakota +26 at Kentucky (Game Preview)
La Salle +16.5 at Florida (Game Preview)
- Season Predictions Record (straight up): 24-4
- ATS and Over/Under Record (started Nov. 12): 2-4
Obviously, there’s no line for Auburn/MS College but here’s the full game preview for those who want it.
I like the U153 in Kentucky/North Dakota and U142 in Florida/La Salle much more, but we’ll try to keep these picks against the spread for our own amusement.
For more SEC basketball coverage follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.