The SEC/Big 12 Challenge is back for another season, and it should provide plenty of quality games yet again.
There are 10 challenge games on the schedule, but there are also two important SEC matchups that will be worth watching.
Let’s get to the picks.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 157-46
Alabama at Baylor – Noon EST, ESPNU
The Crimson Tide have made significant strides since the buzzer-beater loss to Texas A&M, and Avery Johnson deserves a lot of credit for seemingly helping this team change its mindset over the past several games.
Baylor has won three straight, and while I’m always concerned about early-season Alabama showing up, I just don’t hate this matchup for the improved Tide.
Prediction: Alabama 69, Baylor 68
No. 24 Iowa State at No. 20 Ole Miss – Noon EST, ESPN
This is undoubtedly an excellent matchup on paper, as both are capable of being the type of team that no one wants to face come March.
The Rebels are coming off a disappointing road loss at Alabama, and as we saw after an earlier defeat against LSU, Kermit Davis should have his team’s full attention.
But we’ve seen the Cyclones play very well on the road this season, and they may keep that trend going in what should be one of the better games of the challenge.
Prediction: Iowa State 75, Ole Miss 74
Florida at TCU – Noon EST, ESPN2
Florida has started to prove its potential on offense at various points during the league slate, and that needs to continue if this team wants to get back on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Like with a few other teams in the SEC, I’m having trust issues with the Gators, so the Horned Frogs feel like the better choice due to their overall balance.
Prediction: TCU 64, Florida 61
South Carolina at Oklahoma State – 2 p.m. EST, ESPNU
The Gamecocks just keep winning games, and even with a 5-1 start in league play, they still have a lot of work to do to get into the NCAA Tournament picture.
I don’t know that I completely trust South Carolina just yet, and with the Gamecocks coming off an emotional win over Auburn, I’m really tempted to take Oklahoma State.
But picking against Frank Martin has proven to be a bad strategy, so South Carolina should be able to grab an important road win.
Prediction: South Carolina 71, Oklahoma State 70
Texas at Georgia – 2 p.m. EST, ESPN2
Georgia has lost five of six while Texas has lost four of five, which means both of these teams desperately need a victory right now.
The problem for the Bulldogs is that their past four defeats have all been by double digits, and while it feels like this could be a close game, I have more confidence in the Longhorns.
Prediction: Texas 69, Georgia 65
Kansas State at Texas A&M – 2 p.m. EST, ESPN
Texas A&M is in the middle of one of an absolutely brutal stretch of games, and it doesn’t get any better against a Kansas State squad that has found its groove after some early struggles.
The Wildcats rank fourth nationally in defensive efficiency, and they have an experienced roster that should be able to take care of business by forcing the Aggies to take a lot of bad shots.
Prediction: Kansas State 65, Texas A&M 56
Vanderbilt at Oklahoma – 4 p.m. EST, ESPN2
Speaking of teams that can’t catch a break scheduling-wise, the Commodores now get to travel to Norman after the rough loss to Tennessee earlier in the week.
There’s a good chance that Vanderbilt is able to carry over some momentum from that performance, but despite a significant size advantage, Oklahoma’s defense (14th nationally in defensive efficiency) and experience (30th nationally) may prove to be the difference.
Prediction: Oklahoma 80, Vanderbilt 73
West Virginia at No. 1 Tennessee – 4 p.m. EST, ESPN
Grant Williams continues to prove why he’s one of the best players in college basketball, and there’s no doubt that West Virginia will turn its efforts towards slowing him down.
Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, there are a lot more players to deal with in the Tennessee rotation, and the Vols should be able to take advantage of a rare inconsistent year defensively for Bob Huggins’ team.
Prediction: Tennessee 83, West Virginia 69
Arkansas at No. 14 Texas Tech – 6 p.m. EST, ESPN2
The Razorbacks got a much-needed win over Missouri on Wednesday, and perhaps that will be the spark that Daniel Gafford and company need to get back on the track.
However, I worry about Arkansas’s ability to take care of the ball on the road against a Texas Tech team that is still the nation’s best in defensive efficiency.
Prediction: Texas Tech 74, Arkansas 66
No. 25 LSU at Missouri – 6 p.m. EST, SEC Network
LSU is riding an eight-game winning streak, but Missouri’s style of play could play a big role in this potentially being much closer than some expect it to be.
The Tigers already have conference road wins at Arkansas and Ole Miss, so they’ve built up enough confidence to be ready for what should be a rowdy atmosphere.
With Missouri having issues turning over the ball, Tremont Waters should make enough plays down the stretch to fuel LSU to victory.
Prediction: LSU 71, Missouri 68
No. 9 Kansas at No. 8 Kentucky – 6 p.m. EST, ESPN
John Calipari once again has his team turning a corner during one of the most important parts of the season, and that’s not ideal for opponents as the Wildcats try to make a run at another SEC title.
Of course, the focus in the challenge will be on a Kansas team that is still extremely talented despite losing Udoka Azubuike for the season.
There simply isn’t a whole lot that separates these two teams statistically, as Kentucky’s biggest weakness – defensive consistency – has improved dramatically in recent weeks.
It’s just hard to pick against the Wildcats at Rupp Arena given how well they are playing at this point, and it’s even harder to do that with the Jayhawks missing a key piece of the puzzle.
Prediction: Kentucky 79, Kansas 77
No. 16 Auburn at No. 22 Mississippi State – 8:30 p.m. EST, SEC Network
These two teams are in an interesting spot at this point in the season, as they’re both under .500 in league play despite being ranked in the top 25.
Auburn hasn’t been playing bad basketball over the past few weeks, but they’ve run into a situation where they’re facing the challenges of going on the road as the reigning SEC champs, which involves getting everyone’s best effort.
That doesn’t make this setup all that great for the Tigers, with Mississippi State pretty much in a must-win situation with road games at Alabama and Ole Miss coming up next week.
I’ll take the Bulldogs to pick up the victory.
Prediction: Mississippi State 83, Auburn 81
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