With only one game left in the regular season, SEC teams are jockeying for position in hopes of landing a better seed heading into next week’s conference tournament.
There are several intriguing matchups on Saturday’s schedule, including a few games that will decide the SEC regular season champion.
Let’s get to the picks.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 213-76
No. 5 Tennessee at Auburn – Noon EST, ESPN
The Vols haven’t played their best basketball in recent road trips, and this will be yet another challenging matchup in what figures to be a rowdy atmosphere.
Even with Tennessee having a shot at a regular season title, the Tigers are a different team at home and should have plenty of motivation to prove themselves in this one.
Prediction: Auburn 79, Tennessee 78
Georgia at South Carolina – 1 p.m. EST, SEC Network
After winning at Florida, the Bulldogs turned around and delivered their worst performance of the season in scoring just 39 points against Missouri.
The Gamecocks aren’t in the bubble conversation at this point, but they should be able to take some momentum into the conference tournament by earning the win.
Prediction: South Carolina 75, Georgia 65
Texas A&M at Mississippi State – 2 p.m. EST, ESPN2
Losing back-to-back road games to Auburn and Tennessee shouldn’t be a cause for concern for Ben Howland’s group, as they have the depth to be a difficult NCAA Tournament matchup.
Texas A&M just isn’t the same team without TJ Starks on the court, and the Bulldogs should take advantage of that in a big way.
Prediction: Mississippi State 74, Texas A&M 59
Florida at No. 6 Kentucky – 2 p.m. EST, CBS
The Gators had their chances in the overtime loss to LSU, and now they must regroup for this intimidating road matchup having lost two straight.
While Florida is good enough defensively to make this interesting, the Wildcats are simply the more consistent team and should find a way to grab numerous second-chance opportunities.
Prediction: Kentucky 72, Florida 62
Ole Miss at Missouri – 3:30 p.m. EST, SEC Network
Kermit Davis’ squad has lost three in a row and four out of their last five games, which isn’t a great direction to be heading in considering that they’re back on the bubble.
The Tigers have built a lot of confidence with consecutive blowout wins, and I’ll lean towards Jordan Geist and company finding a way to pick up the win.
Prediction: Missouri 70, Ole Miss 69
Alabama at Arkansas – 6 p.m. EST, SEC Network
Speaking of bubble teams that need to avoid a loss, that’s the case for the Crimson Tide as they essentially find themselves in a must-win situation against an Arkansas team that is playing with a lot of confidence right now.
It’s simply impossible to know what to expect from Avery Johnson’s team in this crucial matchup, so I’ll take a chance and go with the Hogs here.
Prediction: Arkansas 82, Alabama 80
Vanderbilt at No. 10 LSU – 8:30 p.m. EST, SEC Network
With the Will Wade suspension obviously causing some distractions for the Tigers, many people wonder how it’ll affect their performance on the court.
That would be understandable in most situations, but given the struggles from the Commodores, LSU should play angry and grab the convincing victory to land the No. 1 seed next week.
Prediction: LSU 89, Vanderbilt 71
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