It was a wild Tuesday night in the world of SEC basketball, as Vanderbilt/Arkansas and Kentucky/Tennessee delivered thrilling finishes.
Will Wednesday night’s games be just as entertaining?
Let’s preview and pick the winners for each game.
Missouri (5-13, 0-6) at Mississippi State (12-6, 3-3) – 7 PM ET, SEC Network
I thought that last Saturday’s game against Ole Miss was Missouri’s best shot at winning an SEC game. Now the Tigers must hit the road to take on a Mississippi State team that has to be a little angry.
After playing so well against Kentucky, the Bulldogs got dismantled by Tennessee in Knoxville. It was an expected outcome given how young this team is and how deflating it was to come up short against the Wildcats.
But Ben Howland will have his team ready for this one. Mississippi State has already proven that it can hang with the top teams in the SEC, so anything less than a double-digit victory at home over the worst team in the league would be disappointing.
Prediction: Mississippi State 78, Missouri 66
Texas A&M (10-8, 2-5) at Ole Miss (12-7, 3-4) – 7:30 PM ET, ESPN2
These teams were ranked No. 11 and No. 12 in this week’s SEC power rankings. There’s a reason I had Ole Miss ahead of A&M, and we’ll get to that shortly.
Give the Aggies credit for beating Georgia last weekend. But even with that win, it’s still hard to rely on this team. While the turnover problems have gotten better (only 11 vs. Georgia and 12 vs. Arkansas), there are plenty of stretches where Texas A&M makes you scratch your head.
Of course, the same can be said for the Rebels. The 78-74 win over Missouri was obviously nothing special, but getting Deandre Burnett back on the floor is a huge boost for Andy Kennedy’s squad going forward.
As for why I ranked Ole Miss above Texas A&M? Because I think the Rebels win this game.
This is a complete toss-up since both teams have glaring flaws, but it feels like Ole Miss has found a little momentum after going 2-0 last week (which included a win over Tennessee).
Prediction: Ole Miss 68, Texas A&M 65
Alabama (11-7, 4-2) at Georgia (12-7, 4-3) – 9 PM ET, ESPNU
This appears to be the game of the night in the SEC, with both teams searching for a win after suffering head-scratching losses on Saturday.
Like I said after the Alabama/Auburn game, it’s not time for Crimson Tide fans to panic. Going on the road and winning in a hostile environment is always difficult, and when it’s your biggest rival, it’s even more difficult.
Alabama still isn’t a great offensive team. Shot selection and free throw shooting are the most glaring concerns, and those areas must improve if this team wants to keep winning SEC games.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have only themselves to blame for the loss in College Station. I don’t agree with the rule that prevented Georgia from getting another shot at winning that game, but it never comes to that if it doesn’t blow a nine-point lead with under two minutes left.
Considering that Mark Fox’s team only hits five threes per game (last in the SEC), Alabama needs to aim its focus on two things: stopping JJ Frazier’s penetration and keeping Yante Maten from scoring at will in the paint.
Those two things are easier said than done.
Right now, Georgia is in the NCAA tournament picture. To stay there, the Bulldogs can’t afford any bad losses. While losing to Alabama wouldn’t be a terrible loss in my eyes (I still have the Crimson Tide sixth in this week’s power rankings), it would be in the eyes of the RPI.
This will be a grind it out type of game where big offensive plays down the stretch will decide the outcome. I’ll take Georgia in a tight game.
Prediction: Georgia 67, Alabama 62
No. 25 Florida (14-5, 5-2) at LSU (9-9, 1-6) – 9 PM ET, SEC Network
If there’s one thing that struggling teams hope for, it’s having an upcoming game against LSU.
The reason is simple: the Tigers are giving up 88.2 PPG in SEC play. That’s not ideal.
However, it’s not like the Gators are coming in riding a huge amount of confidence on offense. Florida’s offensive struggles were to be expected against a great South Carolina defense, but the problems at home against Vandy were more concerning.
With all that said, Mike White’s team should win this game. And if that happens, there’s good news for the trip to Oklahoma on Saturday:
Teams are clearly finding confidence after earning a win over the Tigers.
Prediction: Florida 88, LSU 78
For more SEC basketball talk, be sure to subscribe to the Southeast Hoops podcast on iTunes. You’ll get every new episode delivered straight to your mobile device or desktop.
Blake Lovell has worked in sports media for over 10 years. He currently covers SEC football and basketball for various publications.