Kentucky silences Neville arena

I will be the first to say that I didn’t think Kentucky had much of a chance on Saturday, based on the way the Wildcats had been playing. It was a matter of time that Kentucky’s talent would pay off and win them a game and it happened to be in Neville arena on Saturday. This by far was the best defensive game and the most physical game that Kentucky had played all year. I thought the Wildcats matched the physicality of Auburn. 

The energy and attitude the Wildcats played with was great. They looked focused and played with an us against the world mentality. You could tell that the Wildcats took this personally and I am interested to see if the Wildcats can carry this mentality for the rest of the season.

I thought Ugonna Onyenso was the player of the game for the Wildcats. He had 7 points and 11 rebounds and I thought his length really bothered Johni Broome. Onyenso might not have the best stat line, but his impact was what won the game for Kentucky. Antonio Reaves continues to play like a first team all conference guy and he hit a bunch of big shots for the Wildcats. Reaves is the veteran, who really has to be the guy in the big moments. 

For Auburn, it's really the same thing that has been holding them back the past couple of years and that is the inability to play solid ball in big time matchups. I thought that this team came out with almost too much energy. They were playing too fast and were too worried about playing to the crowd than just playing the game. Once Kentucky took a lead, the Tigers went into hero mode and tried to make the home run play every possession.

I have been consistent on the Tigers and that is until they prove they can play a complete game against good competition, then they have question marks. I also believe Auburn is playing too many players. Once you get to March, teams need to cut the bench and play around 7-8 guys. Auburn plays eleven guys, which I think makes it hard for each player to get into a flow offensively. 

LSU gives Gamecocks back to back loses

I mentioned in the preview that I thought LSU had a chance in this game and it was a matter of time before they knocked off someone. This came true as the Tigers finally completed a double digit comeback. One thing that scares me about this Gamecock team moving forward is that their style of play results in a lot of close games.

This has to be a hard loss to take because they were up by 16 in the second half, but their pace of play especially on offense can result in letting a team get back in the game. South Carolina struggles to generate early offense and when a team goes on a run, you need to be able to generate easy buckets. 

The late game execution was very bad for the Gamecocks. BJ Mack hit a big three pointer to give them a three point then the Gamecocks gave up an and 1. If you are South Carolina you can’t give up an easy drive to the basket and on top of that you foul as well. Ta’lon Cooper hits a three to give the Gamecocks a three point lead with around 20 seconds left.

Lamont Paris is telling his players to foul, which is the right play, but they do not foul and let up another wide open layup at the rim. I’m still not sure why the Gamecocks didn’t foul there. After all of this the Gamecocks are up one and they just have to break the press and the game is over. They enter the ball to BJ Mack and instead of chinning the ball, he puts the ball above his head which results in a jump ball. The rest is history for the Tigers

There is real reason to be concerned with the Gamecocks and they have been a really nice story this year, but I’m afraid this is about the best this team is going to get. 

Best of the rest in the SEC

There weren't really any other shockers in the league.

Alabama continues to roll as they blowout Texas A&M. The Aggies must be the most inconsistent team in the country and besides MIssouri have been the most disappointing in the SEC. The way this team plays is very confusing and just relying on two players to make plays with zero ball movement is an interesting strategy.

The Aggies only had six assists the entire game and with the assist to turnover ratio that this team has, you can see why they are so inconsistent. Alabama is easily the most entertaining team to watch and all they do is continue to put up 100 on people. The offensive actions and the way Nate Oaks creates open space is impressive for a basketball junkie like me.

We will learn a lot about the Tide this week.

Florida continues to be the hottest team in the league, as the Gators crack the top 25 for the first time this season. They had a nice comeback win in Athens on Saturday. I think this team is the most dangerous coming down the stretch and could very easily play their way into a top 4 seed in the SEC tournament. I will continue to say that Todd Golden is one of the brightest young coaches in the league.

What happened in Knoxville this weekend was a total embarrassment for the SEC. Jerry Stackhouse's club looked awful on Saturday and didn’t put up any type of fight. I’m not sure how it's possible to be down 30 points at half and if Rick Barnes didn’t take his starters out at the under 12 timeout it would have been a 50 point win. 

The line in the second half was 40 points. When was the last time a high major college basketball line was 40 points. On the other hand, this Vols team seems to be coming together at the right time. Santiago Vescovi hit four threes and watch out if Vescovi starts to hit some shots. This team has a legit shot to get a 1 seed and make a final four. The Vols are still the best and most complete team in the league.

Mississippi State and Ole MIss both avoided bad losses on Saturday. Mississippi State pulls a close one out on Arkansas, as I am still not sure why Devo Davis did not shoot what would have been the game winning three. Ole MIss beats MIssouri, in what might have saved their season. The Rebels are considered as one of the last four teams in the tournament and losing to Missouri would have been a devastating loss. 

Look ahead to this week's game

The game of the midweek will be in Tuscaloosa as the red hot Gators face Alabama. I think the Florida guards matchup well with the Tide and are very good offensively to keep up. You have to score to beat the Tide because you aren’t going to slow them down that much. I do think this is an interesting game, but just don’t think Florida is ready to win a game like this.

I am also interested in Kentucky going to Baton Rouge to face LSU. Kentucky is coming off an emotional win and sets up perfectly for a trap game as the Tide come to Rupp on Saturday. LSU is also coming off a big win on the road. I do think this is the upset alert for this week's set of the games. 

The Egg Bowl is renewed as this game has NCAA tournament implications and the winner will probably be on the right side of the bubble. This game is pretty simple as whoever can hit some type of outside shots will win this game. Both teams are great on defense and both struggle on offense.

Arkansas goes to College Station, in what is a game I have zero clue what to think. Both teams have talent, but are very inconsistent.

Georgia goes to Vanderbilt in what I would not be surprised if Vandy wins the game. It is just a struggle for average teams to play well in that gym. Even after the beat down in Knoxville, I think Vandy will play better against the Bulldogs.

Tennessee goes to Missouri in what has the making to be another beat down. Missouri is winless in conference and that’s not good with the Vols coming to town. I would be surprised if this game is within 20 points.