Race for first
After Auburn defeated Alabama on Wednesday, we officially have four teams with two losses at the top of the league.
Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, and Tennessee all have two losses. This is going to be a fascinating finish for the crown and I firmly believe that all four teams can win the league. If I had to choose one team right now it would be Tennessee. I just think they have been the most consistent team this year and have the best player in the league.
Good thing for all of us is that these teams will be playing against each other and it will all play out on the court. It’s really great to see how the SEC has elevated itself in basketball. It’s easily the second best league in the country and the environments that are created at SEC home games are incredible.
It’s also been great to see the football rivalries take meaning for basketball games. Whether it's the Iron bowl, Egg Bowl, Tennessee-Kentucky, or any other big rivalry, these games have been amazing and have had that big game feel.
Iron Bowl split
I was hoping to talk about how great of an environment it was in the Jungle or about how well Auburn played in this game, but the officials had to get in the way.
There were over 80 free throws in this game. I understand that a foul is a foul, but coming from a college basketball player there’s nothing worse than an official not letting the players play. This is exactly what happened, especially in the second half. The energy and the intensity in this game is what College Basketball is all about.
The duo of Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome continues to be dominant. These two combined for 50 points and both were highly efficient. This is a big win for Auburn and I thought for the most part the Tigers were under control on the offensive end. Now it did help that there was a foul called on just about every possession, but the guards of Auburn had a really good game as far as controlling the pace and getting the two bigs the ball.
Auburn carried their good play from the second half of Ole Miss into this game.
The Alabama road woes continue as this is two road games against ranked opponents in which they get blown out. Let’s be honest, this game was over at halftime. And, Alabama struggles on the defensive end continue. I know I have been hard on the officials, but a lot of the calls were fouls and if this team wants to win the SEC they better start defending without fouling. This team has similar struggles as Kentucky.
Gamecocks escape at home
South Carolina just continues to find ways to win games and in conference play that is all that matters.
It may not be pretty or flashy, but it wins ball games. After giving up a big lead in the second half, Matt Stute hit a huge three pointer for the Gamecocks. BJ Mack has been so good for the Gamecocks this year, but I thought he really struggled with the length from Ole Miss. I thought Lamont Paris did a really good job of using Collin Murray-Boyles in this role as he is also a very skilled big man. This makes for a great combo down low, both bigs are highly skilled and use their body very well.
Ole Miss blew a great opportunity to knock off the Gamecocks. They had South Carolina in trouble, but just never could take the lead. Allen Flannigan was huge in the comeback for the Rebels, but I thought late in this game he settled for some very tough shots. Sometimes you spend so much energy to come back that you do not have legs late down the stretch. The end of this game was interesting and controversial.
I’m not sure why South Carolina just dribbled out the clock and didn’t try to get a great shot. They basically just dribbled out the clock and Meetchie Johnson chucked up a long three at the end of the shot clock.
Ole Miss got the rebound and Matthew Murrell shot a three with a lot of time left. I do think there was contact on the shot, but you can’t expect the refs to call a foul that far away from the basket. Murrell should have continued to attack the rim to get a kick out three for a teammate.
Much needed win in Starkville
As the bubble teams in the SEC continue to beat up on each other, home games for the teams are must wins.
Mississippi State really controlled this game from the jump. They established Tolu Smith early in the game and he delivered with 19 points. For Mississippi State to have success, Smith needs to touch the ball just about every time down the floor. This doesn’t mean he has to shoot it, but his presence creates space for everyone else.
This will allow for cutters and slashers, as well as open up spot up three pointers. Josh Hubbard continues to be one of the best freshmen in the SEC.
Best of the rest in the SEC
A very workman-like week for most of the top teams in the SEC.
Kentucky got back on track and dominated Vanderbilt. Kentucky is the most explosive offense in the SEC and when they shoot the ball well, good luck guarding them. The Wildcats shot a ridiculous 57% percent from the field. I do think it is an encouraging sign that the Wildcats looked to give better effort on the defensive side of the ball.
Tennessee dominated LSU as this game was pretty much over in the first five minutes of the game. Tennessee led 15-1 to start the game and LSU made a little run late to cut it to eight, but it didn’t last long. Dalton Knecht had a bounce back game and scored 26 points. Zakai Ziegler continued his great play as he had 17 points and 9 assists. Ziegler is playing like the best point guard in the SEC. The Vols are in play for a number one seed come NCAA tournament time.
Texas A&M handled MIssouri easily as Tyrece Radford continues to play great ball. One has to wonder now if MIssouri will win a conference game this season. The Tigers are definitely standing on business this year on the court.
Look ahead to the weekend
The game of the day is in College Station as the Aggies take on the Tennessee Vols. This should be another incredible environment, as the Aggies have a great opportunity for a big resume win. The key will be can the Aggies make enough shots to keep with the Vols and for Rick Barnes, can they keep the Aggies off the glass. The Vols have struggled rebounding a bit this year.
Auburn goes to Florida in what I think could be an upset for the Gators. Auburn is coming off an emotional win and Florida is playing really good basketball. The Gators did not play in the mid-week so I’m interested to see how that affects them.
Alabama goes to Baton Rouge as they try to bounce back after the Auburn loss. LSU is also looking to bounce back, as they have played well at home this year. I expect this to be a very close game in the last 5 minutes.
Georgia goes to Arkansas as Devo Davis is expected to play for the Razorbacks. Not sure how much worse it can get for the Razorbacks, but maybe Davis coming back can give them some juice. Georgia really needs this win.
Vanderbilt goes to South Carolina as this should be a very comfortable win for the Gamecocks. Missouri looks to get its first conference win as Mississippi State comes to town.
Kentucky hosts Gonzaga in a non-conference game on Saturday. Gonzaga is down this year and aren’t the same team as in the past couple years. They are coming off a win and as crazy as it sounds, needs a resume win to get off the bubble. I will be interested to see if DJ Wagner plays as the Wildcats desperately need him back.
Power Rankings
- Tennessee
- Auburn
- South Carolina
- Alabama
- Kentucky
- Ole MIss
- Florida
- Texas A&M
- Mississippi State
- Georgia
- LSU
- Arkansas
- Vanderbilt
- MIssouri