With four weeks to go, the SEC basketball race should go down to the wire
Guess what, we have a race.
That’s an SEC basketball race, where after the weekend’s action there is a three-way tie for the top slot. Send those thank-you cards to Auburn, which rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat previous front-runner LSU 91-90 in overtime. Couple that outcome with Kentucky’s solid 77-64 triumph at Tennessee and there’s some real suspense as to who might be the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament next month.
After road losses to Vanderbilt and Auburn, LSU is 8-2. Having won five straight games, three in overtime, Auburn is 8-2. And Kentucky, which has won five of its last six overall, is also 8-2.
Two games back is another three-way tie. Mississippi State, Florida and South Carolina all sit at 6-4. Mississippi State got 25 points and 11 rebounds from Reggie Perry to handle Vanderbilt on Saturday. Florida continued its roller-coaster ride with a 68-51 loss at Ole Miss. And South Carolina pounded visiting Texas A&M 74-54 for its fourth win in its last five games.
So, with eight league games to go, who’s the favorite for the regular-season crown? Truth be told, as far as the trio at the top are concerned, you can make a legitimate case for any of the three.
Take LSU. The Tigers were flying high at 8-0 until their defense collapsed in a 99-90 loss at previously 0-8 Vanderbilt. Talk about upsetting the apple cart. The league team with no losses lost to the league team with no wins. In fact, Vandy had lost a record 26 straight league games before shocking Will Wade’s club.
Then Saturday, LSU led Auburn by 14 points in the second half at Auburn Arena before coughing up the lead, then ultimately the game and the conference lead.
“It was a tough loss,” said Wade afterward, “but it was two really good teams slugging it out and going against each other.”
Indeed. After back-to-back road losses at Alabama and Florida last month, Auburn has pulled its act together. The Tigers know how to win the close ones, squeezing out an 83-82 overtime win at Ole Miss, a 79-76 overtime win at Arkansas and the one-point overtime win over LSU on J’Von McCormick’s bucket with 0.1 seconds left.
Auburn comes to Kentucky on Feb. 29, but relatively speaking the remaining schedule is not that tough for Bruce Pearl’s club. Meanwhile, LSU gets Kentucky at home on Feb. 18, but the Tigers have to travel to Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Arkansas. Their road looks to have a few more bumps.
As for Kentucky, the Cats’ balance was the big story in their first win in Knoxville in their last five games there. Immanuel Quickley (18 points), Nick Richards (15), Tyrese Maxey (15), Johnny Juzang (13) and Ashton Hagans (10) all scored in double figures. UK shot 54.3 percent from the floor while holding the Vols to 34.5 percent from the field.
“I think right now they’re trending in the way that John wants his team to go,” UT Coach Rick Barnes said afterward.
UK’s remaining schedule isn’t easy. It has the aforementioned game at LSU, plus trips to Texas A&M and Florida (for the regular-season finale.) It has Florida and Auburn both at home. Even Tuesday’s game at Vanderbilt is no sure thing considering the Commodores led UK 52-51 with nine minutes to go at Rupp Arena on Jan. 29 and knocked off LSU just last Wednesday.
Still, you have to like the way Calipari’s club is playing right now. It’s not blowing anyone out, but it’s getting the job done in a “team-oriented” way. Example: The bench production of Juzang’s 13 points and Keion Brooks’ nine rebounds in Knoxville on Saturday.
The hunch here puts Kentucky atop the leaderboard, but the important thing is we have an SEC race with four weeks until the postseason. Should be fun.
Next game
No. 15 Kentucky at Vanderbilt
7 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN)
SEC basketball standings
- Auburn 8-2
- Kentucky 8-2
- LSU 8-2
- Florida 6-4
- Mississippi State 6-4
- South Carolina 6-4
- Alabama 5-5
- Tennessee 5-5
- Texas A&M 5-5
- Arkansas 4-6
- Ole Miss 3-7
- Missouri 3-7
- Georgia 2-8
- Vanderbilt 1-9
SEC schedule this week
Tuesday
- Kentucky at Vanderbilt (7 p.m./ESPN)
- Mississippi State at Ole Miss (7 p.m./ESPNU)
- Arkansas at Tennessee (7 p.m./SEC)
- Missouri at LSU (9 p.m./SEC)
Wednesday
- South Carolina at Georgia (6:30 p.m./SEC)
- Alabama at Auburn (7 p.m./ESPN2)
- Florida at Texas A&M (8:30 p.m./SEC)
