SEC basketball: A look at who Auburn, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas have remaining
With five games remaining, the quest for the SEC regular-season men’s basketball title appears to be a three-team race.
At 12-1 in league play, Auburn holds a commanding two-game lead over Kentucky and Tennessee, the two teams tied for second place at 10-3 in the SEC. At 9-4, Arkansas is just one game out of second place, but three whole games behind the first-place Tigers.
Remember, the top four teams receive the coveted double-byes for the fun and sun at the SEC Tournament in Tampa, Fla., on March 9-13.
So here’s a look at the remaining schedules for the four teams at the top of the league standings:
Auburn (12-1)
Feb. 19 at Florida: The Tigers handled the Gators 85-73 at Auburn Arena on Jan. 8. K.D. Johnson scored 23 points for the victors. If Florida has any shot at making the NCAA Tournament, Mike White’s team needs to pull off the upset in the rematch.
Feb. 23 vs. Ole Miss: Auburn won 80-71 in Oxford on Jan. 15 behind Walker Kessler’s 19 points. A reeling Ole Miss has lost four straight heading into Saturday’s game at Georgia.
Feb. 26 at Tennessee: This will be an important one for both teams as Auburn tries to lock down a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl has won six straight games over his former employer.
March 2 at Mississippi State: Mississippi State carried a four-game losing streak into its game Friday night against Missouri in Starkville. In a make-up game, the Bulldogs and Tigers meet again Sunday, but in Columbia.
March 5 vs. South Carolina: Auburn beat host South Carolina 81-66 way back on Jan. 4. Wendell Green scored 22 points for the Tigers. South Carolina is 15-10 overall and 6-7 in the conference.
Kentucky (10-3)
Feb. 19 vs. Alabama: UK beat the Crimson Tide 66-55 in Tuscaloosa on Feb. 5. At 17-9 overall and 7-6 in the league, Alabama could use an upset at Rupp Arena to solidify its case as an NCAA Tournament team.
Feb. 23 vs. LSU: Kentucky lost to LSU 65-60 in Baton Rouge on Jan. 4. LSU went through a skid in which it lost five of six games. Since then, Will Wade’s club has righted the ship, winning three straight, including an 84-65 thumping of lowly Georgia on Wednesday.
Feb. 26 at Arkansas: This looks like Kentucky’s toughest remaining game. The Razorbacks have won 10 of their last 11, including that 80-76 overtime victory over No. 1 Auburn at Bud Walton Arena on Feb. 8. That was the postgame celebration in which Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman, his left shoulder still in a brace, went shirtless among celebrating fans.
March 1 vs. Ole Miss: John Calipari’s club shouldn’t have any trouble here against the Rebels, who have struggled since losing impressive freshman guard Daeshun Ruffin to a torn ACL.
March 5 at Florida: The Cats have won three straight in Gainesville, including a 76-58 triumph last year when Kentucky went 9-16 overall.
Tennessee (10-3)
Feb. 19 at Arkansas: This is the first of two games the Volunteers will play against the Razorbacks. Tennessee has won eight of its last nine. As we mentioned previously, Arkansas has won 10 of its last 11.
Feb. 22 at Missouri: This season has been a struggle for Mizzou, now 10-15 overall and 4-8 in the league. Missouri Coach Cuonzo Martin has lost four straight to Tennessee, where he was head coach from 2011-12 through 2013-14.
Feb. 26 vs. Auburn: The Vols extended their win streak at Thompson-Boling Arena to 14 straight games with the 76-63 win over Kentucky on Tuesday night. Keeping that streak going would mean beating Auburn, currently ranked No. 2 in the land.
March 1 at Georgia: It has been a long, hard year for the Bulldogs, now 1-12 in the SEC and 6-20 overall. Tom Crean’s team will attempt to snap a six-game losing streak when it plays Ole Miss in Athens on Saturday.
March 5 vs. Arkansas: This will be the rematch of Saturday’s game. By the way, Tennessee is 4-4 in road games this season.
Arkansas
Feb. 19 vs. Tennessee: Arkansas is 14-1 at Bud Walton Arena this season. The one loss was to Vanderbilt, 75-74, on Jan. 4. The Razorbacks did lose to Hofstra, 89-81, at North Little Rock on Dec. 18.
Feb. 22 at Florida: The Gators are 11-3 at the O’Connell Center and take a five-game home win streak into Saturday’s game against Auburn. Arkansas came up short on its last trip to Gainesville, losing 73-59 on Feb. 18, 2020.
Feb. 26 vs. Kentucky: This should be one of the best matchups of the season. UK’s last trip to Fayetteville, John Calipari was ejected with 8:19 left in the game. The Cats outscored the Hogs 29-22 the rest of the way for a 73-66 win on Jan. 18, 2020.
March 2 vs. LSU: Musselman’s team won 65-58 in Baton Rouge on Jan. 15 behind 19 points from JD Notae and 13 rebounds from Jaylin Williams.
March 5 at Tennessee: As a road team, Arkansas is 4-3 on the season. The Razorbacks have won four of their last five away from Bud Walton. The lone defeat was that 68-67 loss at Alabama on Feb. 12.
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
