Auburn-Tennessee and Kentucky-Arkansas highlight Saturday SEC basketball schedule
Just three more games.
That’s right, just three more regular season games remain in the SEC men’s basketball season. After the Saturday square-offs around the league, there will be just one more week in the conference campaign before members reconvene in Tampa for the SEC Basketball Tournament from March 9-13.
And what a Saturday it should be with a pair of matchups featuring the top four teams in the standings.
Auburn leads the pack at 13-2, but the Tigers can expect a tough game Saturday when they face Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers at 4 p.m. at ESPN. The Vols are tied for third place at 11-4. Auburn is No. 8 in the latest kenpom rankings. Tennessee is 10th.
Arkansas is the team tied with UT in the standings. And Arkansas welcomes second-place Kentucky to Bud Walton Arena for a 2 p.m. game on CBS. John Calipari’s Cats are 12-3 in the SEC, but the Hogs have won 12 of their last 13 games. They’ve lost just once at Bud Walton all season.
An underrated Saturday matchup finds South Carolina at Alabama for a 6 p.m. game on the SEC Network. Frank Martin’s Gamecocks come to Tuscaloosa riding a four-game win streak, improving to 17-10 overall and 8-7 in the league. Alabama has won four of its last five, the lone loss being to UK 90-81 last Saturday in Lexington. The Crimson Tide is 8-7 in the conference.
Needing to shore up its NCAA Tournament resume, LSU can’t afford a slip-up when Missouri comes to Baton Rouge for an 8:30 p.m. game on the SEC Network. Will Wade’s Tigers dropped to 7-8 in the league with that 71-66 loss at Kentucky on Wednesday.
Florida is also 7-8 in the SEC after losing at home to Arkansas 82-74 on Tuesday. The Gators play Georgia in Athens at 12 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network. Florida handled Georgia 72-63 in Gainesville on Feb. 9.
Elsewhere, Vanderbilt visits a sagging Mississippi State for a 1 p.m. game Saturday on the SEC Network. The host Bulldogs have lost five of their last seven games. Miss State is 7-8; Vandy 6-9. And Texas A&M is at Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m. on the SEC Network. Texas A&M is 6-9, while Ole Miss is 4-11.
