SEC Watch: The Race Is On (But Without Arkansas) And More Midweek SEC Notes
The race for the Southeastern Conference crown is on. Today, the top six teams in the league have already suffered at least one, but no more than two losses as the last Saturday of January approaches on the calendar. Auburn (5-1), Alabama (5-1), Tennessee (4-1), South Carolina (4-2), Kentucky (4-2), and Georgia (4-2) are all hunting the coveted regular-season trophy a third of the way through SEC play. Behind them, four more teams still pose a threat on any given night with .500 records through the first six games. It’s why the SEC may end up with eight or nine teams in the Big Dance once Selection Sunday comes around.
Until then, we will continue to track the standings and top headlines around the conference while you keep your undivided attention on your Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky’s shot at first place took a significant hit with Tuesday night’s result in Columbia, South Carolina. However, Alabama did Kentucky and the rest of the league a favor on Wednesday night.
Auburn No Longer Undefeated (Thanks, Alabama)
The SEC’s only unbeaten team got beat last night when No. 8 Auburn went down in Tuscaloosa, just like we wanted. The Tigers weren’t rattled by the Coleman Coliseum crowd in the beginning, as the visiting side took a 14-6 lead into the first TV timeout. But Alabama gained control from there, flipping the scoreboard into a 14-point halftime lead for the Crimson Tide.
Auburn fought back to tie the game in the second half, but there wasn’t enough fight to retake the lead. Alabama held off the second-half charge to win in the final minute, capped off by two game-sealing free throws by Mark Sears, the SEC’s leading scorer. Sears scored 22 points with eight assists in the win. Auburn’s Johnni Broome, formerly of Morehead State fame, had a 25 and 14 game with five blocks in the losing effort.
With the win, Alabama moved back into a share of first place with Auburn. They will play again next month in Auburn.
Arkansas Should Be Embarrassed
Arkansas lost another one. That’s now five of six in the SEC, all by an average of 20 points per loss. The one win was against Texas A&M, three days after A&M beat Kentucky, and even then, the Razorbacks needed a buzzer-beater to win by one point in Bud Walton Arena.
In the two most recent disappointments, Arkansas lost to South Carolina (no judgment there) and then at Ole Miss, the latter in historic fashion. Ole Miss beat Arkansas by 26 points, 77-51, in Oxford last night, the biggest loss for Arkansas in the series in over 50 years. The Rebels opened the game on a 12-2 run and never looked back, leading by 29 points when the victory cigars checked in.
Eric Musselman has a mess on his hands on a short turnaround before Kentucky and College Gameday come to town. Kentucky needs to seize the opportunity to bounce back against a program at rock bottom.
Georgia And LSU Went Down To The Wire
A couple of surprise two-loss teams met in Athens last night when Georgia and LSU traded blows until the final seconds. Down by two, LSU’s Jalen Cook converted a three-point play to give LSU its first second-half lead with 16 seconds left in the game. In response, Georgia’s Jabri Abdur-Rahim attemped a 3-pointer to win it, only to miss short with seconds still on the clock. Georgia’s Russel Tchewa cleaned it up with a three-point play to win the game and keep the Dawgs in SEC contention.
Florida Playing Back Into NCAA Projections
After losing two games to open conference play, Florida has won three of four (and the loss was at Tennessee) to earn a spot on the bubble in the new Bracketology. Joe Lunardi has the Gators in his Next Four Out.
Last night, Florida kept those NCAA hopes alive by handling business at home against Mississippi State, 79-70. Florida’s Will Richard scored a season-high 23 points in the victory, with another 15 apeice from Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullian in the backcourt.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State dropped a fourth game in SEC play following an 11-2 record in the non-concerence.
Kentucky’s SEC Freshmen of the Week
With Kentucky’s DJ Wagner earning his third SEC Freshman of the Week award on Monday, the Freshman of the Week award has gone to Lexington more times this season than the rest of the conference combined. Reed Sheppard (x2) and Aaron Bradshaw also took the SEC’s rookie hardware earlier this season.
- Aden Holloway, Auburn (Nov 13)
- Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State (Nov 20)
- DJ Wagner, Kentucky (Nov 27)
- Reed Sheppard, Kentucky (Dec 4)
- Aden Holloway, Auburn (Dec 11)
- DJ Wagner, Kentucky (Dec 18)
- Reed Sheppard, Kentucky (Dec 26)
- Mike Williams III, LSU (Jan 1)
- Aaron Bradshaw, Kentucky (Jan 8)
- Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State (Jan 15)
- DJ Wagner, Kentucky (Jan 22)
Still, no SEC Player of the Week awards this year. That’s a long drought for the Wildcats.
Antonio Reeves Chasing The Scoring Title
One of Kentucky’s two stars who isn’t a freshman, Antonio Reeves is within a point of the SEC’s leader in scoring average. Reeves averages 19.2 per game in 2023-24 with 20 or more points in half of UK’s SEC games.
| NAME | PPG | FGM | FGA | 3PM | 3PA | FTM | FTA |
| 1. Mark Sears – Alabama | 19.9 | 6.4 | 12.3 | 2.4 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 5.7 |
| 2. Wade Taylor IV – Texas A&M | 19.5 | 6.0 | 16.5 | 2.5 | 8.4 | 5.0 | 6.0 |
| 3. Antonio Reeves – Kentucky | 19.2 | 6.7 | 13.2 | 2.6 | 6.0 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| 4. Dalton Knecht – Tennessee | 18.8 | 6.4 | 13.3 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 4.9 |
| 5. Tramon Mark – Arkansas | 17.8 | 6.0 | 11.4 | 1.2 | 3.1 | 4.6 | 5.8 |
| 6. Matthew Murrell – Ole Miss | 16.9 | 6.1 | 12.6 | 2.3 | 5.9 | 2.5 | 3.4 |
| 7. Meechie Johnson – South Carolina | 16.6 | 5.3 | 12.2 | 2.2 | 5.8 | 3.8 | 4.7 |
| 8. Jordan Wright – LSU | 15.9 | 5.0 | 12.2 | 1.9 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 5.0 |
| Sean East II – Missouri | 15.9 | 6.1 | 11.6 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 3.1 |
| 9. Johni Broome – Auburn | 15.8 | 6.1 | 10.9 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 5.1 |
| Walter Clayton Jr. – Florida | 15.8 | 5.4 | 12.6 | 2.1 | 6.2 | 2.8 | 3.6 |
| Allen Flanigan – Ole Miss | 15.8 | 5.3 | 12.7 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 4.7 | 5.8 |
| 10. Ezra Manjon – Missouri | 15.2 | 5.2 | 11.1 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 4.3 | 5.0 |
SEC Scoreboard
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23
| AWAY | HOME | ||
| (6) Kentucky | 62 | South Carolina | 79 |
| Missouri | 57 | Texas A&M | 63 |
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24
| AWAY | HOME | ||
| LSU | 66 | Georgia | 68 |
| (13) Auburn | 75 | Alabama | 79 |
| Mississippi St | 70 | Florida | 79 |
| Arkansas | 51 | (22) Ole Miss | 77 |
SEC Standings
| CONF | OVERALL | HOME | ROAD | NEUTRAL | STRK | |
| Auburn | 5-1 | 16-3 | 10-0 | 2-2 | 4-1 | L-1 |
| Alabama | 5-1 | 13-6 | 9-1 | 2-2 | 2-3 | W1 |
| Tennessee | 4-1 | 14-4 | 10-0 | 2-2 | 2-2 | W3 |
| South Carolina | 4-2 | 16-3 | 10-1 | 3-2 | 3-0 | W2 |
| Kentucky | 4-2 | 14-4 | 10-1 | 2-2 | 2-1 | L-1 |
| Georgia | 4-2 | 14-5 | 11-1 | 3-1 | 0-3 | W1 |
| Ole Miss | 3-3 | 16-3 | 12-0 | 2-3 | 2-0 | W1 |
| Florida | 3-3 | 13-6 | 8-1 | 1-3 | 4-2 | W2 |
| Texas A&M | 3-3 | 12-7 | 7-2 | 3-3 | 2-2 | W2 |
| LSU | 3-3 | 11-8 | 8-3 | 1-3 | 2-2 | L-2 |
| Mississippi State | 2-4 | 13-6 | 7-2 | 0-4 | 6-0 | L-1 |
| Arkansas | 1-5 | 10-9 | 8-3 | 0-3 | 2-3 | L-2 |
| Missouri | 0-6 | 8-11 | 6-5 | 2-4 | 0-2 | L-6 |
| Vanderbilt | 0-5 | 5-13 | 5-6 | 0-4 | 0-3 | L-5 |
Saturday’s SEC Schedule (Jan. 27)
| TIME | AWAY | HOME | TV |
| 12:00 PM ET | Georgia | Florida | ESPN2 |
| 1:00 PM ET | Missouri | South Carolina | SEC Network |
| 3:30 PM ET | (8) Auburn | Mississippi St | SEC Network |
| 6:00 PM ET | (5) Tennessee | Vanderbilt | SEC Network |
| 6:00 PM ET | (6) Kentucky | Arkansas | ESPN |
| 8:00 PM ET | LSU | Alabama | ESPN |
| 8:30 PM ET | (22) Ole Miss | Texas A&M | SEC Network |
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