SEC Watch: Updated Odds, Auburn's Fall, And Rivalry Week In Lexington
The Southeastern Conference is approaching the turn in its regular season. When the week ahead concludes, the SEC race will be at its halfway point, with nine games played on most teams’ league schedules, including Kentucky’s.
Things look different today than the last time we chatted about the best conference in basketball. We had gotten comfortable with Auburn leading the way early on; however, that is no longer the case as we head further into the spring semester.
Auburn’s 0-2 Road Trip Cost The Tigers First Place
No. 8 Auburn had a bad week. The Tigers took a short, westward road trip to Alabama and Mississippi State, only to lose both away games for a winless week in the SEC. Auburn entered the week as the league’s only unbeaten team, but the two losses cost Auburn its grip on the regular-season race, moving the Tigers from first to a crowded second place.
Here’s a crazy stat: Auburn, ranked seventh in KenPom and ninth in the NET, is 0-3 in Quad 1 games this year. Louisville has more Quad 1 wins than Auburn at the moment. Fraud, perhaps?
Alabama’s Won 8 of 9
With Alabama’s home win over Auburn last Wednesday night, the Crimson Tide regained a share of first place in the conference, then took sole possession of that lead by beating LSU on Saturday. Alabama scored 109 points in Saturday’s win, led by SEC leading-scorer Mark Sears for a third straight game. Sears had 21 points, but he now shares his SEC scoring lead with Texas A&M‘s Wade Taylor IV at 20.0 ppg each. Taylor scored 30 in a loss at Ole Miss on Saturday.
But back to Alabama. Nate Oats’ team is hot, winning eight of nine since losing to three straight top-10 opponents in December. Alabama’s one loss on its SEC record came at Tennessee, the league’s other one-loss team. The Vols won big at Vanderbilt on Saturday after a rare week without a weekday game.
Updated Odds To Win The SEC
| TEAM | ODDS |
| Tennessee | +130 |
| Alabama | +230 |
| Auburn | +270 |
| Kentucky | +650 |
| Florida | +9000 |
| South Carolina | +10000 |
| Mississippi State | +13000 |
| Ole Miss | +20000 |
| Georgia | +20000 |
| Texas A&M | +25000 |
| Vanderbilt | +50000 |
| Missouri | +50000 |
| LSU | +50000 |
| Arkansas | +50000 |
Rivalry Week Coming To Lexington
For Kentucky‘s purposes, there is a big week ahead in Rupp Arena with two of the Wildcats’ SEC rivals coming to town. On Wednesday, Kentucky hosts Florida in a rematch of their SEC opener in Gainesville, a game that came down to the final minute, a Kentucky win.
If Kentucky handles its business at home on Wednesday, it will play arguably the biggest game on the Rupp Arena schedule to stay alive in the SEC conversation. Tennessee has one conference loss heading into the new week. The Vols host South Carolina in Knoxville on Tuesday before Big Blue Nation welcomes them into Rupp for a late one Saturday night.
RJ Melendez On Fire
Florida may be relieved to see someone other than RJ Melendez on Wednesday. The former Illinois wing scored 35 points for the Dawgs in the loss to the Gators on Saturday. Melendez came off the bench for 35 points on 19 shots, including a late 3-pointer to keep Georgia in the fight with seconds to go. Melendez shot 13-for-19 from the field with six made 3-pointers. Ultimately, Georgia needed a few more points to keep up with Florida’s 102 in the 102-98 OT game.
SEC Scoreboard – Saturday, January 27
| AWAY | HOME | ||
| Georgia | 98 | Florida | 102 |
| Missouri | 54 | South Carolina | 72 |
| (8) Auburn | 58 | Mississippi St | 64 |
| (5) Tennessee | 75 | Vanderbilt | 62 |
| (6) Kentucky | 63 | Arkansas | 57 |
| LSU | 88 | Alabama | 109 |
| (22) Ole Miss | 71 | Texas A&M | 68 |
SEC Standings
| CONF | OVERALL | HOME | ROAD | NEUTRAL | STRK | |
| Alabama | 6-1 | 14-6 | 10-1 | 2-2 | 2-3 | W2 |
| Tennessee | 5-1 | 15-4 | 10-0 | 3-2 | 2-2 | W4 |
| South Carolina | 5-2 | 17-3 | 11-1 | 3-2 | 3-0 | W3 |
| Auburn | 5-2 | 16-4 | 10-0 | 2-3 | 4-1 | L-2 |
| Kentucky | 5-2 | 15-4 | 10-1 | 3-2 | 2-1 | W1 |
| Ole Miss | 4-3 | 17-3 | 12-0 | 3-3 | 2-0 | W2 |
| Florida | 4-3 | 14-6 | 9-1 | 1-3 | 4-2 | W3 |
| Georgia | 4-3 | 14-6 | 11-1 | 3-2 | 0-3 | L-1 |
| Mississippi State | 3-4 | 14-6 | 8-2 | 0-4 | 6-0 | W1 |
| Texas A&M | 3-4 | 12-8 | 7-3 | 3-3 | 2-2 | L-1 |
| LSU | 3-4 | 11-9 | 8-3 | 1-4 | 2-2 | L-3 |
| Arkansas | 1-6 | 10-10 | 8-4 | 0-3 | 2-3 | L-3 |
| Missouri | 0-7 | 8-12 | 6-5 | 2-5 | 0-2 | L-7 |
| Vanderbilt | 0-6 | 5-14 | 5-7 | 0-4 | 0-3 | L-6 |
This Week’s SEC Schedule
TUESDAY, JANUARY 30
| TIME | AWAY | HOME | TV |
| 6:30 PM ET | South Carolina | Tennessee | SEC Network |
| 8:30 PM ET | Mississippi State | Ole Miss | SEC Network |
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31
| TIME | AWAY | HOME | TV |
| 6:30 PM ET | Alabama | Georgia | SEC Network |
| 8:00 PM ET | Florida | Kentucky | ESPN |
| 8:30 PM ET | Arkansas | Missouri | SEC Network |
| 9:00 PM ET | Vanderbilt | Auburn | ESPN2 |
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3
| TIME | AWAY | HOME | TV |
| 12:00 PM ET | Arkansas | LSU | ESPN2 |
| 1:00 PM ET | Georgia | South Carolina | SEC Network |
| 3:30 PM ET | Missouri | Vanderbilt | SEC Network |
| 4:00 PM ET | Florida | Texas A&M | ESPN2 |
| 6:00 PM ET | Auburn | Ole Miss | SEC Network |
| 8:30 PM ET | Tennessee | Kentucky | ESPN |
| 8:30 PM ET | Mississippi State | Alabama | SEC Network |
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