Feb 1, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Auburn Tigers guard/forward Chad Baker-Mazara (10) reacts after defeating the Mississippi Rebels at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

SEC Showdowns: Top 25 Matchups to Watch This Week

Hannah Getman February 4, 2025 Basketball, College Basketball, Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball, Gators Sports, SEC 41 Views

Men’s SEC basketball is showing why every conference game just means more. With nine teams in the current AP top-25, conference wins are getting harder to come by.

This week, the SEC will see some more big games, including four top-25 matchups. Every game is becoming a must win as the SEC rolls towards the conference tournament and March Madness.

Tuesday’s Catfight

The first notable game of the week is the No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats taking on the No. 25 Ole Miss Rebels. The Wildcats roll into Mississippi after being upset by unranked Arkansas on Saturday, 89-79. The loss dropped them to .500 in SEC play and put them four games behind the SEC leader, Auburn.

However, the Wildcats have the chance to bestow the same fate on Ole Miss as the Rebels currently have a 5-4 conference record. Both teams have six losses on the year and the Rebels are just one win ahead overall.

In order to weather this top-25 storm, both teams will need to rely on their top players to get the job done. For Ole Miss, that means senior guard Sean Pedulla. Pedulla leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.2 points a game, and contributes defensively, leading the team in steals. The Wildcats rely on their backcourt to get the job done offensively, which starts with junior guard Otega Oweh. Oweh leads the team in scoring with 15.6 points a game and is averaging over 27 minutes played per game.

The game will be aired on ESPN at 7 p.m.

Tigers Coming to Town

On Wednesday, No. 4 Tennessee will host No. 15 Missouri. The Volunteers are coming off a 20-point home win against Florida over the weekend, which moved them up four spots in the AP top-25 poll. With the team returning senior guard Zakai Zeigler from injury, they will have major momentum going into this one.

Zeigler averages 12.3 points a game and is a big part of Tennessee’s offensive game, along with fellow senior Chaz Lanier, who’s averaging 17.9 points per game. If Tennessee can keep up its scoring, it should have the advantage in this matchup.

The Tigers, however, are on a winning streak, taking down No. 25 Ole Miss and No. 22 Mississippi State in their last two times out. Their frontcourt shares the wealth, with three guards averaging around 13 points per game. Also, they can rely on their big men to pull in rebounds, but the Tigers do struggle to score down low.

The game will be on SEC Network with tip-off set for 7 p.m.

Saturday Spotlights

Missouri returns home on Saturday to host No. 10 Texas A&M. Both teams have six wins in the SEC, with the Aggies trailing the Tigers in the conference standings by one loss. The Aggies are also coming off a narrow 76-72 win over South Carolina, who is 0-9 in conference play.

The winner of this game has the chance to lock up a top-3 spot in SEC standings, making it a big game to watch. The game will be aired on SEC Network at 3:30 p.m.

Arguably the biggest game of the week is Saturday’s showdown between No. 1 Auburn and the No. 6 Florida Gators. Auburn remains undefeated in SEC play while Florida is 5-3. The Gators struggled their last time out, suffering a 20-point loss to Tennessee. The game marked the teams season-low in points scored and showed a lot of cracks in the Gators offense.

Florida senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. scored just 10 points and was 3-of-13 shooting, after suffering an ankle injury. The Gators will need him to get back to his scoring ways if they hope to give Auburn a run for its money.

The Tigers have been dominant all season, recording only one loss all year. Led by senior forward Johni Broome, Auburn will look to carry its momentum forward and take advantage of a struggling Florida offense.

Tip-off for No.6 Florida at No. 1 Auburn is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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About Hannah Getman

Hannah Getman is a second-year sports and media major at the University of Florida.

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