SEC Men’s Hoops Roundup

Conference play is just getting started, but the SEC is heating up. But with only two teams in the top 25, the SEC still has a lot of room for improvement. Here’s what the Top 6 SEC teams have been up to.

LSU (12-4, 4-0)

The Tigers are currently on top of the SEC race with an extra win over Auburn and Kentucky. LSU has been on a good run so far, but its true tests will come later in the season at Auburn and Kentucky.

Going into their next matchup against Ole Miss, the Tigers are coming off a great overtime win against Texas A&M, where they had to rally late in the game to push the matchup to overtime. Last-minute wins have become a staple for LSU as of recently.

In their game, before the OT thriller, the Tigers were down nine against Mississippi State with under five minutes left to play. After tying the game, Skylar Mays hit a jumper from just inside the 3-point line at the buzzer to give LSU a 60-59 victory.

https://twitter.com/LSUBasketball/status/1217272125804949505

No. 4 Auburn (15-0, 3-0)

Auburn has not disappointed so far in the season coming in as one of the best teams in the nation. They are one of only two undefeated teams in the top 25 right now and are looking to stay that way after tonight’s matchup against Alabama.

1️⃣5️⃣-0️⃣#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/VDqCYBr44I

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) January 11, 2020

Auburn will face their two hardest matchups of the season so far this week though. They will face Alabama and Florida on the road, both of which have only two home losses between them this season.

However, no matter how impressive an undefeated season is, the Tigers have faced no ranked opponents. Their only ranked opponent as of now will come in Kentucky later in the season.

No. 10 Kentucky (12-3, 3-0)

Kentucky started their season strong with a win against then No. 1 Michigan State to open their season. But just three games into the season had Kentucky crashing down in the rankings after being upset by Evansville.

The Wildcats secured a strong win though when they upset then-No. 3 Louisville. This, along with three straight SEC wins has helped but Kentucky back in the top 10.

Coming up though, they will have to face a tenacious Arkansas team who have only suffered two losses this season.

https://twitter.com/KentuckyMBB/status/1216782917726162945

Florida (11-5, 3-1)

Despite starting the season ranked in the top 5 and dropping out of the rankings all together pretty quickly, Florida has been able to tough out some good wins this season. The Gator’s young team is finally learning to mesh and may finally be on the up and up.

#GatorsWin pic.twitter.com/H8DKAub8ch

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) January 15, 2020

Despite Missouri’s upset win, Florida bounced back with a good win against Ole Miss. This next three-game stretch will be one of the hardest of their season though. Florida will host No. 4 Auburn this weekend, then travel to LSU, then come back home for the SEC-Big12 Challenge against No. 2 Baylor.

Florida’s young team will have to work as a team to have a chance at winning any of these next three.

Tennessee (10-5, 2-1)

The Volunteers started their season off strong, but have had trouble as of late. Tenessee has lost 4 of their last 7 games and have the hardest part of their schedule still ahead.

Big shots from the young'ns yesterday pic.twitter.com/xwe5ArTW0J

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) January 12, 2020

Things may be starting to turn over for Tennessee as they won their last two games against SEC opponents Missouri and South Carolina. The South Carolina win was a close one and was only clenched with under 2 seconds left to play when John Fulkerson drew a charge.

Despite winning their last two, Tennessee has to stay alert with two games against Auburn and Kentucky and one against Kansas still ahead.

Arkansas (13-2, 2-1)

Despite being so low in the SEC, Arkansas is one of the best teams that is not in the top 25. They only have two losses on the season, one of which came in OT fashion and the other to a good LSU team.

In their last game against Ole Miss, Isiah Joe stepped up big time to put up 34 points for the Razorbacks. If he can continue producing like this, it will really help Arkansas in the long run.

https://twitter.com/RazorbackMBB/status/1217269671935668224

Within the next few weeks, Arkansas will have to play Kentucky and Auburn. This could help make their case to be ranked, even if they can pull one game out.