After another week of conference play, the SEC standings are starting to come into focus with a clear top, middle and bottom tier. Here is a look at a few key games from the past week, a note on the bottom feeders and a look ahead for the Razorbacks.
As always, the conference standings and each team's KenPom and NET rating are included at the bottom.
Key Results
No. 5 Kentucky 76
South Carolina 48
In a battle for position below Tennessee, Kentucky dominated the last 15 minutes of this Tuesday game to run away with a key conference win. This game was actually tied at 24 with just over five minutes left in the first half, but the Wildcats outscored the Gamecocks 52-24 the rest of the way.
PJ Washington led Kentucky with 20 points and EJ Montgomery provided a big boost off the bench with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
South Carolina shot just 35.8 percent in the game and was outrebounded 50-27. A 5-of-14 showing at the free throw line didn’t help matters, either. To compound the issue, the Wildcats hit more free throws (21) than the Gamecocks attempted.
Auburn 76
Florida 62
Auburn created a one-game lead over the Gators and forced itself back into the middle of the SEC with a win over Florida on Tuesday. It was the first time the Tigers have beaten Florida at home in 20 years.
The Gators typically do a good job of forcing their opponents into a slow and sloppy game, but Auburn exploded for 40 points in the second half to pull away. Bryce Brown scored 14 and Samir Doughty hit four three-pointers for Auburn.
Florida shot the ball fairly well, but struggled from outside the arc. The Gators hit just four of 20 three-point attempts.
No. 21 LSU 92
Mississippi State 88 (OT)
The Bulldogs wrapped up a disappointing first half to conference play with losses to ranked LSU and Kentucky. LSU needed overtime to get past Mississippi State, though, to remain a one-loss team.
The Tigers were down 42-34 at halftime before dropping nearly 50 points in the second half to force overtime. Naz Reid scored 29 in the game, including a go-ahead three in the final moments. Tremont Waters added 26 points and dished out five assists along the way.
Quinndary Weatherspoon scored 27 points in 44 minutes for the Bulldogs. Both teams shot at least 54 percent from the field. Reggie Perry scored 19 in his sixth start of the season and made it a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Bottom four continues to bottom out
In a league where the space between talent levels can be murky, there is a clear and defined bottom tier that has taken shaped in the SEC’s cellar.
Missouri, Texas A&M, Georgia and Vanderbilt have carved out their spots in the conference and are falling further from the middle of the pack.
The four teams are a combined 5-35 in SEC play. Vanderbilt is 0-10, but nearly got its first win after a furious comeback at Arkansas fell short.
All four teams had a winning record through the non-conference slate, with the Tigers going 9-3. Georgia and Vanderbilt were 9-4, while Texas A&M was 7-5.
Bulldog fans at least received some good news recently, though, as the top shooting guard and No. 2 player in the 2019 class announced his commitment to Georgia on Monday.
Anthony Edwards chose Georgia and Tom Crean over Kentucky. Edwards is the highest-rated recruit in Bulldog history and brought Georgia’s 2019 class up to 12th in the country.
Arkansas look-ahead
The Razorbacks have beaten who they should probably beat and lost against who they should probably lose to so far, based on the numbers. The only real outlier has been the LSU upset.
If the trend holds, Arkansas could be in for another 1-1 week. The Hogs go on the road to face Missouri - a team they beat 72-60 in Fayetteville earlier this season - on Tuesday.
Missouri hasn’t exactly held it down at home, going 1-4 in Columbia during conference play so far. That bodes well for Arkansas, but the Tigers are already a good matchup for the Razorbacks.
Missouri turns the ball over on 21.1 percent of possessions (306th) and shoots just 47.3 percent from inside the arc (275th). Both are areas that Arkansas excels in defensively, with a 25th-best forced turnover percentage and 60th-ranked opponent two-point shooting percentage.
On Saturday, Arkansas gets to host a Mississippi State team that has played to the level of just about every opponent since conference play began. Eight of the Bulldogs’ 10 SEC games have been decided by three points or less.
This game will present the Razorbacks with a challenge, especially if they can’t limit second-chance points. One of Arkansas’ most glaring issues has been allowing offensive rebounds.
Opponents are rebounding 33.6 percent of their shots against Arkansas, good for 333rd in the country. Mississippi State is grabbing an offensive board on 35 percent of shots they put up (24th).
Former Arkansas commit Reggie Perry has played a key role in that, pulling down 2.3 offensive rebounds per game.
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