The SEC is tightening up as we come up on the midway point of the season. Some have continued to separate themselves at the top, while others have continued their slip to the bottom. Most are stuck right in the middle.
This week’s roundup includes a couple of upsets, a team sliding the wrong way and a look at Arkansas’ upcoming opponents.
Upsets
Alabama 83
No. 22 Mississippi State 79
The Crimson Tide were red-hot on their way to a 41-29 halftime lead. They had to weather a steady Bulldog comeback, but managed to pull away with their fourth conference win and third straight win over a top-25 team.
Donta Hall scored 19 points and grabbed seven points for Alabama, while Reggie Perry led Mississippi State with 18 points. The Crimson Tide made as many free throws as the Bulldogs attempted (22) and both teams struggled from deep, combining to shoot 4 of 34 (11.8 percent) from three-point range.
Arkansas 90
No. 19 LSU 89
LSU’s 18-game home win streak was snapped by an Arkansas team that hit 13 of 24 three-point attempts. The Razorbacks held a slim lead at halftime, but opened that advantage up to 18 points during the first 10 minutes of the second half.
The Tigers stormed back, though, and took the lead. A late Mason Jones basket put Arkansas in front for good to cap the Hogs’ first win over a KenPom top-30 team this year. LSU made 32 of 38 free throws in the game, while Arkansas attempted just 11 shots from the foul line.
Sliding in Oxford
Ole Miss has lost five of its last six games after starting the season 13-2. The Rebels fell to Florida in overtime on Wednesday 90-86. The Gators’ 82 regulation points were the most they have scored against a team inside the KenPom top-150 this season.
The Rebels also dropped a contest against Mississippi State at home 81-75. Breein Tyree dropped 25 points in the loss and has reached the 20-point mark four times in his past five games.
Ole Miss has placed itself directly in the middle of the SEC at 4-4 and continues to move further away from the top 25 team it was just a couple of weeks ago.
Holding Down the Top Spot
The top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers have run their win streak up to 16 and just put a bow on the lightest four game stretch in their schedule since late December with wins over South Carolina and Texas A&M.
The Vols now return home for their next three games and have at least an 85 percent chance to win each game, according to KenPom. Grant Williams continues to lead the SEC in scoring at 20.4 points per game, while Jordan Bone is first in the conference in assists per game with 6.6.
Look Ahead for Arkansas
The Hogs have won three of their last four and have a chance to pull themselves out of the six-team 4-4 logjam. Arkansas hosts a Vanderbilt team on Tuesday that has yet to win a conference game (0-8) after starting the season 9-4.
The Commodores have struggled to force turnovers and have the 333rd-ranked block percentage (6.5) so far this year. Offensively, 11 percent of Vanderbilt’s shots are getting blocked, which is a good sign for Daniel Gafford and his 2.0 blocks per game.
On Saturday, Arkansas hits the road to face a South Carolina team that got out to a surprising 4-0 start to conference play and is currently sitting at 6-2. Five of those wins were single-digit victories.
This could be a high scoring game if the lids are off the rim, as both teams are top 25 in shortest possession lengths. The Razorbacks may even have some luck rub off on them at the free throw line in this game, too. South Carolina has watched opponents make 74.3 percent of their free throws, 331st in the nation.
