It was prep week across the SEC as teams faced off with one last non-conference foe ahead of league play. Most had tune-ups, or at least perceived tune-ups, while others met some quality competition.
As usual, the updated KenPom and NET rankings are listed at the bottom.
Alabama
Last week: 1-0
Overall: 9-3
Alabama faced Stephen F. Austin on the road and left with a 79-69 win. Kira Lewis scored 17 points and handed out eight assists. The Tide hit just 14 free throws in the game, but have relied on the charity stripe during the first half of the season.
Alabama is getting 23 percent of their points (35th nationally) from the line, but is hitting on a meager 67.8 percent of its attempts attempts.
Arkansas
Last week: 1-0
Overall: 9-3
The Austin Peay Governors gave the Hogs a scare, playing neck-and-neck with the Razorbacks for much of the game. Arkansas pulled away in the final 10 minutes, though, and secured a 76-65 win at home.
Daniel Gafford scored 16 points and grabbed 10 boards while also recording four blocks and three steals. Isaiah Joe added 15 points on four made threes. Joe leads the SEC with 46 three-pointers.
Auburn
Last week: 1-0
Overall: 11-2
The Tigers barely broke a sweat when they hosted North Florida on Saturday. Auburn dispatched the Ospreys 95-49 and head into league play with one of the nation’s top defenses.
It is first in the country in turnover percentage (29.3 percent) and block percentage (21.1 percent), and second in steal percentage (14 percent).
Florida
Last week: 1-0
Overall: 8-4
Perhaps the most impressive performance across the conference this week was Florida’s 77-43 beatdown of Butler at home. The Gators actually lost to Butler 61-54 earlier in the year.
The Bulldogs shot 15 of 49 (30.6 percent), while five Gators scored in double digits this time around. Florida has done a good job slowing opposing teams down to a snail’s pace, with the latest game featuring just 60 possessions. Opponents are averaging 19.1 seconds per possession against the Gators.
Georgia
Last week: 1-0
Overall: 8-4
The Bulldogs ended their non-conference schedule with a 91-72 win over UMass. Nicolas Claxton recorded his seventh double-double of the year and fourth in a row with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Georgia has been struggling with the turnover battle, giving the ball up 16.8 times per game (342nd nationally) and forcing only 12.4 per game (283rd).
Kentucky
Last week: 1-0
Overall: 10-2
Kentucky nabbed its second top-50 KenPom win of the year with a 71-58 win over Louisville. Tyler Herro scored a season-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
The Wildcats have shown an impressive knack for winning regardless of pace, lately. Kentucky ran with the lightning-quick Tar Heels a week ago in an 83-possession, 80-72 win. This week against the Cardinals, Kentucky handled business in a much slower 62-possession game.
LSU
Last week: 1-0
Overall: 10-3
The Tigers hosted Louisiana-Monroe on Friday and walked away with an 81-69 victory. Naz Reid scored 19 and hauled in 12 rebounds. Tremont Waters dished out 10 assists, his third double-digit assist game this year, and is fourth in the conference with 72 assists.
LSU has been dangerous in the painted area so far this season, thanks in large part to Reid. The Tigers are 27th in the country with a 35.7 offensive rebounding percentage and are top 10 in two-point field goal percentage (58.2%).
Mississippi State
Last week: 1-0
Overall: 12-1
The Bulldogs wrapped up a highly impressive non-conference schedule with a 103-81 win over KenPom top-100 BYU. Mississippi State heads into SEC play with a 6-1 record against such opponents.
Aric Holman dropped a career-high 28 points against the Cougars, while Quinndary Weatherspoon chipped in a modest 27.
Ole Miss
Last week: 1-0
Overall: 10-2
Ole Miss played a handful of strong opponents early in the year, but has dealt with teams ranked 228-301 in the last four games. The latest victim was Florida Gulf Coast, who played its second SEC opponent in as many games.
The Rebels dismantled the Eagles 87-57 on Saturday. Ole Miss shot 31 of 60 (51.7 percent) as a team and have enjoyed a hot-shooting start to the year. The Rebels are top-40 nationally in two-point percentage, three-point percentage, effective field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
Missouri
Last week: 1-0
Overall: 9-3
Things have gone well for Missouri as of late, beating Morehead State 75-61 Saturday for the Tigers' sixth straight win. Mark Smith had 22 points and Jordan Geist scored 20 in a game Missouri led 35-7 at one point.
The Tigers haven’t given up any more than 64 points during their current winning streak. Missouri has forced opponents into a slow tempo this year while living by a deep shot clock three-pointer. The Tigers are making 39.3 percent of their threes and scoring 39.1 percent of their points beyond the arc.
South Carolina
Last week: DNP
Overall: 4-7
South Carolina won’t play its game until Monday, when it hosts non-DI North Greenville. The lower competition will be sweet respite from a tough start to the season, but won’t do much to prepare Frank Martin’s team for what’s to come.
The Gamecocks have struggled from the field and have been outshot on the perimeter on a regular basis. Interior defense has been the team’s strength, blocking 13.1 percent of shots that go up and forcing opponents into 44.2 percent shooting from inside the arc.
Tennessee
Last week: 1-0
Overall: 11-1
The Volunteers beat Tennessee Tech 96-53 to cap a blistering first half of the season. Tennessee’s 11-1 start is its best since the 2007-08 season, when it won the SEC regular-season title and reached the Sweet 16.
Tennessee held the Golden Eagles to 20 second-half points and just four in the last 10 minutes. Grant Williams scored 25 points and Jordan Bone had 16 points with 10 assists.
Texas A&M
Last week: 0-1
Overall: 6-5
A surprise in Aggie Land befell Texas A&M as it dropped a home game to Texas Southern 88-73. The Tigers, coached by former LSU coach Johnny Jones, are 5-8 this year, including a 3-8 mark vs. Division I teams. All three wins have come against KenPom top-100 teams.
The loss snaps Texas A&M’s five-game winning streak. The Aggies have been solid defensively this year but that strength has been watered down by their inability to clean up the boards on defense. Opponents are rebounding 32.5 percent of missed shots (296th nationally).
Vanderbilt
Last week: 1-0
Overall: 8-3
After a slow start, Vanderbilt pulled away and cruised to a 95-76 win over Tennessee State on Saturday. The Commodores have another non-conference game left to be played, a home date with a UNC Asheville team that is 2-11 with a loss to a non-Division I team.
Vanderbilt has quietly been one of the SEC’s most well-rounded teams despite losing star freshman Darius Garland to injury. The team’s downfall has been forcing turnovers. The Commodores get a steal on only 6.5 percent of possessions and forces a turnover on just 15.9 percent of possessions.
