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What Happened Last Night
- Kentucky 115, Arizona State 69: De’Aaron Fox, in his seventh game in college, had Kentucky’s second triple-double in school history (14 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) in a laugher, Kentucky’s third game in a row scoring triple digits. If you’re curious, the first triple-double for Kentucky was by Chris Mills in 1988 — and, well, that’s a player Kentucky fans would probably like to forget ever played for them.
- Mississippi State 65, Northwestern State 59: We knew Mississippi State would struggle with Quinndary Weatherspoon out, but we might have underestimated just how much they would struggle. Northwestern State is #307 in KenPom, and this was a one-point game with two minutes to go. I.J. Ready, the lone senior on the team, led the way with 14 points, 6 assists, and 5 steals.
- Arkansas 89, Mount St. Mary’s 76: One of the stranger developments of the early season has been Moses Kingsley’s usage; Kingsley is using 20.9 percent of the Razorbacks’ possessions this season after using 26 percent a year ago. That’s largely a reflection of Arkansas having more weapons around him, as five players scored in double figures last night and the preseason SEC Player of the Year wasn’t among them; Daryl Macon led the Razorbacks with 15 points.
- North Carolina Central 62, Missouri 52: #SECBasketballFever! You’re not going to beat too many teams when you’re shooting 25 percent from the floor, Missouri. Don’t blame Terrence Phillips, who had 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting (though he also fouled out in 21 minutes of action), but you can do the math on just how poorly the rest of the Tigers were shooting.
Tonight’s Schedule
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston Southern at Alabama | 7:00 PM | SEC Network/WatchESPN |
| USC Upstate at Auburn | 8:00 PM | SEC Network+/WatchESPN |
| Tennessee State at Vanderbilt | 8:00 PM | SEC Network+/WatchESPN |
| Houston at LSU | 9:00 PM | SEC Network/WatchESPN |
This is a sort of interesting slate. Alabama and Auburn face what should be relatively easy wins (sound the alarm bells if they’re not), but Vanderbilt and LSU are both facing undefeated teams — granted, neither Tennessee State nor Houston has really played anybody yet, but undefeated is undefeated. We’re not sure why the SEC Network chose to televise Charleston Southern-Alabama rather than Tennessee State-Vandy, the latter also having local bragging rights implications, but whatever.
Odds and Picks
Yesterday: 1-1 ATS; Season to Date: 22-30-1 ATS
- Charleston Southern (+16.5) at Alabama: No, Charleston Southern isn’t very good (#283 in KenPom) and I don’t think they’ll win outright or even come close, but 16.5 is a lot to cover, particularly given Alabama’s penchant for slowing the game down. I don’t feel strongly either way here, but if forced to choose I’ll take the points.
- Tennessee State (+7) at Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt has been, in a word, uninspiring early on this season, while Tennessee State is 6-0, and five of those wins have come away from home (including three true road games!) Throw in the fact that Tennessee State is playing three miles from campus, and I like the Tigers to keep this one close, even more so since the line has moved slightly in their favor after opening at Vanderbilt -6.
- Houston at LSU (+4): This is a really tough call, and I don’t particularly like either side: Houston opened as a 2-point favorite and the line has since moved to 4, and that basically kills the value on the 5-0 Cougars. At this line, I lean toward LSU because (a) this is Houston’s first true road game, and (b) LSU is talented enough and hit-or-miss enough to think they can cover 4 points, if not win outright. But again, I don’t feel very good about this pick.