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What Happened Last Night
- Arizona 67, Texas A&M 63: The Aggies are now 0-3 against the Pac-12, and 7-0 against everyone else. That does include a neutral-court win over Virginia Tech, but Texas A&M missed an opportunity for a resume-building win, falling behind by as much as 22 in the second half before a furious run came up just short at the end. Tyler Davis had 21 points and 10 rebounds, but now Texas A&M will have to try to make its case for a tournament bid in SEC play.
- Georgia 84, Charleston Southern 64: Even by Yante Maten’s lofty standards, 30 points and 6 boards on 11-of-13 shooting is a good day. Georgia never trailed and led by as much as 25 in an easy win over Charleston Southern. The Bulldogs shot a season-high 53.8 percent from the floor.
- South Carolina 77, South Florida 66: The Gamecocks got out to a slow start, shooting 35 percent from the floor in the first half and falling behind 37-31 at halftime, but a second-half rally got South Carolina its first true road win of the season (albeit over a pretty bad South Florida team.) PJ Dozier had 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists to lead the Gamecocks, who were without Sindarius Thornwell for the third straight game.
- Arkansas 77, Texas 74: The Razorbacks came out cold, shooting 26.5 percent from the floor in the first half, but an 11-2 run midway through the second half gave them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish — though Texas made it interesting at the end. This game was decided at the foul line, as Arkansas went 29-of-31 at the charity stripe, including a 14-for-14 performance by Daryl Macon. Macon led the Razorbacks with 23 points.
- Eastern Illinois 67, Missouri 64: Oh, no. Missouri dropped to 5-5 on the season, which is even worse when you consider that they’ve yet to play a true road game (and won’t until January 7.) The Tigers can point to 3-of-18 three-point shooting and 15-of-24 from the foul line, but this still isn’t a game they have any business losing. No Tiger scored in double figures.
- Florida 87, Charlotte 46: The Gators’ defense did work in this one, as Charlotte wound up with more turnovers (20) than made baskets (14.) This game was never in doubt, as Florida built a 48-22 halftime lead and led by as much as 44 with seven minutes left. Devin Robinson had 15 points and 9 rebounds for the Gators, who had ten different players score in the game. And now, Florida will finally get to play a home game, as they host Little Rock on Wednesday.
- Kentucky 103, North Carolina 100: Malik Monk set a Kentucky freshman record with 47 (!) points — the most points by a Kentucky player since Jodie Meeks dropped 54 on Tennessee back in 2009. De’Aaron Fox had 24 points and 10 assists, and the Wildcats shot 54.1 percent from the floor. All of that was enough — just barely -- to get the Wildcats past North Carolina in an early candidate for game of the year.
- LSU 88, Texas Southern 80: LSU led by 10 at the half but Texas Southern never really went away, keeping the game close until the final minute, when LSU hit 7-of-8 free throws to finally put the game away. Duop Reath had 21 points and 8 rebounds for the Tigers in the win.
- Vanderbilt 76, Chattanooga 74: Vanderbilt trailed for much of the second half, but Luke Kornet hit a three-pointer with 2.9 seconds left to give the Commodores a narrow win over a good Chattanooga team. Kornet and Matthew Fisher-Davis had 18 apiece for Vanderbilt, which shot 44 percent from the floor but 26-of-29 at the foul line.
Today’s Schedule
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Mercer at Auburn | 1:00 PM | SEC Network/WatchESPN |
| Clemson vs. Alabama | 4:00 PM | ESPNU/WatchESPN |
| Gonzaga vs. Tennessee | 4:00 PM | ESPN2/WatchESPN |
The Mercer-Auburn game suddenly got interesting: five-star recruit Austin Wiley will make his debut for Auburn after enrolling at midyear. That’s followed by a pair of “neutral court” games at 4:00 PM ET: Alabama faces Clemson in Birmingham, and Tennessee faces Gonzaga in Nashville. Both games represent an opportunity for a quality win for the SEC.
Odds and Picks
Yesterday: 3-5 ATS; Season to Date: 38-62-1 ATS
- Mercer at Auburn (-11): Thursday was the first time this season I picked against Auburn, and they won by 45. Why not go with them again?
- Clemson vs. Alabama (+4.5): Alabama’s shown that they can be competitive against good teams but hasn’t quite gotten over the hump. I like them to pull an upset against a Clemson team that seems to be a bit overvalued here.
- Gonzaga (-10.5) vs. Tennessee: Tennessee has looked a lot better than expected so far this season, but Gonzaga is a buzzsaw and I like the Bulldogs to cover here.