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What Happened Last Night
Texas 77, Alabama 68: In four games against teams outside KenPom’s top 100, Alabama is 4-0, winning by an average of 17.5 ppg. But they’re now 0-3 against top 100 teams, though they’ve been competitive in all three games. Alabama led by 12 at the half but watched Texas storm back and outscore them 51-30 in the second half. Dazon Ingram had 12 points, 6 boards, and 6 assists for the Tide in the loss.
Today’s Schedule
| Game | Time (ET) | TV/Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| UCLA at Kentucky | 12:30 PM | CBS/CBSSports.com |
| Memphis at Ole Miss | 1:00 PM | SEC Network+/WatchESPN |
| Georgia Tech at Tennessee | 1:00 PM | SEC Network+/WatchESPN |
| Western Kentucky at Missouri | 3:00 PM | SEC Network+/WatchESPN |
| Austin Peay at Arkansas | 8:00 PM | SEC Network+/WatchESPN |
| Vanderbilt vs. Minnesota | 8:00 PM | ESPN3/WatchESPN |
| Auburn at UAB | 8:30 PM | BeIN Sports |
Think of UCLA at Kentucky as the appetizer for the main dish (the SEC Championship Game), which immediately follows the game on CBS. It’s possible that roughly half of next year’s NBA Draft lottery picks will be playing in this game, and both teams are currently undefeated.
As for the rest of the games, a bit of the shine is off the Memphis-Ole Miss matchup after Ole Miss got hammered by MTSU, but it still could be a good game. Vanderbilt heads to Sioux Falls, South Dakota (for some reason) to face Minnesota, and Auburn has a good barometer game at UAB: if the Tigers are a real, live NCAA Tournament contender, they win this game. Georgia Tech-Tennessee, Western Kentucky-Missouri, and Austin Peay-Arkansas don’t sound like great games, but you could do worse. This is a solid Saturday of action that’s overshadowed by the big football game.
Odds and Picks
Yesterday: 0-1 ATS; Season to Date: 24-35-1 ATS
- UCLA at Kentucky (-9.5): Kentucky has covered the spread in each of their last five games and I don’t see any reason to bet against that streak, particularly against a UCLA team that seems a bit overvalued right now. Both of these teams like to play up-tempo so expect lots of points.
- Georgia Tech (+5.5) at Tennessee: The Vols are a bit shorthanded right now with Jordan Bone injured and Admiral Schofield out indefinitely (as far as we know), and they’ll be shaking off some rust after a week and a half off since Maui. No, Georgia Tech’s not that good, but I expect them to keep the score close and maybe even steal a road win.
- Memphis (+2.5) at Ole Miss: Ole Miss is 2-5 ATS this year and after looking awful against MTSU on Wednesday, I don’t see any particular reason to pick them against a pretty good Memphis team.
- Western Kentucky at Missouri (-7.5): Missouri seems a bit undervalued coming off a loss to North Carolina Central on Monday, and let’s not mince words: Western Kentucky has looked pretty bad, losing their last three by an average of 23 points to the murderer’s row (sarcasm) of Washington, UNLV, and Eastern Kentucky. I like Missouri to not only win but also cover against Rick Stansbury’s (!) team.
- Vanderbilt (+2.5) vs. Minnesota: Vanderbilt appears to figuring things out after a slow start, while Minnesota is coming off its first loss of the season. Look for a close game and Vanderbilt to cover.
- Austin Peay (+20) at Arkansas: Austin Peay isn’t good, but (a) the Governors take care of the ball and (b) Arkansas is 1-4 ATS this season. This doesn’t seem like a good spot to pick the Razorbacks to cover a 20-point spread.
- Auburn (+4) at UAB: UAB opened as a 2.5-point favorite and that’s moved to 4, which makes Auburn a good value pick: Auburn doesn’t seem to be quite as undervalued as they were earlier in the season and the game’s at UAB, but I like Auburn to win this game outright even on the road.