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What Happened on Monday
The SEC finally suffered a loss.
While there was plenty of joy in Nashville due to Darius Garland’s commitment, the Vanderbilt Commodores couldn’t parlay that into a win. The Belmont Bruins of the OVC knocked off the ‘Dores 69-60 in the crosstown showdown in Music City.
Elsewhere, Mizzou won yet again without the presence of Michael Porter Jr. Porter’s hip aggravated him to the point where he couldn’t even sit out on the sideline, and it’s probably for the best that he didn’t play against the Wagner Seahawks, anyway. The Tigers won by 44 points, and the last four years of misery in Missouri look to be a thing of the past.
The Florida Gators debuted in a big way, winning 116-74 over Gardner-Webb. Egor Koulechov had 34 points in 26 minutes, shooting 11-17 including an impressive 6-9 from 3-point land. Jalen Hudson was 3-5 from 3, while freshmen Deaundrae Ballard and Mike Okauru had a combined 27 points in their first action as Gators.
The Ole Miss Rebels and South Carolina Gamecocks were each victorious over Eastern Kentucky and Western Michigan. Terence Davis had 16 points while going 6-12 from the field for the Rebs, while four players earned double figures in the Gamecocks’ win.
Tonight’s Schedule
| Time (ET) | Game | TV/Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | High Point vs. Tennessee | SEC Network+/WatchESPN |
| 7 p.m. | USC Upstate vs. Georgia | SEC Network+/WatchESPN |
| 8 p.m. | Lipscomb vs. Alabama | SEC Network/WatchESPN |
| 9:30 p.m. | Kentucky vs. Kansas | ESPN/WatchESPN |
So... yeah, there’s obviously a pretty big game Tuesday night. The No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats face off with the No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks in the bottom half of the 2017 Champions Classic. Chicago will be playing host to this year’s event, which features the Michigan State Spartans battling the Duke Blue Devils. Kentucky has been living dangerously this year, having had close battles with Utah Valley and the Vermont Catamounts this weekend. They’ll certainly need to step up against Devonte Graham and the Jayhawks at the United Center.
Apart from that, there’s really not much to offer except for what’s going down in Tuscaloosa. Five-star point guard Collin Sexton makes his official debut for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Sexton served a 1-game suspension that kept him out of the opener against the Memphis Tigers. ‘Bama won anyway, but they’ll be happy to add the talented Sexton to their roster on Tuesday night.
Tennessee and Georgia, frankly, should wreck shop against High Point and USC Upstate.
Bad Gambling Advice
Season to Date: 8-5 ATS. Tom’s homer pick of Vanderbilt was his lone loss on Monday.
- Alabama (-14.5) vs. Lipscomb
- Kansas (-4.5) vs. Kentucky