January 20 SEC Basketball Schedule: Time, TV, Streaming, Odds, and Picks

Today’s Schedule

If you want to know how consequential the two annual Florida-Kentucky showdowns have been in recent years, consider: 2008-09 is the last time that neither of these teams won at least a share of the SEC regular season title.

That might be changing this year. Florida currently leads the SEC standings and Kentucky is a game back, but KenPom has them as the third- and fourth-best teams in the league, respectively. So the first showdown — at Rupp Arena at 8:15 ET on ESPN -- feels a bit less consequential than it has in years past. It still should be a good game, of course, but there are plenty of other contenders for the title.

Like Auburn. Auburn is a half-game behind the Gators at 4-1, and the Tigers host Georgia at 6:00 PM ET. That’s a game that Auburn should win and also one that they need to win if they’re going to keep pace. Oh, and Georgia could gain a huge win for its somewhat iffy NCAA Tournament resume.

Alabama has won three in a row since an ugly loss to Georgia and hosts Mississippi State, while Tennessee travels to South Carolina — both teams that have beaten Kentucky at home and sit at 3-3 in conference play.

Texas A&M picked up its first SEC win against Ole Miss on Tuesday, and will look to make it two in a row as they host Missouri. Missouri is now 3-2 in the SEC and is building a solid resume.

The two early games are probably the worst on the slate: LSU travels to Vanderbilt, which is in the midst of a lost season, and Arkansas faces an Ole Miss team that’s recovered a bit from a slow start, but still doesn’t look that great.

Bad Gambling Advice

Season to Date: 71-68-2

• LSU at Vanderbilt (Pick)
• Ole Miss at Arkansas (-8)
• Missouri (+6) at Texas A&M
• Tennessee (-3.5) at South Carolina
• Georgia (+8.5) at Auburn
• Florida (+3.5) at Kentucky
• Mississippi State at Alabama (-6)