February 3 SEC Basketball Schedule: Time, TV, Streaming, Odds, and Picks

Today’s Games

As we roll into February, the bubble picture is getting a bit clearer and while a lot of SEC teams are in play for bids, some of those spots in the tournament are not very secure.

Let’s start with the two games with the least implications for the bubble. The Tennessee Volunteers are pretty close to being a lock for the tournament at this point, and the Ole Miss Rebels, with an 11-11 overall record, can probably forget about the tournament this year. The Rebels travel to Knoxville at 6:00 PM ET and are given just a 13% chance of winning.

The Auburn Tigers, somehow, have lost 13 straight games against the Vanderbilt Commodores; Ken Pomeroy gives the Tigers a 90 percent chance of ending that streak as they host the 8-14 Commodores at 8:30 PM ET.

The marquee game of the day pits the Kentucky Wildcats against the Missouri Tigers at 2:00 PM ET. Kentucky’s actual play on the court belies their tournament resume, which is actually pretty good; Missouri could use another big win to help erase the stench of a December loss to Illinois. CBS, sadly, doesn’t get to hype the matchup of Michael Porter Jr. against Kentucky.

Also at 2:00 PM ET, the Texas A&M Aggies host the South Carolina Gamecocks in what’s a bubble elimination game of sorts. South Carolina’s tournament hopes are on life support after a home loss to Mississippi State earlier this week; a loss at Texas A&M would just about end them. Meanwhile, Texas A&M’s resume has fallen apart and they don’t exactly need a home loss to the Gamecocks.

At 3:30 PM ET, the Arkansas Razorbacks look to avenge their worst loss of the season as they visit the LSU Tigers. The last time these two met, LSU came away with a 21-point win in Fayetteville. Of course, since that game LSU has lost five of six while the Razorbacks have won four of six, including their first road win of the season.

Maybe the two best point guards in the SEC square off at 4:00 PM ET, with Collin Sexton’s Alabama Crimson Tide paying a visit to Chris Chiozza’s Florida Gators. Alabama’s resume is as bubbly as it gets, with a handful of marquee wins (Auburn, Oklahoma, Rhode Island) balanced by a couple of ugly losses (Minnesota, Vanderbilt.) Florida, meanwhile, has lost two of its last three and could use a win to reestablish some positive momentum.

And finally, at 6:00 PM ET, the Mississippi State Bulldogs host the Georgia Bulldogs. As is tradition, Georgia is hanging around the fringes of the bubble conversation; the Dawgs snapped a three-game losing streak with a home win over Florida on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, Mississippi State’s resume looks mildly interesting after they added a road win over South Carolina on Wednesday. A win today would be the Bulldogs’ 17th of the year, which would be their highest win total since 2012.

Bad Gambling Advice

Season to Date: 86-85-3 ATS

• South Carolina (+7) at Texas A&M: This still feels like a lot of points for Texas A&M to be laying, so I’ll take the Gamecocks to cover.
• Kentucky at Missouri (-1.5): Kentucky’s actual play on the court belies their reputation; Missouri should come up with a big home win.
• Arkansas (+1.5) at LSU: While I’d normally counsel against betting on Arkansas on the road, they have the revenge factor after an ugly home loss to LSU, and LSU is in a skid, having lost five of six.
• Alabama (+7.5) at Florida: Alabama seems to have a habit of getting up for the big games this year, and they do have the best player on the floor.
• Georgia (+3) at Mississippi State: I can’t advise you to actually watch this one because it’s probably going to be some hideous basketball, but I think these two are evenly matched so I’ll take the points.
• Ole Miss at Tennessee (-10): I’m just not buying Ole Miss, which has lost four of five, being competitive in Knoxville.
• Vanderbilt (+12) at Auburn: I’ll freely admit that betting against Auburn has been a losing proposition this year, but Vanderbilt has been playing notably better of late and 12 points seems like a lot.