After an abbreviated respite, SEC hoops get back in full swing on Saturday with a three-game slate.
Florida Gators (7-4) vs. Long Beach State 49ers (4-10)
Noon ET, SEC Network, WatchESPN
Florida hasn’t quite had the season they envisioned. At 7-4, with losses to several quality teams under their belts, the Gators have one last shot at preserving things before conference play starts up. They will play against a rather bad Long Beach State team on Saturday in Gainesville. The Beach are 4-10 on the year and just got out of a five-game losing streak that stretched from November into December. If UF somehow loses this one? Slam that panic button.
Tennessee Volunteers (8-3) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (6-5)
1:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Tennessee enters the post-Lamonte Turner era on Saturday when they face the Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers have been the definition of skittish this year, entering play with a 6-5 record. They had a four-game winning streak in November, but then a three-game losing streak sent them on their heels. They won recently against Milwaukee, but dropped one to Rutgers as well. Which Wisconsin will show up on Saturday? For the Vols’ sake, hopefully the one that lost to the Scarlet Knights.
Kentucky Wildcats (8-3) vs. Louisville Cardinals (11-1)
3:45 p.m. ET, CBS
The biggest game of the day comes to us from Louisville. Kentucky will hope to get off the schneid as they face the in-state rival Cardinals. Chris Mack’s team is bulldozing others so far, as they’ve built up an 11-1 record with an unblemished record at home so far. They have already taken down the likes of the Pitt Panthers and Michigan Wolverines at home, but this one will be in Lexington. Besides a shocking loss to Evansville, UK has been great at home this year. They will certainly enjoy being back, given that they had a miserable trip out west in Vegas.