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On Tap for SEC Basketball: February 16

A huge matchup in Lexington awaits us.

South Carolina v Tennessee Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

We’ve got a busy day scheduled, so let’s just get right to it.

Even though they lost earlier in the week, the Kentucky Wildcats will have to shift their focus very quickly. The #1 Tennessee Volunteers are coming to Rupp Arena tonight. It’s a massive showdown featuring two Top 5 teams and presents a huge opportunity for both sides to score what would be a humongous victory over the other. The Vols have won 19 games in a row and have looked awesome at times. The Wildcats were beaten at the buzzer by the LSU Tigers and will certainly be out for revenge. This will be the game of the day and if both teams play up to snuff, it could be an instant classic.

Outside of that, the slate is somewhat so-so but there could be some solid matchups elsewhere. While Tennessee and Kentucky are duking it out, the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Arkansas Razorbacks will be doing so as well. The Bulldogs snapped a two-game losing streak with a win over Alabama back on Tuesday and will be hungry for more. They’ve been so-so on the road (3-3 to be precise) and they’ll face an Arkansas team that’s gone 10-4 at Bud Walton this season. The Hogs have lost their last two, both on the road, to South Carolina and Mizzou. Each of these teams is 5-6 in league play and will be looking to get up to .500.

Down in Tuscaloosa, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida Gators will be squaring up. ‘Bama is 6-5 in SEC play heading into this game while the Gators are 5-6. UF snapped a three-game losing streak and a stretch where they lost four of five with a win over Vanderbilt on Wednesday. Alabama, meanwhile, saw a two-game win streak come undone with a loss to aforementioned Mississippi State. This is a proverbial coin flip on KenPom and is also the only time these two teams will meet this season. So it will be pivotal, especially with these two being so close in the standings.

The rest of the slate on Saturday is a little less than appetizing. Both the LSU Tigers and Auburn Tigers are facing up against lowly competition in the form of the Georgia Bulldogs and Vanderbilt Commodores. The latter hasn’t won an SEC game this season and the former has just one win against... you guessed it... Vanderbilt.

Also in the afternoon, the Texas A&M Aggies head to Columbia to face the South Carolina Gamecocks. A&M has picked up two straight wins against Mizzou and Georgia, but will be underdogs as they head to Colonial Life Arena for a 1 p.m. ET showdown. Finally, those Missouri Tigers are going to look to build off that aforementioned win over Arkansas but they’ll have their hands full against the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford.

FULL SCHEDULE

(All games available via WatchESPN; all times Eastern)

Auburn vs. Vanderbilt (Noon, ESPNU)
Texas A&M vs. South Carolina (1 p.m., SEC Network)
Florida vs. Alabama (2 p.m., ESPNU)
Mizzou vs. Ole Miss (3:30 p.m., SEC Network)
LSU vs. Georgia (6 p.m., SEC Network)
Tennessee vs. Kentucky (8 p.m., ESPN)
Mississippi State vs. Arkansas (8:30 p.m., SEC Network)