New York Mets
SEC Games to Bet: Alabama Faces Ranked Teams This Week
With three weeks left in the regular season, about the only thing that is certain is that Vanderbilt and Missouri are headed to the last two spots in the SEC standings. Alabama is the current SEC leader with five other teams within two games of first place.
When looking at the college basketball odds, Missouri covered as a double-digit underdog on Tuesday against Tennessee.
Could there be more surprises when it comes to the college basketball picks this week?
No SEC teams are still undefeated at home while Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Kentucky all have winning records on the road.
Alabama is fifth, Tennessee is sixth, and Auburn comes in the NCAA NET rankings, one of the tools used to select and seed the NCAA Tournament. No other SEC team is in the top 20.
Tennessee moved up three spots at No. 5 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and went from ninth to fifth in the USA Today coaches poll. No. 13 Alabama, No. 14 Auburn, and No. 17 Kentucky give the SEC four of the top 17 teams in the AP poll. South Carolina tumbled nine spots to No. 20 in both national polls. Florida is 24th in the Associated Press rankings.
When looking at the odds of winning March Madness, Tennessee leads the SEC with +1200 championship odds followed by Auburn at +1800, Alabama at +2000, and Kentucky at +2500.
Keep on reading for more on the top games in the SEC for the rest of this week.
1. Florida (18-7, 12-12-1 ATS) at Alabama (18-7 SU, 16-9 ATS)
- Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m. ET
- Florida vs Alabama Live Stream: TBS.com
Alabama is the 8½-point favorite as the Crimson Tide look to remain in sole possession of first place in the SEC standings. It won’t be easy as Florida has won three games in a row, including a 16-point win over a ranked Auburn team.
The last four games between the Gators and Crimson Tide have gone over the total with Alabama covering in each of those games. Florida hasn’t won at Alabama since 2019.
Iona transfer Walter Clayton Jr. has three straight 20-point games for the Gators as he has a chance to average more points per game in his first season in the SEC than he did in either of his seasons in the MAAC.
Since falling to rival Auburn, Alabama has scored 109 and 100 points. Alabama is 36-for-85 from 3-point range in the wins over LSU and Texas A&M. Mark Sears is 8-for-16 on 3-pointers, Latrell Wrightsell is 10-for-17, and Rylan Griffin is 8-for-18 from distance in those two wins.
Alabama’s 12-1 record at home is one of the reasons why the Crimson Tide are sitting atop the SEC standings.
Alabama’s 11-2 record against the college basketball spread at home is the best mark in the SEC. Florida has covered in four of its seven road games.
2. South Carolina (21-5 SU, 18-18 ATS) at Ole Miss (19-6 SU, 13-12 ATS)
- Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 24, 3:30 p.m. ET
- South Carolina vs Ole Miss Live Stream: TBS.com
Ole Miss and South Carolina have alternated wins and losses over the last six meetings with the Gamecocks winning 68-65 earlier this month when listed by the BetUS sportsbook as a 3½-point home favorite. It was the fourth straight game between the teams to finish under the total.
South Carolina has yet to sweep two games from Ole Miss in the same season since the 2013-14 campaign.
South Carolina fell 1½ games out of first place in the SEC after losing to Auburn by 40 points and losing by one point to unranked LSU.
B.J. Mack led South Carolina with 32 points in those losses.
It should be an interesting week for Ole Miss with a showdown with rival Mississippi State on Wednesday with the Rebels listed by the college basketball odds as the 6½-point underdog before the matchup with South Carolina.
Matt Murrell had 26 points and six 3-pointers as Ole Miss rebounded from a loss to Kentucky by topping last-place Missouri 79-76.
Hottest shooters in the SEC 🎯
(February only)Rob Dillingham 15-21, 71.4% 🤯
Matthew Murrell 15-29, 51.7%
Mark Sears 12-25, 48.0%
Evan Taylor 12-26, 46.2%
Josiah Jordan-James 10-22, 45.5%
Antonio Reeves 12-27, 44.4%
Latrell Wrightsell 14-32, 43.8%
Rylan Griffen 14-32, 43.8%— Max Barr (@MaxBarrCBB) February 19, 2024
South Carolina is 6-2 against the Las Vegas odds on the road this season with Ole Miss 8-7 ATS at home.
3. Alabama (18-7 SU, 16-9 ATS) at Kentucky (15-10 SU, 16-9 ATS)
- Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 24, 4 p.m.ET
- Alabama vs Kentucky Live Stream: TBS.com
It doesn’t get much easier for Alabama with a second straight game against a ranked opponent.
Kentucky is 14-1 in its last 15 home games against the Crimson Tide. Alabama has covered in eight of those matchups. Five of the last seven games between the Wildcats and the Crimson Tide went over the total.
Senior Antonio Reeves has scored in double figures in 15 straight games for Kentucky with nine 20-point efforts during that time.
Aaron Estrada, playing for his fourth different program over the last five seasons, has 14 assists and three turnovers over the last two games for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama and Kentucky are tied for the SEC lead with 18 games going over the total.
Questions Of The Day
Which SEC teams have the best record against the spread against ranked teams this season?
Kentucky is 4-1 against the spread when facing teams in the Top 25 in the national polls this season while South Carolina has covered in three of its four games versus ranked teams.
Which player is the leading scorer in the SEC?
Mark Sears of Alabama is averaging 20.6 points per game with Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht at 20.0 points. Antonio Reeves of Kentucky isn’t far behind at 19.1 PPG.
