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SEC Games to Bet: First-Place Showdown on Tap
Alabama and Tennessee remained tied atop the SEC standings as the Crimson Tide dropped 103 points on Ole Miss and the Volunteers outlasted Auburn in a clash of ranked teams on Wednesday. Four other teams are within two games of first place with three games left in the regular season.
When looking at the NCAA basketball odds, South Carolina was the only road underdog to win on Wednesday.
Could there be more surprises when it comes to the NCAAB picks this week?
No SEC teams are still undefeated at home while Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee all have winning records on the road.
Tennessee is fifth, Alabama is sixth and Auburn is seventh in the NCAA NET rankings, one of the tools used to select and seed the NCAA Tournament. No. 19 Kentucky is the only other SEC team in the top 20.
Tennessee moved up one spot to No. 4 in both The Associated Press poll and the USA Today coaches poll. No. 11 Auburn, No. 14 Alabama, No. 16 Kentucky and No. 18 South Carolina give the SEC five of the top 20 teams in the AP poll. Florida is 24th in both national polls.
When looking at the odds of winning March Madness, Tennessee leads the SEC with +1400 championship odds followed by Auburn at +1800, Kentucky at +2200, and Alabama at +2500.
Keep on reading for more on the top games in the SEC for the rest of this week.
1. Florida (20-8 SU, 18-18 ATS) at South Carolina (22-5 SU, 13-12 ATS)
- Date/Time: Saturday, March 2, noon ET
- Florida vs South Carolina Live Stream: ESPN, SEC Network
Tyrese Samuel had 28 points and Zyon Pullin added 21 points as Florida topped visiting Missouri for its 20th win of the season. The Gators are 5-1 over the last six games with the only loss coming in overtime to Alabama.
South Carolina needed a basket by Zachary Davis in the closing seconds to not only cover as 6½-point road underdogs but post a two-point win at Texas A&M. Meechie Johnson, who was 1-for-15 from the field in the previous two games, led the Gamecocks with 22 points.
Florida has won its last two games against South Carolina. The last time the Gators played at South Carolina, Florida won 71-63 as a 4½-point road favorite. Five of the last eight games between the Gators and the Gamecocks went over the total.
South Carolina is 9-6 against the Las Vegas odds at home this season with Florida 5-3 ATS in road games. Just six of South Carolina’s home games have finished over the total.
2. Mississippi State (19-9 SU, 16-9 ATS) at Auburn (21-7 SU, 16-9 ATS)
- Date/Time: Saturday, March 2, 4 p.m.ET
- Mississippi State vs Auburn Live Stream: ESPNU
Auburn looks to bounce back after a loss to No. 4 Tennessee that ended any chase of the Tigers winning the SEC regular-season title. Johni Broome had 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the loss while the other four starters were a combined 10-for-23 from the field.
Mississippi State squandered a 13-point lead in a home loss to Kentucky that snapped a five-game winning streak despite 34 points from freshman Josh Hubbard.
Auburn won the previous five games against Mississippi State before falling to the Bulldogs 64-58 as the three-point road favorite. The previous six games between the teams went over the total but the game fell well short of the 144½-point total.
Mississippi State’s 2-6 ATS record on the road is the worst mark among SEC teams. Auburn is 9-5 against the spread at home and has been favored in each of those games.
3. Tennessee (22-6, 12-12-1 ATS) at Alabama (19-8 SU, 16-9 ATS)
- Date/Time: Saturday, March 2, 8 p.m. ET
- Tennessee vs Alabama Live Stream: TBS.com
Tennessee took care of business with a win over No. 11 Auburn as Dalton Knecht had 39 points, posting his 10th game with at least 20 points over the last 13 games.
39-point explosion for Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht in a win over Auburn, matching his career high vs Florida. The 6’6 athletic wing showed his dynamic scoring ability from all over the floor, while shooting 41% for 3 on the season. Projected top-20 pick. pic.twitter.com/zOcR7Ka5bj
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) February 29, 2024
Now comes another challenging matchup against Alabama.
Mark Sears had 26 points to lead six players in double figures as Alabama topped the 100-point mark for the ninth time this season. The win set up a showdown for first place in the SEC with Alabama and Tennessee both 12-3 in conference play.
Tennessee’s 91-71 win on Jan. 20 was the second straight in the series against the Crimson Tide after Alabama won the previous three matchups.
Alabama has won four of its last five home games against Tennessee. Each of the last five times that Alabama played host to the Volunteers, the game landed under the total.
Alabama’s 11-3 record against the college basketball spread at home is the best mark in the SEC. Tennessee is just 3-6 against the spread on the road.
Questions of the Day
Which SEC teams have the best record against the spread against ranked teams this season?
Kentucky is 5-1 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?
Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht is averaging 20.8 points per game followed by Alabama’s Mark Sears’s 20.6 points per game. Antonio Reeves of Kentucky isn’t far behind at 19.9 PPG.
