The Weekend Ahead In The SEC: January 22

This weekend is stacked with good games around the conference, and also some out-of-conference games. Tennessee goes on the road to take on No. 8 UConn, and No. 21 Saint Mary’s gets to visit Vanderbilt. It should be a great weekend in the SEC.

Ole Miss vs. LSU: The Rebels look to take their four-game losing streak on the road where they’ll take on LSU. LSU is tied for second in the SEC West while the Rebels are tied for last place with Auburn. Ralston Turner is playing great for the Tigers, averaging 13.7 ppg. He should be the difference maker in this one, helping LSU to a win and warming up the seat for Andy Kennedy.

Tennessee vs. No. 8 UConn: This game will be huge for the Vols, in that Bruce Pearl is back coaching, for one game at least. His suspension is only for the first eight SEC games, so he is allowed to coach in this one. But will it make much of a difference for the Vols, who have lost six of their past 11 games since beating then-No. 3 Pittsburgh? Bruce Pearl isn’t playing Saturday, but Kemba Walker is. He is one of the best, if not currently the best player in the country, and he will be very hard to stop. And based on the way Tennessee has played as of late, I don’t see them getting the win on the road much less. Huskies win this one easy.

No. 21 Saint Mary’s vs. Vanderbilt: The Gaels of Saint Mary’s are always a tough team come tournament time, and for them as a mid-major to be ranked during this point in the season means that they must be doing something right. And although they are ranked and carrying a chip on their shoulder, they have to go into Memorial Gym Saturday. That isn’t exactly anyone’s favorite place to watch or even play a game. John Jenkins’ 18.7 ppg combined with Festus Ezeli downlow will be too much for the Gaels to handle in the end. I see the Commodores winning a close one against the Gaels.

Mississippi St. vs. Georgia: The Bulldogs (MSU) haven’t exactly had a typical season, and neither have the Bulldogs (UGA). Sorry for the confusion there. But ever since Mississippi St. went to Hawaii, things have gone downhill; not only losing two of their starters for something utterly ridiculous, but also losing three of their past five games. And beating Ole Miss and Auburn, two last place teams, isn’t much to celebrate either. Georgia on the other hand had a 13-4 record and is 2-2 in the conference so far. And winning on the road in the SEC in basketball is just as tough as it is in football, ask John Calipari or Joker Phillips about that. The Bulldogs win this one, the Georgia Bulldogs to be specific.

Alabama vs. Auburn: Maybe this game might be just as climatic and high scoring as the football version of this game, or maybe not. Auburn is averaging 62.7 ppg and is shooting 39 percent from the field. This doesn’t really help their case much. Add on to the fact Kentucky and LSU both dismantled them before halftime, and Florida played horrible at Auburn and still managed to pull out a win. Anthony Grant and the Tide cannot let off after a big win against Kentucky on Tuesday and has to come ready to play. Auburn could pull off a surprise, and then again not. If Cam Newton decides to suit up, it’s a whole different ballgame. But I see Alabama pulling away in the end.

Arkansas vs. Florida: The Gators are coming off a pretty entertaining win against Auburn on Thursday. Just kidding, of course. It put me to sleep. But doesn’t mean the Gators are that bad. The backcourt of Walker and Boynton is what has made the difference for Florida so far. Arkansas is coming off a tough overtime loss on the road at South Carolina. And even though they have sharpshooter Rotnei Clarke with them, it should not be enough for the Razorbacks, as John Pelphrey might lose one to his former mentor and friend Billy Donovan. Gators beat the Hogs Saturday night in a tough one.

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