SEC Betting Roundup: Alabama at Mississippi State Top Game of Week
Plenty of Big Games on Slate Wednesday
Southeastern Conference teams have an abbreviated schedule this week, with most teams getting an extended holiday. But Wednesday’s schedule makes up for it, with a number of great games for the SEC basketball roundup. The one that will draw the most interest is the battle of ranked teams, as Alabama visits Mississippi State.
Wednesday’s Top SEC Games
Kentucky Wildcats vs Missouri Tigers
Date, Time & Streaming:
Location: Mizzou Arena (Columbia, Missouri)
Streaming: SEC Network
The first game of the SEC basketball roundup sees Kentucky (8-3) visiting Missouri (11-1). The Wildcats are small 3-point favorites in this one and the total is 152.5, with points expected to come at a pretty good pace. Kentucky is good offensively, while Missouri is even better offensively, but can’t come close to Kentucky in defense. The Tigers rank No. 7 in adjusted offensive efficiency but are No. 148 in defense. Kentucky is No. 25 on offense and No. 13 on defense. Kentucky is hitting close to 40% of its 3-point shots on the NCAAB season and Missouri doesn’t defend the 3-pointer well. The Tigers are allowing 36.1% from long range. If the Wildcats hit from the outside, Missouri will have a tough time keeping up. The over could be worth a look.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs Mississippi State
Date, Time & Streaming:
Location: Humphrey Coliseum (Starkville, Mississippi)
Streaming: SEC Network
No. 8 Alabama (10-2) visits No. 21 Mississippi State (11-1) in a primetime matchup that sees the Crimson Tide as 2-point road favorites. Alabama has played a much tougher schedule than the Bulldogs, which is why they’re ranked so much higher despite a worse record. Mississippi State can play defense, it’s the offense that you have to worry about at times. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 5 in adjusted defensive efficiency but No. 134 on offense. Alabama is in the top 20 both offensively and defensively. The Crimson Tide will look to push the pace, while Mississippi State plays much slower. Both teams are strong on the offensive glass and whoever wins the battle of second chances should come away with the win.
Best of the Rest Wednesday Games
Arkansas Razorbacks vs LSU Tigers
Date, Time & Streaming:
Location: Maravich Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
Streaming: ESPN2
Next on the SEC basketball roundup is No. 9 Arkansas (11-1) visiting LSU (11-1) and the Razorbacks are favored by 5 points. This is a case where LSU has loaded up on some weak opponents and Arkansas gets a huge edge in strength of schedule. LSU has been running up the NCAAB scores but Arkansas is the toughest team LSU has seen all season. The Razorbacks have played at least three teams better than LSU and beaten two of them. Arkansas is better offensively and defensively. LSU’s strength on defense, defending the 3-pointer, is a bit irrelevant. The Razorbacks aren’t a good 3-point shooting team and don’t attempt many long range shots. The matchups favor Arkansas but Baton Rouge can be a tough place for visiting teams.
Florida Gators vs Auburn Tigers
Date, Time & Streaming:
Location: Neville Arena (Auburn, Alabama)
Streaming: ESPN2
The No. 20 Auburn Tigers (10-2) host the Florida Gators (7-5) in the early evening ESPN2 game. The Gators were expected to start slow this year due to the number of new faces on the team. That was fine with Florida, as long as the team is ready for the SEC tournament. The Gators are more worried about their March Madness odds than they are the regular season games. Both teams have better adjusted defensive efficiency rankings than they do on offense. The Tigers are favored by 5.5 and the total has come down several points to 141.
Friday’s Best in the SEC
Eastern Michigan Eagles vs South Carolina Gamecocks
Date, Time & Streaming:
Location: Colonial Life Arena (Columbia, S.C.)
Streaming: SEC Network
Not a great game by any means, but Eastern Michigan visiting South Carolina is the best of the three Friday games for the SEC basketball roundup. South Carolina should be close to double-digit favorites in this one. The Gamecocks aren’t a very good offensive team but the Eagles are one of the worse defensive teams in the country. Eastern Michigan is allowing foes to shoot 61.1% from 2-point range. That ranks No. 361 in the country. The Gamecocks are much better defensively, but the Eagles do get the nod on offense. Both teams are coming off extended breaks and rust could be a factor at the onset.
New Year’s Eve Battle of the Bluegrass State
Louisville Cardinals vs Kentucky Wildcats
Date, Time & Streaming:
Location: Rupp Arena (Lexington, Kentucky)
Streaming: CBS
This game isn’t what it was, but it’s still Louisville and Kentucky for the last game in the SEC basketball roundup. The Cardinals have hit rock bottom and are likely to be getting more than 20 points in this one. And that still may not be enough. Louisville is horrible on offense, ranking No. 312 in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Wildcats’ defense should be too much for the Cardinals. Louisville is a little better defensively but that’s not saying much this year. The Cardinals have beaten Western Kentucky and Florida A&M this year. That’s it. While it was expected to be another down season, few thought it would be this bad. If the Wildcats want to run up the score, they should be able to. If the line is Kentucky -25 or less, the Wildcats should be the play here.
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