The opening day of the SEC Tournament was entertaining, and Day 2 promises to provide even more drama as South Carolina and Florida hit the hardwood in Nashville.
After picking up wins on Wednesday, Arkansas and Georgia advanced to the second round, where they’ll meet the Gamecocks and Gators, respectively. LSU and Mississippi State battle in the 8-9 matchup. Texas A&M, once again trying to use a conference tournament run to play its way into the NCAA Tournament, faces Ole Miss in the 7-10 game.
Here’s a look at the slate for Day 2 of the SEC Tournament, followed by 3 betting picks:
(All times Eastern; spread and totals via FanDuel)
Game 3: 1 p.m. – No. 8 LSU vs. No. 9 Mississippi State (SEC Network)
LSU (17-14, 9-9 SEC) comes into the conference tournament having won 3 of its last 4 games. Mississippi State (19-12, 8-10) is sliding into play, though, with 4 consecutive losses. But that rough stretch comes on the heels of 5 straight wins that included an 87-67 demo job of LSU in Baton Rouge.
Spread: Mississippi State -4.5
Total: 144.5
Game 4: 3:30 p.m. – No. 5 South Carolina vs. No. 12 Arkansas (SEC Network)
South Carolina (25-6, 13-5 SEC) was one of the best stories of the season in college basketball, a team that was picked to finish last in the league in the preseason that shredded every expectation it had and produced its best season since the 2016-17 campaign. The Gamecocks received a first-round bye in the league tournament and now meet Arkansas (16-16, 6-12), a team it beat in Fayetteville 77-64 earlier this year. The Razorbacks are coming off a 14-point second-half comeback win over Vanderbilt on Wednesday.
Spread: South Carolina -5.5
Total: 142.5
Game 5: 7 p.m. – No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Ole Miss (SEC Network)
These 2 sides split the season series, but did so in wild fashion. Ole Miss won the initial meeting in College Station, 71-68, in a game that featured 17 points in the last 60 seconds. The Aggies won the rematch in blowout fashion, an 86-60 victory in Oxford on March 9. The win was Texas A&M’s third consecutive victory to close out the regular season and it sent Ole Miss to a fifth loss in its final 6 games.
Spread: Texas A&M -4.5
Total: 142.5
Game 6: 9:30 p.m. – No. 6 Florida vs. No. 11 Georgia (SEC Network)
The Gators (21-10, 11-7 SEC) have been outstanding in Gainesville this season but have struggled away from friendly confines. At home, they’re 14-1. Away from the Stephen O’Connell Center, Florida is 7-9. Georgia (17-15, 6-12) heads into the second round with some momentum after downing Missouri on Wednesday, 64-59. Florida won both meetings between the 2 this season.
Spread: Florida -7.5
Total: 154.5
Here are 3 bets for Thursday’s SEC Tournament action:
2 picks against the spread
Florida -7.5 (FanDuel)
The Bulldogs needed a 12-0 run at the end of the game to avert disaster against a Missouri team that ended its season winless against SEC teams. In some cases, a day’s head start helps teams. Georgia’s start was less than encouraging; the Bulldogs shot 38% in the first half and struggled to pull away from a team shooting 15% with 5 first-half turnovers. Florida, with its top-20 offense (per KenPom), can really get rolling. The Gators are at least a touchdown favorite at most online sports betting apps, even as much as an 8.5-point favorite at some. FanDuel has Florida -7.5 priced at -110.
Arkansas +5.5 (FanDuel)
The Razorbacks couldn’t get their offense on track against South Carolina in the first meeting. It was 1 of only 7 games all season where they were held under 20 free throw attempts. The Hogs just attack, and that creates an interesting juxtaposition with a South Carolina team that forces teams into 2s but doesn’t give up a ton of free throws. Arkansas has momentum after the way it closed against Vanderbilt, and that should carry over against a team getting it’s feet underneath it in Nashville.
1 player prop
Mississippi State G Josh Hubbard over 22.5 points (DraftKings)
The 5-foot-10 guard has been relentless of late for Mississippi State. In his last 5 games, Hubbard has scored 32, 34, 23, 24, and 28 points. Only 4 players in the SEC have a larger usage percentage (workload) than Hubbard, which means the Bulldogs are going to ride or die on his hand.
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Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
