Betting Stuff: Best bets, schedule for Day 3 of the SEC Tournament

The SEC Tournament has officially reached the quarterfinal stage. On Friday, each of the top 4 seeds in the league will finally hit the court in Nashville, making for exciting matchups throughout the entire day.

Here’s a look at the slate for Day 3 of the SEC Tournament, followed by 3 betting picks:

(All times Eastern; spread and totals via FanDuel)

Game 7: 1 p.m. – No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 9 Mississippi State (ESPN)

The Volunteers (24-7, 14-4 SEC) got the first 2 days of the tournament off after winning the SEC’s regular-season crown. Now begins the quest for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Standing in the way is Mississippi State (20-12, 8-10), a team coming off a beatdown of LSU in the second round on Thursday and 1 of only 4 SEC teams all season to defeat Tennessee. The Bulldogs won the only regular-season meeting in Starkville on Jan. 10, 77-72.

Spread: Tennessee -9.5

Total: 142.5

Game 8: 3:30 p.m. – No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 5 South Carolina (ESPN)

Auburn (24-7, 13-5 SEC) had absolutely no issue dispatching South Carolina (26-6, 13-5) during their only regular-season meeting. The Tigers shot 61% from the field and made 12 of their 20 attempts from 3-point range to blow the Gamecocks off the floor 101-61. Neville Arena was rocking and Auburn fed off the energy in a top-15 matchup. South Carolina beat Arkansas 80-66 in its second-round matchup on Friday.

Spread: Auburn -7.5

Total: 142.5

Game 9: 7 p.m. – No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 7 Texas A&M (SEC Network)

The Wildcats (23-8, 13-5 SEC) closed out the regular season like one of the hottest teams in America, securing a double-bye through the first two rounds. In the quarterfinals, they meet a Texas A&M (19-13, 9-9) squad that beat Ole Miss 80-71 on Thursday and knows it likely needs to win 1 or 2 more to push its way off the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament field. A&M took the only regular-season meeting, a 97-92 overtime win in College Station on Jan. 13.

Spread: Kentucky -5.5

Total: 158.5

Game 10: 9:30 p.m. – No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 6 Florida (SEC Network)

Alabama (21-10, 13-5 SEC) meets Florida (22-10, 11-7) in a quarterfinal rubber match. The Crimson Tide won a 98-93 overtime game against the Gators at home on Feb. 21. Florida then got revenge on March 5 with a 105-87 win in Gainesville. Alabama lost 3 of 5 to close out the regular season. Including Thursday’s 85-80 win over Georgia, Florida has won 4 of its last 6.

Spread: Alabama -3.5

Total: 173.5

2 picks against the spread

Mississippi State +10 (DraftKings)

While most sports betting apps have Mississippi State as a 9.5-point dog for this game, DraftKings has MSU +10 priced at -112. The Bulldogs beat Tennessee in the first meeting without doing anything outside the scope of their offense. Their 3-point rate was lower than their season average, and they only hit 6 of them. Mississippi State made its shots and Josh Hubbard played well. After Hubbard scored 24 in the Bulldogs’ win over LSU on Thursday, I like MSU to keep it in single digits.

Auburn -7.5 (FanDuel)

Will the Tigers shoot 61% from the field again? Probably not. But South Carolina, one of college basketball’s poorer 3-point shooting teams, will probably need to knock down some 3s to unlock Auburn’s defense and it’s just tough to see that happening. Carolina went 3-for-15 from beyond the arc on Thursday and it has shot above 33% from 3 in a game just 3 times since the beginning of February.

1 player prop

Tennessee G Dalton Knecht over 2.5 3-pointers (DraftKings)

Mississippi State gives opponents 22 3-point attempts a game. Knecht has made at least 3 from distance in 5 of his last 6 games and 11 times total since the start of conference play. Tennessee is going to ride its star.