SEC Basketball Preview: Ranking every game for Saturday, Jan. 11, men’s hoops slate

SEC basketball is off to a roaring start through 2 games. Only 5 of the 16 SEC teams have started with 2-0 records in league action — Auburn, Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

We have another full slate of 8 games this Saturday, Jan. 11. Of course, not all games are created equal. So I’ve ranked all of them on a 5-star scale.

Let’s dive into the 5-star preview for this week’s SEC slate. Stay tuned for players to watch, the coach of the week and a random quote from The Office:

5-Star Games

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No. 5 Alabama at No. 10 Texas A&M — 8 p.m. ET on ESPN

Texas A&M is coming off of a thrilling 80-78 win at Oklahoma on Wednesday night, with Zhuric Phelps knocking down the game-winner as part of a 34-point night. Meanwhile, Alabama just stomped South Carolina in Columbia. This is a battle of 2 teams with 2-0 records in SEC play, each with a win over Oklahoma on their résumé. Expect plenty of excitement at Reed Arena.

No. 6 Kentucky at No. 14 Mississippi State — 8:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network

You’ll want to have 2 screens going on Saturday night, as this game tips off half an hour after Alabama-Texas A&M. The Wildcats followed up a thrilling win over Florida last Saturday with a disappointing loss at Georgia on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, Mississippi State is 2-0 in league play and looks to be a threat to beat anyone that dares visit Starkville.

4-Star Games

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No. 1 Tennessee at Texas — 6 p.m. ET on ESPN

This will probably be the last game the Vols are ranked No. 1 for, as they suffered a horrendous loss at Florida on Tuesday night. Now they have to go into a tough environment at Texas. Auburn, the likely new No. 1 team in the nation come Monday, took care of business in Austin. Can Tennessee bounce back and do the same against the Longhorns?

No. 8 Florida at Arkansas — 4 p.m. ET on ESPN

Are the Hogs OK? Arkansas is off to an 0-2 start in SEC play with losses at Tennessee and at home to Ole Miss. Fans are bickering on social media about the (lack of) atmosphere at home games. John Calipari’s out-of-bounds plays continue to be terrible. Boogie Fland has been up and down so far against the better competition. Meanwhile, Florida just absolutely demolished No. 1 Tennessee. This is a hot Gators team coming into Fayetteville to play a Razorbacks squad that very much is not.

3-Star Games

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No. 2 Auburn at South Carolina — 12 p.m. ET on SEC Network

Auburn is a must-watch at this point, so even against a team that’s 0-2 in SEC play and figures to be one of the worst teams in the league, it’s hard to put a game involving the Tigers below 3 stars. Johni Broome continues to dominate. But also pay attention to South Carolina sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles, who has taken a leap forward this season. He leads the Gamecocks with 15.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

No. 17 Oklahoma at Georgia — 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2

Oklahoma is 0-2 to start SEC play, but those 2 losses have come against top-10 teams. And as mentioned earlier, A&M needed a last-minute 3 to pull off the road win. But the Bulldogs are coming off a top-10 win of their own. Georgia is a talented squad. Athens has become a tough place to play. The SEC schedule is going to be brutal for everyone this year.

2-Star Games

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LSU at No. 23 Ole Miss — 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network

I like what Chris Beard is doing in Oxford. Four different guards — Sean Pedulla, Jaylen Murray, Matthew Murrell and Dre Davis — are all averaging 10+ points per game. Pedulla has been everything you’d want in a transfer. Meanwhile, LSU has losses to Mizzou and Vanderbilt already in SEC play. A road trip to Oxford will be even more difficult. Expect the Rebels to roll.

1-Star Games

⭐

Vanderbilt at Mizzou — 3:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network

I’m a Mizzou graduate and I can’t even make the case that this deserves anything other than a 1-star rating. Both of these teams are solid and have identical 1-1 records in SEC play, but compared to some of the other matchups on the slate, this is the clear last-place offering. Still, I’ll be watching, as I expect Mizzou to protect its home court. These are wins you can’t let get away, especially since 6 of the Tigers’ next 8 games are against ranked foes. They need to get off to a strong start and then hold on down the stretch.

Players to Watch

Let me just start this section by saying these are not the ONLY players I want to watch, they’re just some guys I want to highlight for this particular Saturday slate. This week’s Players to Watch are:

Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State

Fans outside of Starkville still might not know about Josh Hubbard. But he’s averaging 17.1 points per game and dropped 21 points last week in an SEC-opening win at South Carolina. He’s making the second-most 3-pointers in the SEC at 3.1 per game on 8.2 attempts. Only Chaz Lanier of Tennessee is making and shooting more treys than Hubbard. If he gets hot against Kentucky, watch out.

Arthur Kaluma, Texas

Kaluma scored 34 points against Auburn on Tuesday night while almost leading the Longhorns to a comeback win over No. 2 Auburn. The effort came up short in the 87-82 loss, but not every team is Auburn. He’s second on the Texas roster in scoring and first in rebounds. He’s a steady veteran presence for the Longhorns, having played at Creighton for 2 years and Kansas State for 1 year before arriving in Austin. Now, after losing to the No. 2 team, the Longhorns host No. 1 Tennessee on Saturday. Talk about a tough 2-game stretch.

Coach of the Week

Bruce Pearl, Auburn

The legendary coach just became Auburn’s all-time leader in wins, earning victory No. 214 to break a tie with Joel Eaves. He led the Tigers to their only Final Four in program history back in 2019. Now, barring an incredible upset at the hands of the Gamecocks on Saturday, he’ll have Auburn at No. 1 come Monday’s AP Poll. Pearl has completely revitalized the Auburn program. The Tigers are top-tier title contenders this year.

Relevant Quote from “The Office”

“Adapt. React. Readapt. Apt.” — Michael Scott

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 14 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.