SEC: Previewing Saturday’s Basketball Action In The SEC

By Courtney Smith | Feb 27, 2015

Ole Miss (19-9, 10-5) at LSU (20-8, 9-6) 2 p.m. ET: LSU, behind Jarell Martin’s 25 points and 12 rebounds, got even with Auburn, defeating the Tigers in bully fashion, 84-61 Tuesday night inside Auburn Arena. The Tigers made 37 of their 64 shots and outscored Auburn 52-18 in the paint.

Martin’s teammate, Jordan Mickey, had 14 points and four rebounds, but didn’t have to do much with the superman play of Martin.

LSU’s powered frontcourt will need to do the same with Ole Miss coming to town. The Rebels were beat up on both ends of the floor by Georgia in their 76-72 loss Wednesday night inside Tad Smith Coliseum. The Bulldogs’ leading-scorer Marcus Thornton had 18 rebounds and 13 rebounds to help his team complete the season sweep.

Ole Miss’ zone defense allowed Georgia to drill 11-of-23 shots from the 3-point line. While Thornton and Kenny Gaines, who had a team-high 22 points, maneuvered their way into the lane, Nemanja Djurisic lit it up from deep. Djurisic went 4-for-9 from 3-point range, contributing to his 17-point total.

More from Arkansas Razorbacks

But, the Rebels will not have to worry about the Tigers’ 3-point shooting. LSU relies on its frontcourt of Mickey and Martin to get the job done. Ole Miss’ job will be to slow down Mickey and Martin, two guys who combine to average 33 points and 19.1 points per contest.

Missouri (8-20, 2-13) at Georgia (18-9, 9-6) 12 p.m. ET: Georgia heads home on a two-game winning streak, defeating Alabama and Ole Miss on the road.

Missouri ended its 13-game skid with a 64-52 home win over Florida Tuesday night. The Tigers surrendered an average of 72 points during their losing streak. The Bulldogs average 69.2 points per game and will need another stellar performance from Marcus Thornton, Kenny Gaines, Nemanja Djurisic, and Charles Mann to get to 10 wins in the Southeastern Conference.

18 Arkansas (23-5, 12-3) at 1 Kentucky (28-0, 14-0) 4 p.m. ET: Kentucky is unbeaten and has gotten everyone’s best shot in the SEC. Mississippi State had its chance, down 41-37 with 15:10 to go in the game, but allowed the Wildcats to get hot, especially Trey Lyles. Lyles scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting in Kentucky’s 74-56 victory over the Bulldogs on Wednesday night.

The Wildcats’ 28-game win streak is the second longest in school history, trailing only a 32-game run that stretched from 1953 to 1955. This year’s Kentucky team surpassed the 1995-96 team who won 27 in a row. The Wildcats will face Arkansas Saturday afternoon inside Rupp Arena.

The Razorbacks are on a seven-game winning streak with their latest win coming against Texas A&M Tuesday night, 81-75. Bobby Portis led Arkansas with 22 points.

Three other Razorbacks were in double figures: Anthlon Bell (14), Ky Madden and Alandise Harris (11). Arkansas is known for its defense and served notice early against the Aggies, forcing 21 turnovers, with 16 of those coming in the first half.

Kentucky is known for its defense as well. For the season, the Wildcats have allowed 52.7 points per game, which ranks second in the NCAA.

Auburn (12-16, 4-11) at Texas A&M (19-8, 10-5) 8:30 p.m. ET: Texas A&M is safe for March, especially after coming back from a 16-point deficit to Arkansas on the road Tuesday night. Despite losing 81-75, the Aggies showed why they are in most people’s brackets.

Danuel House had a game-high 28 points against the Razorbacks, but didn’t receive much help from his teammates when he needed them the most. Jalen Jones, Texas A&M’s second-leading scorer (13.3 ppg), had only 10 points.

The Aggies are the most comfortable at home with a 12-2 record. Auburn will look to give Texas A&M its third home loss of the season and also get revenge on an Aggies’ team that defeated the Tigers 71-61 back on Jan. 27.

In the first meeting, House had 22 and his team went 6-of-14 from beyond the arc. Auburn hasn’t had much luck lately, losers of three in a row.

Next: SEC Basketball: Biggest Surprises, Biggest Disappointments

More from Busting Brackets

Home/Arkansas Razorbacks