06. Mississippi State Bulldogs (13-1, 1-0)
It doesn’t get more dominant than Mississippi State’s 85-50 win over South Carolina. The Bulldogs held the Gamecocks to only 18 first-half points, but it looked like it was going to be way worse through the first 15 minutes of the game. At one point, MSU was only allowing a made basket every six minutes of game time. Mississippi State held Collin Murray-Boyles to 5 points while the Bulldogs star Josh Hubbard scored 21 points with five made threes. Mississippi State has always been known for its defense, but now that the Bulldogs have a solid offense this team should compete for the conference title.
05. Florida Gators (13-1, 0-1)
Undefeated no more. The first game of the day was also the best game of the day. Florida took on Kentucky in Rupp Arena and took the Wildcats down to the wire. The Gators scored 100 points and lost by six to a great Wildcats team. Walter Clayton Jr reminded the country that he is one of the best players in the country by scoring 33 points on 9/16 shooting. Florida shot 55 percent from the floor in the loss, so the Gators did everything right on offense. The defense hadn’t really been tested before this game so this was likely more about Kentucky’s offense than Florida’s defense.
04. Kentucky Wildcats (12-2, 1-0)
The offensive performance by Kentucky against Florida was one of the best in the country this season. The Wildcats put 106 points in the win over the Gators while making 57.8 percent from the floor. Koby Brea led the Wildcats in scoring with 23 points off the bench making seven of the teams 14 threes. You’d be hard-pressed to find a team that can beat Kentucky when it gets hot from deep. The Wildcats might have been a spot or two higher had there been any defense played against Florida, but at any rate, Kentucky is one of the best teams in the country.