We’re only three games into SEC play, but there have been plenty of interesting storylines.

What have we learned thus far?

Let’s find out.

Believe The Vanderbilt Hype (Again)

But you already knew that if you read the first SEC column back in November.

“The Commodores have the look of a special team.”

Vanderbilt currently sits at 16-0 on the season, with its 96-90 win against Alabama being the one that garnered the most attention.

Contrary to popular opinion, the Commodores’ resume before that game was indeed stellar, with a host of Quad 1 wins and seven victories away from Nashville. They would have been a No. 2 seed before the game was played.

The critics didn’t have much to push back on after Vanderbilt’s impressive performance against the Crimson Tide.

Alabama was without starting center Aiden Sherrell for the game and star point guard Labaron Philon for much of the second half, but the prevailing theme for anyone watching should be the potential of the Commodores moving forward.

Tyler Tanner is one of the best point guards in college basketball, and Duke Miles, who only played 25 minutes before fouling out, can make the same argument. Not to mention that Vanderbilt was without its best perimeter defender in Frankie Collins.

The Commodores followed up the Alabama win with a double-digit victory against Dedan Thomas-less LSU to move to 3-0 in the conference, which was important ahead of a huge week with a road game at Texas and a home game against Florida.

They may not win the SEC, but for anyone who has actually watched them play rather than lazily push a false narrative of how they’ve “not played anyone,” the opportunity for a special season is obvious.

The Honest Truth About Kentucky

The Wildcats started 0-2 in the SEC after a 15-point loss at Alabama (down by 21 in the first half) and an inexplicable loss to Missouri in Lexington after blowing an eight-point lead with four minutes to play.

However, they responded with a dominant 92-68 win against Mississippi State, even without Jayden Quaintance or Jaland Lowe, who left with a shoulder injury three minutes into the game. Lowe is set for surgery and is out for the remainder of the season.

So, what’s the read on this Kentucky team moving forward?

The honest truth is that there is no read. It’s been that kind of season for the Wildcats. Just when you think you’ve figured them out, they lose to Missouri the way they did, or they do what they did to the Bulldogs.

There are reasons for optimism and pessimism.

If you want to be optimistic, well, they did that to a red-hot Mississippi State without Quaintance or Lowe. They were more active on defense, and offensively, it finally looked like a Mark Pope-coached team, with more spacing and opportunities to capitalize on poor defensive possessions by the opponent.

If you want to be pessimistic, you could question whether they have the intangibles needed to be a legitimate contender. At times, they haven’t done the little things well, whether it’s basic stuff like layups (5-of-14 on those vs. Missouri) or value the ball with the lead. They also don’t fit Pope’s offensive philosophy (his second-worst shooting team in the past nine seasons).

The best approach with Kentucky is the ultimate coach speak: One game at a time.

There have been enough ups and downs to question the team’s trajectory at every turn, but it’s still a roller coaster ride.

The Wildcats have an opportunity to inspire more optimism this week if they can win road games at LSU and Tennessee.

Answering The Bell

Challenge accepted.

Perhaps no two words have described the SEC more three games into conference play. It seems like every team that has its back against the wall has found an answer.

Auburn made the most emphatic argument for that theory, with the Tigers hammering Arkansas by 22 after two dramatic losses to Georgia and Texas A&M.

Missouri, which was coming off a 43-point drubbing at the hands of Illinois, responded with a gutsy 76-74 victory over defending national champion Florida. Then it won at Rupp Arena.

But then the Tigers had to go to Ole Miss, which had lost seven of 10. The Rebels earned a hard-fought 76-69 win.

No SEC team had its back against the wall more than Mississippi State back on December 7.

The Bulldogs lost 65-62 to San Francisco, thus starting the season with a disappointing 4-5 record. However, it began the SEC slate with a 101-98 overtime victory at Texas and a 72-53 shellacking of Oklahoma before - you guessed it - losing to a desperate Kentucky team.

And what do you know, the Longhorns also factor into this chaos.

They seemed to be cooked after losing to Mississippi State and Tennessee, but then decided to go to Tuscaloosa and beat Alabama.

Let’s keep the chaos going with Texas A&M. After three double-digit losses in its three biggest non-conference games, the Aggies have rebounded with a 75-72 win against LSU, an absurd comeback victory at Auburn, and a seven-point victory against Oklahoma to sit tied at first with Vanderbilt.

Throw South Carolina into this category as well.

The Gamecocks handed it to LSU (without Thomas) in Baton Rouge and led by 28 in the first half. Despite losing by five to Georgia in its next game, South Carolina is now one of eight SEC teams at 1-2 in the conference.

Did you get all of that?

Other Random SEC Basketball Thoughts

  • There have been reasons to question the guard play of Florida, but the Gators might be the SEC favorite if Boogie Fland plays as he did against Tennessee. He had his best game in a Florida uniform, posting 23 points, five assists, and four steals while going 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.
  • Despite the ugly performance at Auburn, I’m still high on Arkansas. It was one game in a tough spot on the road. However, we can’t ignore some defensive trends for the Hogs. They have allowed 86.6 points per game in their last seven contests against power conference competition, which is something that must improve to contend for a title.
  • Speaking of Auburn, it was a top-10 defensive team in its historic 2024-25 season. The Tigers entered the Arkansas game as the third-worst team in the SEC in adjusted defensive efficiency, but it made a statement with its effort against the Razorbacks. The 73 points allowed were tied for the fewest all season for the Tigers against power conference opponents. Steven Pearl’s squad is only a couple of plays away from a 3-0 conference record right now.
  • LSU is the only winless SEC team to this point in conference play. It’s easy to be down on what Matt McMahon’s squad is at the moment, but their SMU win is doing work, and they have still been right there in games against Vanderbilt and Texas A&M. The Tigers have to get Thomas back to stay in the NCAA Tournament conversation.

5 Upcoming SEC Games To Watch

Texas A&M at No. 21 Tennessee - January 13, 6 PM CT (SEC Network)

Bucky Ball is in full effect in College Station, but producing a great offensive performance in Knoxville has proven difficult for opponents. Rick Barnes’ group is allowing just 60.9 points per game at Thompson-Boling Arena this season, and their perimeter defense will be put to the test against a top-25 shooting team in college basketball. One area where Texas A&M has the advantage in forcing turnovers, ranking 21st nationally in turnover percentage defense (21.3 percent). The Vols turned it over 18 times in the 24-point defeat at Florida.

No. 11 Vanderbilt at Texas - January 14, 8 PM CT (ESPN2)

This game has become much more interesting. Texas’s win at Alabama was crucial since it’ll play three of four on the road after home games against Vanderbilt and Texas A&M this week, and it has a lot of momentum entering a clash with the SEC’s best team. These are two of the top three most efficient offensive teams in conference play thus far, but the difference has been defense. The Longhorns are last in the SEC in that category, and they’ll need a huge effort against one of the best in the nation at scoring the ball (8th nationally with 93.0 ppg).

Kentucky at No. 21 Tennessee - January 17, 11 AM CT (ESPN)

South Carolina defeated Tennessee in a late January game in Knoxville during the 2023-24 season. Since then, the Vols have lost just two home games. Both of them were to Kentucky. The Wildcats found some confidence in the Mississippi State win, and they should capitalize with an early week victory at LSU. If they do, this showdown becomes a lot more fascinating, no matter what Tennessee does against Texas A&M.

Florida at No. 11 Vanderbilt - 1 PM CT

The irresistible force meets the immovable object. This isn’t quite Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III, but it’s close. The Gators have dominated the paint this season, notching the best offensive rebounding percentage in the sport (43.6 percent) while letting opponents grab just 23.1 percent of their own offensive rebounds (2nd nationally). The Commodores have been stellar on the perimeter in both phases of the game. And the thing is, Florida’s backcourt is playing as well as it has all season, and the same can be said of Vanderbilt’s frontcourt. Even if both drop road games in the midweek, it’s a setup for plenty of entertainment value.

No. 15 Arkansas at No. 18 Georgia - 3 PM CT

Those aforementioned defensive numbers for the Hogs? They’re going to be put to the test against a Georgia team that still leads the country with 96.4 points per game. The offensive output has slowed down a bit in the past two games (77 at Florida and 75 at South Carolina), but this game is in Athens. Combine that with Arkansas’s trends on both offense and defense, and this could be a high-scoring clash between two teams trying to stay in the SEC title picture.