SEC men’s hoops roundup: week 3

David Smith, Staff Writer • December 2, 2021

Arkansas Men’s Basketball | Courtesy Photo

The Razorbacks are currently 10th in the nation, with many wins left on the out- of-conference schedule.

Arkansas continues to climb up the polls, currently sitting at No. 10 with a 7-0 record. The Razorbacks are winning each game by an average of 15.7 points, handling their opponents extremely well.

What to Watch

Arkansas vs. Little Rock Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Central Time on SEC Network.

“Razorback head coach Eric Musselman has proved he can be an elite recruiter during his first three years at Arkansas. His first true recruiting class included four four-star freshmen, three who are still on the team. This off-season he brought in four of the most sought after transfers in college basketball.

With all of the new faces comes a learning curve. The team has started 6-0, but it has not always been pretty. Musselman has mentioned that he is ready for the team to go on road trips so they can bond better.

Once they get more comfortable around each other to start hitting their stride, the sky’s the limit for the Hogs. Last season, Arkansas did not start playing elite basketball until the second half of SEC play. This is a team that has a great shot to win the SEC, but more importantly, they have a great shot at making another deep run in the NCAA tournament.” – Mason Choate, Arkansas Traveler.

LSU vs. Georgia Tech Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Central Time on ESPN2.

The LSU Tigers are currently tied for the best record in Division One Basketball at 8-0. Easily handling their opponents by an average of 25.8 points per game, they are fifth best in the country as well as best in the SEC. Head coach Will Wade has led this team to a perfect start to the season.

“LSU’s defense is all sorts of relentless. The Tigers are less talented than they’ve been, but may be a better basketball team.” – Jon Rothstein, CBS Sports.

The Tigers allow 53.8 points per game, which ranks second in all of basketball, first in the SEC. They also rank second in the country in opponent’s shooting percentage at 33.1%. This LSU defense is in fact incredible, and will be one to watch as the season goes on.

The only downside with LSU is that they have yet to play a ranked opponent, and will not until SEC play begins. With that being said, being 8-0 and sitting as a current in all of the Tigers’ remaining non-conference games is still an incredible feat to start the season.

Quick Hits:

LSU and Arkansas are the only two undefeated teams left in the SEC.
AP ranked SEC teams: No. 9 Kentucky, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 13 Tennessee, No. 14 Florida, No. 16 Alabama and No. 21 Auburn.
Florida lost their first game of the season to Oklahoma, setting up the Gators to drop in the rankings some. Still, an impressive start to the season nonetheless.
Georgia pulled off an amazing upset on No. 18 Memphis. After starting the season 2-5, the Bulldogs get their third win, a big one in that.
Mississippi State University split games in the Bahamas, closing with an overtime victory over Richmond last Saturday.
Kentucky continues to do nothing but win since their opening night loss to current No. 1 Duke. The Wildcats have the week off and do not play again until Dec. 7.
Texas A&M is out to a 7-1 start to the season, going 2-1 at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. After losing to Wisconsin, the Aggies bounced back with impressive wins over Butler and Notre Dame.
Missouri won a contest against Paul Quinn after losing back-to-back games to Florida State and Wichita State. The Tigers have an extremely tough schedule throughout December, which means multiple opportunities for quality wins.
South Carolina is coming off a blowout loss to Coastal Carolina, 80-56. The Gamecocks were sitting at an impressive 5-1, that being their second loss on the season.
Ole Miss went 2-0 last week after going 1-2 in the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic. The Rebels currently have the third best assist-to-turnover ratio, along with committing the lowest amount of turnovers per game in the SEC.
Alabama posted back-to-back wins in the ESPN Events Invitational after their unexpected loss to Iona. Alabama’s next three games are against currently ranked opponents, which will be a measuring stick for where this Crimson Tide team is at.
Vanderbilt is quietly sitting at 5-1. Led by the Preseason SEC Player of the Year Scotty Pippen Jr., this Commodores squad is not one to take lightly.
Auburn is coming off an impressive 2-1 performance at the Battle 4 Atlantis, especially without one of their leaders, junior guard Allen Flanigan. Head coach Bruce Pearl has assembled another Auburn team that could make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee has looked impressive so far this season, holding a 5-1 record. The Volunteers currently have four scorers averaging double figures, proving that any one of them can have a stellar night. If all of them are rolling, Tennessee can compete with any team in the nation.