The SEC Saturday basketball slate left more questions than answers for the first time in a while. The No. 1 team in the country went down at home, Missouri finished the week 0-2, and several teams snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Here are the biggest takeaways from this past Saturday in the SEC.
- Don’t let the Auburn loss fool you
One thing that often happens in the age of social media and instant overreactions is becoming a prisoner of the moment when discussing teams, players, and more. Don’t be a prisoner of the moment with the Auburn Tigers. The loss at home to Florida was tough, but Auburn losing to Florida is a classic case of two things being true at the same time. Credit Florida for playing a fantastic game and getting what is, undoubtedly, the best win of any team in the country this year. However, the loss doesn’t outweigh what Auburn has done this year. It doesn’t make them frauds. They have two losses this season: one to Duke and the other to Florida. That doesn’t take away from the 12 Quad wins they have or even mean that they aren’t still the best team in the country.
- Texas A&M is just laying in the weeds
Aggie fans have to be ecstatic about where their basketball program is right now. Not just because they’re currently ranked No. 8 in the country, but also because it’s the opposite of how their football program has been viewed over the last several years. How many times has a preseason ranking overvalued the Aggies before a during the season? They fall victim to hype almost every year. However, their basketball team can’t seem to get any national love.It’s not their fault; it’s just how deep the SEC is this year. Make no mistake, though: this Texas A&M team is one of the best, not just in the conference but also in the country.
- Bold prediction, Missouri and/or Arkansas are about to go on a run
These two teams went 1-3 combined this weekend. However, both of them are about to go on a run. It took a while for people to realize that Missouri is a legitimate team. That happens when you go 0-18 in conference play the year before. However, the attitude of some surrounding this team is that the Cinderella run is over after their 0-2 week, with losses at Tennessee and at home to Texas A&M. Here’s the thing, though: the Tigers have eight games left, and only two are against ranked teams. The Tigers are going to close with one of the most favorable schedules in the league. They will almost certainly move up in the rankings, standings, and most importantly the seed line for the NCAA Tournament.
