Game of the Week
It felt like there were multiple ranked matchups every weekend last year in the SEC. Last week there was only one, and this week there are two but one featuring a Georgia team that will most likely be unranked come Monday. This week’s game of the week is No. 19 Florida heading to Nashville to play No. 10 Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt is coming off a blowout loss to Texas that is their first loss of the year. They’ll play one of the other four teams that have gotten off to a 3-1 start in SEC play, No. 19 Florida.
The Belt 2 Ahh tour continues on Saturday in Nashville 👀 pic.twitter.com/g4rY3nYI1M
— Florida Gators 🐊🔥 (@gatorsszn) January 14, 2026
Florida is off to a great start, and it looks like more and more that their slow start was just a blip on the radar and new pieces learning to play together. The Gators have five losses this year, and four of those are by four points or less. Since their 76-74 loss to Missouri to start conference play, they have won three in a row and all were by 15 points or more. That includes two wins over ranked opponents, but both of those were at home. It will be interesting to see what they can do on the road.
Bama banged up
Usually teams limp to the finish line in SEC play and players get banged up as February and March roll around. Not Alabama. The Crimson Tide played their last game at Mississippi State with just eight scholarship players. It’s not even close to the first time they’ve been shorthanded this year. They have had at least three players on the injury report in their last three games.
SEC Injury Report for Saturday’s game between Texas and Alabama. pic.twitter.com/87hdlDYmXY
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 10, 2026
Hot Seat Watch
The battle for the basement in the SEC is underway with two foes facing off for a second consecutive season. South Carolina is off to a 1-3 start and LSU is 0-4 in SEC play through two weeks. Both of these teams have an uphill battle facing them in the NIL era. Each program invested more this season in their men’s basketball NIL spending than the season before, but both still rank in the bottom four of the SEC.
That has obviously translated on the court as the two teams are 6-38 in SEC play over the last two seasons. Mark Pope at Kentucky is certainly on the hot seat, but if someone in the conference is fired before the season ends, it will most likely be someone in Baton Rouge or Columbia.
MALACHI MORENO WINS IT AT THE BUZZER FOR KENTUCKY ON AN INCREDIBLE PLAY 🤯🔥pic.twitter.com/PbMYEgkywz
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 15, 2026
Best Bet
We are 1-0 so far in our best bets as Georgia moneyline took care of business last weekend against South Carolina. This week we are going to go against our better judgment and take Kentucky +6.5 against Tennessee. The Cats haven’t been great so far this season, but maybe that 18 point comeback win against LSU was a catalyst.
