SEC Basketball Weekend Preview: Saturday Slate

By Chris Marler

However you want to look at this Saturday is up to you. It’s another big weekend of SEC basketball or it’s the last weekend before SEC baseball season gets under way. Either way we are rolling into Saturday with a great slate of eight games of hoops. Here’s our weekend preview.

Greg Sankey steps in, finally

The Charles Bediako saga continues in Alabama, but we may finally have some clarity after Friday. The NCAA and Bediako’s lawyers will meet in court Friday morning. This comes after the NCAA filed an affidavit on Thursday. In that affidavit, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey decided to declare which side he’s on. Spoiler alert, it’s the one that involves logic and reason, and not Alabama’s. Sankey pleaded with the court in favor of the NCAA’s ruling being upheld.

“I respectfully ask the Court to uphold the NCAA eligibility rules challenged in this case, which are essential to the integrity of college sports, to the educational mission they serve, and to the opportunities they provide for current and future student-athletes,” Sankey wrote in the affidavit.

The results of the hearing will surely be announced before the weekend, but the next steps to what will happen here is still murky and unclear. Regardless, some guardrails have to be implemented at some point.

Baylor and Alabama are a combined 3-9 since James Nnaji and Charles Bediako joined pic.twitter.com/5UQF9hIHFo

— Christian Odjakjian (@OdjHoops) February 4, 2026

Game of the Week

Tennessee at Kentucky. Kentucky needs a win in a bad way, and getting one over a longtime conference and former division rival. With or without John Calipari it seems like it takes Kentucky until after January to get everything rolling. At 16-7 their $22 million roster has underperformed and underwhelmed. Tennessee is currently rolling and has won four straight games. The Vols however are 4-5 away from home this season, and Rupp Arena will be absolutely electric this weekend.

Starting to feel a little like ’96. @nikebasketball x #GoBigBlue pic.twitter.com/le7SoENspF

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 5, 2026

Who’s on upset alert?

Alabama has been really up and down this season as a whole, but Auburn is not nearly as dominant as they’ve been in recent years. Alabama won the last time these two met in Neville Arena, and while it’s not a huge leap to take Alabama to win since they’re only a 1.5 point underdog, it feels like the best bet of the week. Alabama is coming off a huge win at home against the conference leading Texas A&M Aggies where they scored 100 points. Despite their big loss on the road last week to Florida, Alabama still has the second most wins away from home in the SEC. Take the Tide.

In recognition of this week’s IBOB , flashback to the previous IBOB #1 Auburn’s senior day send-off gift courtesy of Mark Sears pic.twitter.com/esWYukGboT

— brandon chicken’s burner (@tide_enjoyer) February 5, 2026