Saturday Takeaways: Memorial Magic, Mizzou and a clear-cut No. 1

By Chris Marler

Fall Saturdays will forever be a favorite day on the calendar for SEC fans. However, these SEC Basketball Saturday slates have quickly become must-see television. This Saturday was no different with multiple top-15 upsets, a buzzer beater, and one of the most Big Ten Football games ever played on a basketball court between Auburn and Tennessee. 

Here are this week’s Saturday takeaways. 

Memorial Magic is back 

What a year for Vanderbilt sports. Saturday marked the second court storming in eight days with the Commodores upsetting No. 9 Kentucky, 74-69. Unless you’re one of the 28,732 bachelorette parties in town, you may not want to come to Nashville as a visitor any time soon. 

Vanderbilt athletic director Candace Lee is in the student section asking students to not rush the court.

“Let us use the money for NIL to make a great team next year” pic.twitter.com/c8PCaFOSCG

— Grace Hall (@Grace_M_Hall) January 25, 2025

Vanderbilt may not be one of the best teams in the country, but this team has resurrected the long learned notion that playing in Memorial Gym is no walk in the park. Memorial Magic is back and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Don’t look now, but Auburn plays there in two weeks ahead of their showdown with Alabama. 

Could the SEC get three No. 1 seeds? 

The answer is almost certainly no. Duke and Iowa State will have something to say about that. However, the No. 1 overall seed seems clear.

Here’s my current take on SEC Basketball halfway through Saturday.

Auburn is the best team in the country.

Alabama has the best roster and most talent in the country.

Florida may be the most dangerous team in the country come tournament time with Condon and that backcourt.

— Chris Marler (@VernDumbquist) January 25, 2025

Auburn is clearly the best team in the country, and has the resume to prove it. Alabama has the best roster in the country and is deeper than anyone else in college basketball. However, Florida may be the most dangerous team come tournament time. They have arguably the best backcourt in the country and one of the most overlooked and underrated players in Alex Condon.

It would be a major upset if the SEC is shut out of the Final Four. 

Home Court Advantage is as real as it’s ever been

Home teams went 6-2 on Saturday. That makes the season record 159-22 for SEC teams at home. Three teams are still undefeated at home with Missouri, Tennessee, and Auburn a combined 35-0. 

The SEC currently has 13 teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament according to Joe Lunardi. Bubble teams like Georgia and Texas need as many wins as possible. The lesson: protect home court, or else. 

Trouble in Tuscaloosa? 

Saturday’s Alabama-LSU game was odd from start to finish. LSU resides in the bottom three of the league standing and the Tigers were a 17.5-point underdog to No. 4 Alabama. However, LSU was frustratingly effective all night and kept it close, including being tied at the half. 

All-American point guard Mark Sears was benched following halftime and remained there the entire second half. Sears is second in the league this year in scoring at 18.0 points per game, but was held scoreless in the game. 

Sears has been the cornerstone of Alabama’s last two teams under Nate Oats, so the move was very surprising. After the game, Oats issued a statement without taking questions on the decision. 

Here is Alabama Assistant Preston Murphy consoling Mark Sears as he sits out the 2nd Half.
“We went with the guys in the second half that we thought gave us the best chance to win this game” – Nate Oats pic.twitter.com/hr4eqJYCF3

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) January 26, 2025