Mizzou vs Vanderbilt is the only matchup without a ranked team.
SEC Basketball Saturday is back baby! This time with a Mizzou home game, and a sold out one at that! The crowd should be fun, and I know I’m certainly happy semester break is wrapping up because watching basketball games without students is a lot less fun than with them.
The early returns on the season shows a few things: the top of the class is asserting their dominance, the very bottom of the league has seen some slippage, and the middle are just trying to differentiate themselves.
Five teams are already 2-0, and a few of those could have been predictable to start the week. Alabama and Auburn being at the top should surprise no one. Texas A&M had a come from behind win at Oklahoma to keep their league record unblemished. And Mississippi State and Ole Miss both have had a soft entry to the league (as much as that exists this year in the SEC). Tennessee and Florida both took opening week losses but losing at Kentucky and (for Tennessee) at Florida is nothing to be ashamed of. How UT lost though is another concern.
Meanwhile, South Carolina and LSU both have seen some tough sledding, and we projected both to be at the bottom of the conference this season. There have been 16 games played so far and the home teams were 10-3 until Wednesday when all the road teams won. But those road games were: Ole Miss over Arkansas (a mild surprise), Mississippi State over Vandy (no surprise), and Texas A&M over Oklahoma (mostly a toss up).
For Missouri, this game is important. Vanderbilt is clearly a bottom half of the league team. They look like a team that will finish somewhere between 8th and 14th. Missouri’s ceiling may be a smidge higher and their floor a bit higher as well, but that’s only true if you win this game.
Missouri-Vanderbilt Basketball: How to Watch, Game Info:
TIME: 2:30 p.m. CT
DATE: Saturday, January 10, 2025
LOCATION: Mizzou Arena; Columbia, MO
TELEVISION: SEC Network
STREAM: WatchESPN
FORUMS: Rockm.Plus/Forums