ABOUT THE SEC

Early losses to Duke, Notre Dame and Baylor have Kentucky fans antsy, but it’s been a quiet season in the SEC thus far. As expected, Florida (7-0) is very good. Conference newcomers Texas A&M (7-1) and Missouri (8-1) are off to great starts, but have gone largely untested. Arkansas is 4-4, but has been competitive against a very ambitious schedule that has seen the Razorbacks lose to the likes of Arizona State, Wisconsin, Syracuse and Michigan.

Don’t Miss Game: Texas A&M (7-1) vs. Oklahoma (6-2), 2 p.m. ESPNU: While this game in the All-College Classic in Oklahoma City, Okla., matches two“football schools,” it’s worth a look for no other reason than both have been winning. The Aggies’only loss was to Saint Louis (70-49) while the Sooners’losses have come to Gonzaga (72-47) and Arkansas (8178). Don’t expect to see A&M or Oklahoma in the Final Four though, unless it’s the NIT.

Florida enters today’s game against Arizona riding an eight-game winning streak against schools from the Pac 12. ... Mississippi State and Loyola play for the first time since the Ramblers, en route to an NCAA Championship, beat the Bulldogs 61-51 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in East Lansing, Mich., in 1963. ... Missouri (8-1) has not lost in December since Dec. 9, 2009. ... Since 1998, Texas A&M is 105-10 against non-conference opponents in Reed Arena. ... Vanderbilt’s 66-64 overtime victory over Xavier was the first in seven tries for the Commodores and also broke a six-game losing streak in overtime games.