TODAY’S AREA SEC GAMES
(20) Michigan at Arkansas
1 p.m., WREG-TV (Channel 3) Records: Michigan 15-4; Arkansas 13-5 Hoop scoop: Michigan has all the momentum coming in after a 60-59 home win over state rival and No. 9-ranked Michigan State. The Wolverines’ problem is their 1-3 record in road games — their only true road win was a 90-80 decision at Oakland. Arkansas is 13-0 at home this season in Bud Walton Arena under first-year coach Mike Anderson, and is glad to be home after being destroyed by No. 2 Kentucky, 86-63, in Lexington on Tuesday night. For the Hogs to beat Michigan, they’ll have to repeat the performance they had in beating No. 15 Mississippi State, 98-88, a week ago. In that game, Arkansas shot 56.5 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and hit almost 80 percent from the free-throw line.
(14) Uconn at Tennessee
3 p.m. CST, WREG-TV (Channel 3), WMFS (92.9 FM, 680 AM) Records: Connecticut 14-4; Tennessee 8-10 Hoop scoop: For the Vols to pull the upset, they’ll have to match the expected Big East Conference physical play of the Huskies with some of their own, provided by 6-7, 265pound sophomore forward Jeronne Maymon (11.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 56.3 FG percentage) and freshman Jarnell Stokes of Memphis (10 points, 6 rebounds, 64.3 FG percentage), who has played just two games after enrolling Jan. 9. Connecticut, the defending national champion, is led by national Player of the Year candidate Jeremy Lamb (17.7 ppg) and freshman big man Andre Drummond (9.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 57.4 FG percentage). Tennessee is 3-1 in ThompsonBoling Arena when playing a defending national champion.
Ole Miss at Georgia
3 p.m. CST, WLMT-TV (Channel 30), WHBQ-AM (56) Records: Ole Miss 12-6, 2-2 in SEC; Georgia 10-8, 1-3 Hoop scoop: Ole Miss has been an awful SEC road team under sixth-year head coach Andy Kennedy — 11-32 in such games, with almost half of the wins coming in 2009-10, when the Rebels went 5-3 in SEC road games. The Rebels have lost six straight SEC road games, including 0-2 this year. That’s the bad news because the good news is that they’ve won on their last two trips to Georgia. Better yet, Ole Miss is coming off a 75-68 home victory over No. 15 Mississippi State on Wednesday in which Rebels center Reginald Buckner, a former Manassas star, scored a careerhigh 19 points to go with his 15 rebounds and three blocked shots. In league play, the Rebels lead the SEC in rebounding (43.8) and rebounding margin (plus-7.5).
(18) Mississippi State at Vanderbilt
6 p.m., ESPN2, KQPN-AM (730)
Records: Mississippi State 15-4, 2-2 SEC; Vanderbilt 14-4, 4-0
Hoop scoop: Entering SEC play, Mississippi State was one of the hottest teams in the league, highlighted by back-toback wins over then-no. 19 Texas A&M and then-no. 15 Arizona to win the 2K Sports Classic in New York’s Madison Square Garden. But even though State junior newcomer Arnett Moultrie (Raleigh-egypt) is the SEC’S leading rebounder and averaging a double-double (16.1 ppg, 11 rpg), State has lost both of its SEC road games. And it doesn’t bode well for the Bulldogs that they have to play maybe the league’s hottest team, Vanderbilt, which has won eight straight games and is coming off a 69-59 win at Alabama on Thursday in which the Commodores led by as many as 23 points.
— Ron Higgins