Vanderbilt finally gets hot, faces Kentucky on Saturday

Author: the associated press
Published: Updated:
MGN

Here are a few things to watch in Southeastern Conference basketball this week:

GAME OF THE WEEKEND: Vanderbilt at No. 23 Kentucky: After losing its first three SEC games, Vanderbilt has won three straight in league competition and finally is starting to play the way it was expected to perform all season. Those three wins have come against Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee. The Commodores face a much tougher task Saturday at Rupp Arena. Kentucky owns a 30-game home winning streak.

LOOKING AHEAD: Texas A&M’s winning streak: The 10th-ranked Aggies have nine straight victories, their longest winning streak since a 13-game run in 2010-11. Texas A&M’s 6-0 SEC record marks their best start in league play since a 7-0 start in Southwest Conference competition in 1993-94. Texas A&M hosts Missouri on Saturday and visits Arkansas on Wednesday before an intriguing SEC/Big 12 Challenge home matchup with No. 19 Iowa State on Jan. 30.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Florida fifth-year senior Dorian Finney-Smith is making the most of his final season. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward is averaging 13.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and has had four double-doubles in his past five games, including a 20-point, 13-rebound performance in a win against Mississippi State on Tuesday. Finney-Smith’s performance is one major reason the Gators are 4-2 to start Southeastern Conference play.

NUMBERS GAME: Texas A&M’s 71-57 victory over LSU on Tuesday drew a record crowd of 13,888 to Reed Arena, the Aggies’ home court. … Mississippi State is 0-5 in SEC competition for the first time since 1986. … South Carolina (17-1, 4-1 SEC) already has matched its win total from last season. … Ole Miss guard Stefan Moody has scored at least 20 points in 13 straight games, but is battling a hamstring injury that could limit him in Saturday’s game against Mississippi State. … LSU’s Ben Simmons is averaging 12.8 rebounds per game, which is three more than anyone else in the SEC.

ON THE WOMEN’S SIDE: South Carolina forward A’ja Wilson is the reigning SEC player of the week, which marks the fourth time this season she has been named player of the week or co-player of the week. She had eight blocks each in victories over Kentucky and Texas A&M. … Two SEC teams ranked in the top 10 lost road games to unranked foes Thursday. No. 9 Kentucky lost 73-65 at Ole Miss and No. 10 Mississippi State fell 47-43 at Georgia. While No. 2 South Carolina remains unbeaten, every other SEC team has at least two conference losses.

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