Ranking every game for Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025

SEC basketball continues this Saturday with another full slate of 8 games. We get a top-10 battle on The Plains, as well as several rivalry games like Georgia-Florida and Alabama-LSU.

We also have some games that aren’t quite as top-tier as the others. But those games are still important, as it’s still early enough in SEC league play for squads at the bottom of the standings to dig their way out of the hole.

So without further ado (but with some further Adou later in this column), let’s dive into this week’s matchups, starting with the 5-star games:

5-Star Games

No. 6 Tennessee at No. 1 Auburn — 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

This game is absolutely massive. The Vols have struggled on the road, losing at Florida in embarrassing fashion and most recently dropping a game at rival Vanderbilt. Now they simply have to head to Auburn to take on the No. 1 team in the nation. Rick Barnes and company need a win in the worst way. Will Johni Broome return from injury for Auburn? That’s something Tennessee will be monitoring closely ahead of Saturday night’s showdown.

4-Star Games

No. 16 Ole Miss at No. 22 Mizzou — 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network

It didn’t feel right putting another game at the same level as Tennessee-Auburn, so here we are in the 4-star range. This should be a frantic battle between the Rebels and Tigers. Ole Miss suffered a last-second midweek loss to Texas A&M. Mizzou fell at Texas on Tuesday night. Both of these teams need wins to stay toward the top of the SEC standings.

Georgia at No. 5 Florida — 3:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network

Georgia let a win slip away at Arkansas on Wednesday night. Florida needed some last-second heroics of its own to complete a massive comeback and avoid an embarrassing loss at South Carolina. Asa Newell continues to shine for the Bulldogs. Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin form a fearsome trio for the Gators. This should be an intense rivalry matchup.

3-Star Games

No. 9 Kentucky at Vanderbilt — 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Playing at Vanderbilt isn’t easy. The Commodores have already taken down South Carolina and Tennessee in Nashville and now have their sights set on the Wildcats. Kentucky, meanwhile, is coming off a tough home loss to Alabama. Mark Pope and company can’t afford to let this one get away. I think this will be when the Commodores’ home cooking runs out, though, so I’ll put it in the 3-star slot.

No. 13 Texas A&M at Texas — 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2

Texas A&M has now beaten 5 ranked teams this year, which is tied for a program record. And we haven’t even hit February yet. The Aggies just scored a come-from-behind win over a ranked Ole Miss team as part of Wednesday’s wild slate of games. Manny Obaseki absolutely buried a 3-pointer with 12.5 seconds left to help the Aggies escape Oxford with a victory. Texas took care of business against a ranked Mizzou squad on Tuesday, but the Aggies are a different beast. We’ll see if the Longhorns can defend their home court once again.

2-Star Games

LSU at No. 4 Alabama — 8:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network

LSU had the middle of the week off, so the Tigers should be well-rested for this rivalry showdown in Tuscaloosa. However, Alabama looks like it has found its mojo, which is scary. I expect the Crimson Tide to take care of business in this matchup and make quick work of an LSU team that enters Saturday night’s game with a 1-4 record in SEC play.

No. 14 Mississippi State at South Carolina — 1 p.m. ET on SEC Network

This would be a 1-star game if not for the fact that South Carolina just took Florida down to the wire on Wednesday. The Gamecocks absolutely fell apart down the stretch. Will they bounce back from that disappointment? Or will Mississippi State come to Columbia and pick up an easy win? I’m betting on the latter.

1-Star Games

Oklahoma at Arkansas — 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2

These teams are a combined 2-9 in SEC play. Arkansas just lost star freshman Boogie Fland for the year due to an injury. Oklahoma is coming off a midweek open date, so the Sooners will be rested. If the Hogs lose this game at home, though, expect the boo birds to make their voices heard. It’s almost a must-win game for Arkansas.

Players to Watch

These are not the ONLY players I want to watch this week, they’re just some guys I want to highlight for this particular Saturday of SEC hoops. This week’s Players to Watch are:

Adou Thiero, Arkansas

Now that Boogie Fland is out, Arkansas will rely even more on Thiero to provide offense. The former Kentucky Wildcat is leading the Hogs in points (16.4), rebounds (6.3) and steals (1.8) per game. He just put the exclamation point on Wednesday night’s come-from-behind win against Ole Miss. If the Hogs are going to have any chance to get back into the top half of the SEC standings, Thiero is going to have to take his game to yet another level. I think he’s capable of doing just that.

Will Richard, Florida

Speaking of clutch performances, Richard gave the Gators their first lead of the game with only seconds remaining in a thrilling road win over South Carolina on Wednesday night. Those were the most important 2 points of his team-high 22 points. He also played a team-high 36 minutes. Richard has been in the Florida program for 3 years since transferring from Belmont. He sometimes gets overlooked behind Walter Clayton Jr. and newcomer Alijah Martin, but he’s an incredibly important part of the Gators’ success.

Coach of the Week

Buzz Williams, Texas A&M

As I mentioned earlier, the Aggies have already scored 5 ranked victories this season, tying the school record. With the way the SEC is stacking up this year, Texas A&M will have plenty of opportunities to earn another ranked win to break the record. Buzz Williams deserves a ton of credit for the way this team is playing. Nonconference action was a bit rough, as Texas A&M lost to unranked UCF and Oregon before starting to heat up. Now the Aggies have a chance to earn a season sweep of rival Texas. That definitely is a big deal in College Station.

Relevant Quote from “The Office”

“I get 10 vacation days a year, and I try to hold off taking them for as long as possible, and this year I got to the third week in January.” — Pam Beesly

It’s the third week in January! Maybe Pam used her vacation days to head from Scranton to SEC country to watch some hoops? Enjoy the games, y’all!