LSU came up just short against VCU on Wednesday night, which would have been a huge win for the defending SEC basketball regular season champion.

There are three games on Thursday’s schedule, including another SEC vs. Atlantic 10 showdown in the same city.

Let’s get to the SEC basketball predictions.

Season Predictions Record (straight up): 26-5

UL Monroe at Mississippi State (7PM EST, SEC Network): There weren’t many takeaways on the Bulldogs after wins against FIU and Sam Houston State, but what we do know is that need Nick Weatherspoon back on the court. Mississippi State has committed at least 18 turnovers in their first two games and currently ranks 346th nationally in turnover percentage. Luckily, they’re facing a UL Monroe team that hasn’t turned teams over a lot, and it’s one that’s also coming off a six-point loss at Texas A&M. Ben Howland’s team should grab another home victory. Prediction: Mississippi State 75, UL Monroe 59.

Towson at No. 15 Florida (7PM EST, ESPN2): Simply put, the Gators have no been great offensively thus far this season. More specifically, they haven’t been great shooting the ball from the perimeter, ranking 339th nationally in shooting 18.9 percent from beyond the arc. That has to get better for Mike White’s squad to be a true national title contender. Meanwhile, Towson is coming off an 84-80 overtime loss at Kent State. With the way Florida is playing on offense, it’s hard to expect them to blow anyone out at this point. However, Kerry Blackshear Jr. and company are still the better pick. Prediction: Florida 70, Towson 56.

Vanderbilt at Richmond (7PM EST, ESPN+): While the Commodores have managed to capture two straight wins to start the season, the challenge gets more interesting in this one. Richmond might be projected in the middle of the pack in the A10, but Chris Mooney does have experience and depth on a team that starts five juniors. Of course, a two-point overtime win at home against St. Francis PA wasn’t exactly the most impressive start for the Spiders. Vanderbilt did struggle with consistency in the two victories, so this does feel like a bit of a toss-up. However, I’ll lean towards Richmond in this spot due to the home-court advantage. Prediction: Richmond 74, Vanderbilt 69.

Blake Lovell is a national writer for ClutchPoints. He’s also a contributor for the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and Athlon Sports College Basketball Preview magazine. He hosts two podcasts: Marching to Madness (CBB) and Establish the Pass (NFL). 

You can follow him on Twitter @theblakelovell.