SEC Basketball Predictions: Rhode Island/Alabama, Gonzaga/Texas A&M, and more

There are six games on Friday’s SEC basketball schedule, with several teams around the league trying to pick up impressive non-conference wins.

Florida managed to hold on for a six-point win against Towson on Thursday, and it was a needed victory for the SEC after some early struggles.

There are six games on Friday’s schedule, with several teams around the conference looking to grab quality wins.

Let’s get to the SEC basketball predictions.

Season Predictions Record (straight up): 29-4

Cal St. Northridge at No. 22 Auburn (7PM EST, SEC Network): The Tigers are off to a 3-0 start, and it’s not as if they’ve beaten up on bad teams to earn those wins. Their three opponents all figure to factor into their respective conference title races, so the three victories could look good on the NCAA Tournament resume come March. As for this one, CSUN is a different team without reigning Big West player of the Year Lamine Diane, who has yet to play this season. Even if he were to play in this game, Auburn should be able to do what it wants on offense to score yet another victory. Prediction: Auburn 89, CSUN 70.

Delaware State at Georgia (7PM EST, SEC Network+): Tom Crean’s squad has scored at least 91 points in its first two games, and that trend could continue against the Hornets. Delaware State is currently ranked last in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency ratings and 349th in defensive efficiency, so that sets up well for Anthony Edwards and company to cruise to a big win in Athens. Prediction: Georgia 92, Delaware State 55.

Western Michigan at Ole Miss (7PM EST, SEC Network+): Ole Miss started the season with back-to-back wins against Arkansas State and Norfolk State, and now it’ll try to keep the streak going before the non-conference schedule ramps up a bit. Western Michigan has three straight wins, but this will easily be the Broncos’ biggest challenge to this point. The Rebels should get the victory. Prediction: Ole Miss 82, Western Michigan 68.

Cleveland State at South Carolina (7PM EST, SEC Network+): The Gamecocks are coming off a game where they held Wyoming to 32 points on only nine made field goals and 23.1 percent shooting from the floor. If Frank Martin’s team plays defense like that, it’ll win a lot of games both in the non-conference and in conference play this season. Meanwhile, Cleveland State is rebuilding under first-year head coach Dennis Gates, and scoring against South Carolina could be a challenge because of what we’ve seen from both teams thus far. Prediction: South Carolina 78, Cleveland State 54.

Alabama at Rhode Island (7:30PM EST, NBC Sports Network): This is probably the most intriguing game on the slate, as these two teams would love to add a solid non-conference win to their resume. Alabama’s injury situation will likely play a big role, especially if Herbert Jones misses a second straight game with an elbow injury. Jones is the driving force for the Crimson Tide on defense, and not having him both as a defender and rebounder wouldn’t be ideal in a tough road matchup. With all five starters returning, the Rams have an advantage when it comes to chemistry and overall experience. That could prove to be the difference here given the unknowns with whether or not Jones will play for the Tide (Update: Jones is expected to play, according to Alabama coach Nate Oats). Prediction: Rhode Island 73, Alabama 71.

No. 8 Gonzaga at Texas A&M (9PM EST, SEC Network): Buzz Williams is trying to mix and match things early on as he balances a few productive returners with several newcomers. Of course, it’s much more ideal to be experimenting with rotations when you’re playing inferior competition, and that won’t be the case in this game. Gonzaga has put 95 or more points in each of its first three games, and it’s obvious that Mark Few once again has a team that can compete for a national title. The Aggies will get there eventually with Williams in charge, but this simply isn’t a great matchup. Prediction: Gonzaga 80, Texas A&M 64.

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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.