1st Round Games
#11 Texas A&M (17-14, 7-11) vs. #14 Auburn (9-22, 3-15) Wednesday @ 7:30
These teams are playing in the first round for a reason and none of these teams are expected to win more than once in this tournament. Texas A&M would play Missouri in the next round, a team they upset by 2 points on February 7th, but another win in the tournament would be surprising.
#12 South Carolina (14-17, 4-14) vs. #13 Mississippi State (9-21, 4-14) Wednesday @ 10
South Carolina and Mississippi State played two close games and split the season series, this game is the more evenly matched of the two first round match ups. The winner moves on to play on Thursday against Tennessee
2nd Round Games
#8 Georgia (15-16, 9-9) vs. #9 LSU (18-11, 9-9) Thursday @ 1
Georgia won this tournament in 2008 with a record of 13-16 in the regular season, another run like that is not out of question. They beat LSU the only time they met up this year and have played well of late, beating Tennessee and Kentucky and loosing by 3 to Alabama so far this month. LSU started conference play 1-5 but turned things around and could also make some noise. Florida awaits, and a win against the #1 seed would certainly carry a huge wave of momentum.
#5 Tennessee (19-11, 11-7) vs. #12/13 Winner Thursday @ 3:30
Tennessee should get by South Carolina or Mississippi State and move on to face Alabama in the quarterfinals. They are 8-1 since February 10th and are one of 5 SEC teams sitting on the bubble. They have momentum but they will need to come to play in this game and against Alabama as long as they are not upset.
#7 Arkansas (19-12, 10-8) vs. #10 Vanderbilt (14-16, 8-10) Thursday @ 7:30
Vanderbilt had a down year this year but they still are the SEC champions until it’s taken away from them. Although it’s unlikely, Kevin Stalling’s squad will do everything in their power to defend their crown. Arkansas is the first team in the way, but who knows what Razorback team we’ll see. The one the beat Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee or the one that lost to LSU, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina. Whoever comes out on top has a date with Kentucky 24 hours later.
#6 Missouri (22-9, 11-7) vs. #11/14 Winner Thursday @ 10
Missouri is the 6 seed in the SEC tournament but it is considered locked into the NCAA tournament, unlike teams 2-5 in the SEC. A strong performance in Nashville this week will improve their seeding and create momentum. A likely match up with Texas A&M shouldn’t be overlooked though, the Tigers lost 70-68 in their first match up. If Missouri does win that game, they would probably be the favorite against Ole Miss, despite it being a 3 vs. 6 match-up.
- Missouri and All-SEC Guard Phil Pressey
Top 4 Seeds
#4 Alabama (20-11, 12-6)
Teams seeded 2-6 all finished within one game of each in the SEC, but that turned out to be very important because teams 1-4 all received double byes. Alabama is another team that has work to do to get into the field of 68 and will play a must win game against Tennessee (if they win). As conference championships play out, the bubble could shrink, which would be bad news for Alabama.
# 3 Ole Miss (23-8, 12-6)
Ole Miss played a very weak schedule, especially non-conference, which will work against them as the tournament committee gathers. They could certainly patch up their resume with another win over Missouri. That win earlier in the season is the only victory over a Top 50 team all season for Ole Miss, so although their record is impressive, their resume isn’t as convincing.
#2 Kentucky (21-10, 12-6)
One of the most interesting decisions to be made next Sunday is whether Kentucky is in or out. The defending champs started the season inside the Top 5 in most polls and have not lived up to those expectations. But beating Florida in the last game of the regular season was huge for the Wildcats, both as far as momentum and seeding. Don’t be surprised if Kentucky meets Florida again with the SEC Championship on the line.
#1 Florida (24-6, 14-4)
A few weeks ago, it was not inconceivable that Florida would be the only team from the SEC in the NCAA Tournament. Although that’s extremely unlikely now, it goes to show that Florida was really all alone at the top this season. The Gators were as high as #2 in the country this season but have gone 2-2 over the last couple of weeks. Anyone could get hot and win the national championship, especially this season, but Florida needs to play well in this tournament and shake the problems they’ve had lately.
- Florida Gator and All-SEC 2nd Team Player Patrick Young
ballbyhall 