SEC Tournament Preview: Will Kentucky Remain Perfect?

The regular season is finished and now it’s time for each team to put everything on the line for a chance to make the NCAA tournament. This is the time of the year where magic and upsets happen. Teams that have a million-to-one chance to punch their ticket into the Big Dance could possibly overcome all decks stacked against them to get there.

Here’s another thing to think about: This is the time of the year where rankings are thrown out of the window, because a team being a top seed in their respected conference doesn’t mean that team is safe and invincible. In the Southeastern Conference, Kentucky is the alpha dog and everyone else beneath are gunning for the Wildcats. Kentucky enters the tournament undefeated but can John Calipari’s team make it to the NCAA tournament without a touch or scratch to their 31-0 record?

Wednesday, March 11 (First Round)

12 Mississippi State vs. 13 Auburn 7 p.m. ET: Mississippi State comes into the conference tournament ending its season defeating Missouri 52-43 at home. Junior Craig Sword was the only Bulldog to score in double figures with 15 and was the primary reason for his team’s victory. He shot 5-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-3 from deep. It was Mississippi State’s largest margin of victory in conference play.

The Bulldogs will need Sword to continue his hot shooting from the perimeter going up against Auburn, which lost its final six games of the season. Four of the Tigers’ losses were by double figures. In Saturday’s 64-61 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, Auburn’s defense allowed Georgia to shoot 50 percent from the field and 3-point range. The Bulldogs were able to get to the free throw line 21 times, making 19 of them.

11 South Carolina vs. 14 Missouri (25 minutes after Game 1): After losing by four (78-74) to Arkansas, South Carolina ended its season with a rare 60-49 victory over Tennessee. Before the win, the Gamecocks’ best victory came against Georgia on the road. South Carolina look to win two in a row against a Missouri team that finished dead last in the SEC and was the only conference team to not finish the season with double digit wins.

Thursday, March 12 (Second Round)

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9 Alabama vs. 8 Florida 1 p.m. ET: Alabama ended its season with a 61-60 victory over the Texas A&M Aggies, who were without Houston transfer Danuel House, the team’s leading scorer (14.8 ppg). The Crimson Tide will go toe-to-toe against a Florida team that went shot-for-shot against Kentucky, but came up short in the final 10 minutes. The Gators had won two in a row before their 67-50 loss to the Wildcats. With Dorian Finney-Smith, Eli Carter, and Kasey Hill at full-strength, Florida has a chance to win a couple of games in this tournament.

5 Texas A&M vs. 12 Mississippi State or 13 Auburn (25 minutes after Game 3): It’s unclear whether or not Danuel House will be available for his team’s first game of the SEC tournament. House injured his foot late in Texas A&M’s 66-62 loss at Florida. House also missed the Aggies’ final home game, which resulted in a 61-60 loss to Alabama. If House is unable to go, second-leading scorer Jalen Jones, along with the rest of the team, will have to make up for House’s scoring absence on the floor. Without House, the Aggies may struggle offensively no matter who they play in the second round.

10 Tennessee vs. 7 Vanderbilt 7 p.m. ET: Both Tennessee and Vanderbilt have solid scoring options in their backcourt. Senior guard Josh Richardson is the Vols’ most reliable scoring threat, averaging 15.2 points per game. Armani Moore is second on the team in scoring (11.1 ppg). The Commodores have Damian Jones (14.5 ppg) and Riley LaChance (12.3 ppg). Expect all of the scoring to come from the guards, because neither team have dominant inside presence.

6 Ole Miss vs. 11 South Carolina or 14 Missouri (25 minutes after Game 5): Ole Miss lost on its Senior Night to Vanderbilt, 86-77. In the loss, the Rebels gave up 13 3-pointers and allowed for the Commodores to shoot 54.5 percent from the field. Ole Miss’ zone defense will have to find a way to put a halt to teams who are capable of knocking down outside jumpers. If not, the Rebels might walk into an early exit without any type of notification.

Friday, March 13 (Quarterfinals)

9 Alabama or 8 Florida vs. 1 Kentucky 1 p.m. ET: Kentucky, as a right now, is unstoppable. Whether the Wildcats play Alabama or Florida, Calipari’s muscled group will have an advantage on both ends of the floor. In Saturday’s win against the Gators, Kentucky gave up 50 points. During the regular season, the Wildcats allowed only 53.4 points per game, which ranks third in the nation. In its Jan. 17 victory over the Crimson Tide, Kentucky’s defense held coach Anthony Grant’s team to 48 points.

TBD vs. 4 LSU (25 minutes after Game 7): LSU went from being a bubble team to being a team in the field of 68 with its 81-78 win over Arkansas to end the season. Shooting guard Keith Hornsby was left wide open in the left corner for the game-winner as time expired. He finished the game with 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting.

In order for the Tigers to go into Selection Sunday without breaking a sweat, they will need to win at least one more game. Before its road win over the Razorbacks, LSU’s most notable win came against Big 12 team West Virginia.

10 Tennessee or 7 Vanderbilt vs. 2 Arkansas 7 p.m. ET: Arkansas is coming into the tournament with a spot already sealed in the field of 68, but coach Mike Anderson’s team wants to avenge their season-ending loss to LSU. Led by Bobby Portis (17.8 ppg) and Michael Qualls (15.3 ppg), the Razorbacks have a chance to land a spot in Sunday’s championship game. Arkansas could be a sleeper team in the NCAA tournament if all of its counterparts are on the same page.

TBD vs. 3 Georgia (25 minutes after Game 9): Georgia has its best player Marcus Thornton (12.2 ppg) at full-strength heading into the SEC tournament. Alongside junior guard Kenny Gaines (11.7 ppg), the Bulldogs are in great position to steal some more wins before Selection Sunday.

Saturday, March 14 (Semifinals)

Game 11 1 p.m. ET ESPN

Game 12 (25 minutes after Game 11) ESPN

Sunday, March 15 (Championship)

Game 13 1 p.m. ET ESPN

Next: 2015 SEC Tournament Printable Bracket

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