Busting Brackets
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SEC Basketball: Buy or sell Kentucky, Tennessee and LSU

By Joe Cook-Shugart

LEXINGTON, KY - JANUARY 12: John Calipari the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats gives instructions to his team against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena on January 12, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - JANUARY 12: John Calipari the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats gives instructions to his team against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena on January 12, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 09: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 09: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Tennessee Volunteers

Expectation: Make the Final Four
Buy or Sell: Buy

Tennessee was a laughably unlucky bounce away from beating eventual Final Four participant Loyola-Chicago last season when the two squared off in the round of 32. Instead, fans were forced to shed a copious amount of orange tears as their Volunteers were sent home much sooner than many anticipated.

Fast forward to this season, and with Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield back in the fold, this team is prime for some redemption. Tennessee has been as impressive as any team I’ve watched so far this year, reeling off 19 straight wins and remaining unbeaten in conference play. They still have two games against Kentucky and a date with LSU in Baton Rouge left on the schedule – if they win two of those three, they’ll stay in the conversation for earning the number one overall seed come March.

I have one major reservation about buying the Volunteers as a final four squad: Rick Barnes. I have long been a Barnes naysayer because the guy always seems to fold like a wet noodle in the NCAA tournament. His career record in tournament games is below .500 (22-23), and he hasn’t led a team out of the first weekend in his last 7 tournament appearances. In fact, if you look at tournament wins versus expectation, as FiveThirtyEight did, Barnes is tied with Fran Dunphy and Jamie Dixon as the worst tournament coach of the modern era.

The quality of Williams, Schofield, and Jordan Bone (whose development has largely flown under the radar) is enough to overcome any Barnes gaffes this March. This is the year that Tennessee will finally be able to hang their first Final Four banner.

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