SEC Basketball: 2020 conference tournament preview and predictions

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 22: Ashton Hagans #0, Immanuel Quickley #5 and Tyrese Maxey #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrate defeating the Florida Gators 65-59 after the game at Rupp Arena on February 22, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MARCH 23: Skylar Mays #4 of the LSU Tigers dribbles (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

Key players for the SEC Tournament

Sophomore Reggie Perry – Mississippi State

2019-20 stats: 17.4 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.3 apg

Against Ole Miss, Perry recorded his 17th double-double and the 26th of his career to beat the Rebels. His 22 points and 14 rebounds helped earn the Bulldogs a double-bye and locked the No. 4 seed in the tournament.

Sophomore Kira Lewis Jr – Alabama

2019-20 stats: 18.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.2 apg

Lewis can take over a game at any given moment. Only winning two of the last five games on the Crimson Tide schedule, Lewis will have to do extra work against the Volunteers. That, and he can’t afford to try and do too much. Lewis is good enough to lead the team, but he’ll have to reach a level he’s never reached before if Alabama’s going to make a run.

Senior Samir Doughty – Auburn

2019-20 stats: 16.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.7 apg

Doughty is a player that has felt the pain of March Madness. He’s also a player that has gripped the magic of it too. He recorded 32 points beating Tennessee following a loss to Texas A&M. Doughty is a player willing to do the dirty work and whatever it takes to make it back to the Final Four, just this time to finish the job.

Sophomore Immanuel Quickley – Kentucky

2019-20 stats: 16.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.9 apg

Despite fouling out against Florida, Quickley accomplished something only two players did before him under head coach Jon Calipari. He scored in double figures in every conference game. This is a player that has all the goods and whether he has Ashton Hagans, EJ Montgomery, or Nick Richards he is going to put on a show.

Senior Skylar Mays – LSU

2019-20 stats: 16.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.2 apg

Beating Georgia, Mays made history. He scored his 1,600th point just over a minute into the game, putting him in the top-10 of all-time scorers in LSU history. He finished with 19. He leads the team in scoring and is second on the team in assists. Throughout his four-years, Mays is the only player in LSU program history with 1,600 points, 400 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals.

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