From: March 8
In a year in which we thought Kentucky and Arkansas would dominate the SEC, two underdogs rose to the conference’s top standings. Alabama was the leader in the clubhouse, but towards the end of the year has fallen off due to off-the-court controversy. Texas A&M has flown under the radar all year and ended up going 15–3 in conference play, good enough for the 2-seed in the SEC tournament. Kentucky shows up to dominate this tournament every year, and a handful of teams can get hot and win it. It should be a fun week in Nashville, and we are here to preview the SEC tournament.
The Favorite: 1-Seeded Alabama
Alabama has been the talk of the college basketball world the past couple of weeks due to star Freshman Brandon Miller’s involvement in the murder of a single mother. Miller did not pull the trigger but was accused of delivering the gun to a teammate. Miller was fully cooperative with the authorities and has been cleared of all charges. This case brought a lot of distractions to the Alabama program, but they have found a way to continue to win. The Crimson Tide have had times where they dominate the conference, beating Vanderbilt by 57 and Georgia by 49. Brandon Miller is the star of the show, but they have great role pieces in Mark Sears, Charles Bediako, and Noah Clowney. The team is in line for a one-seed in the tournament for a reason, and it seems as though Alabama needs to win a couple of games to get their groove back before the big dance.
The Sleepers: 7-Seeded Auburn, 10-Seeded Arkansas
Remember in the intro when I said teams could get hot and win the whole thing, these are the teams I was referencing. Auburn is the same Auburn team under Bruce Pearl as it always is: capable of getting hot and burying you in a barrage of threes. The Tigers have not performed well in conference play, yet played Alabama tough in both meetings. There is a way in which Auburn finds a hot stretch and upsets some teams en route to the championship. Besides Texas A&M, Arkansas has the best guard play in the country. The Razorbacks have to top 15 picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. Anthony Black has been the lead guard all season and is one of my favorite players to watch in the country. Nick Smith Jr. has been battling injuries all year, yet has been able to get back to the team just in time to make a run. Eric Musselman always puts together deep runs in tournaments, and with the amount of athleticism on the roster, I would not be shocked if he did it again.
Predictions:
First Round:
South Carolina beats Ole Miss
Georgia beats LSU
Second Round:
Mississippi State beats Florida
Tennessee beats South Carolina
Arkansas beats Auburn
Vanderbilt beats Georgia
Quarter-Finals:
Alabama beats Mississippi State
Missouri beats Tennessee
Texas A&M beats Arkansas
Kentucky beats Vanderbilt
Semi-Finals:
Alabama beats Missouri
Kentucky beats Texas A&M
Championship:
Kentucky beats Alabama
Why I picked Kentucky:
Kentucky has not had the year that Big Blue Nation expects them to have. They were banged up with injuries, and Coach Cal looked like he was lost at times trying to lead this team. Early in the year, BBN was calling for Cal to get fired. The Cats have weathered the storm early, and have quietly snuck back into the top 25. When Cason Wallace is healthy, they have elite point guard play. Antonio Reeves, C.J. Frederick, and Jacob Toppin all contribute from the perimeter, and they have the reigning NPOTY and consistent 20–20 threat in Oscar Tshiebwe. Kentucky has all the pieces to win a tournament, it is just a matter of Cal putting them together. I believe he has found the winning formula, and I think Kentucky takes this hot stretch into March Madness.