SEC Tournament Preview

What to Watch For

There is a lot still to be decided in the SEC. Really this is one of the more interesting major conference tournaments. Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State are the only three teams that are completely locked into an at large bid. It’s still questionable as to whether Arkansas and Kentucky would get the at large bid if they lose their first game although I tend to guess yes for both. The interesting thing is that both of those teams could face tough games in Vanderbilt (for Arkansas) and Ole Miss (for Kentucky). Speaking of Ole Miss, could the Rebels make a run to the finals and get an at large bid? It certainly would not be surprising looking at their side of the bracket. And what about the two-time defending national champs? Florida should be able to get by Alabama on Thursday but then what about their match-up with Mississippi State? Would beating Mississippi State be enough or do they need to get to the SEC championship game?

What We’re Rooting For

Chalk. Florida should not get rewarded for their non-conference schedule so we’re rooting for the Gators to get bounced early. Ole Miss could get in the picture as Arkansas did last year. Perhaps they even have remembered how to win now that they’ve taken 3 straight after a horrible start to the conference year. But I don’t want to have to think about it; they haven’t done enough to intrigue me. If we saw the Eastern and Western division’s top two teams in the semis it would represent some order and that sounds refreshing.

What Will Happen

Likely ridiculousness will happen. Tennessee will get into the semifinals easily but I don’t feel confident picking any other team to get that far. It wouldn’t stun me at all to see Florida play Ole Miss in the conference semifinals. Kentucky has to miss Patrick Patterson eventually, don’t they? I think we’ll see either Florida or Ole Miss sneak their way into the final before getting drubbed by a superior Tennessee team. That should be enough to get that team in though.