2015 SEC Basketball Tournament: Is this a five or six bid league?

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Coming into the 2015 SEC basketball tournament, the big question for the Kentucky Wildcats is whether they can continue their run at perfection. The Wildcats have the enviable position of having the number one seed in the NCAA Tournament locked up, regardless of what happens in Nashville, And the Wildcats will not be the only SEC team going dancing in March Madness. The big question up for debate is how many SEC teams will make the tournament.

Aside from Kentucky, I think that the Arkansas Razorbacks and the LSU Tigers have already punched their tickets, although the jury is out among experts on LSU. Most pundits have the Tigers as a 9 or 10 seed. The Tigers can lock up a bid and relax with a first round win. However, I think that a lot of other teams in same position will lose this week, so I think the Tigers are in, although they could be in for some very nervous minutes with a one and out performance. Same for for the third seed in the SEC Tournament, Georgia. The Bulldogs have been solid but unspectacular all year, but experts have them pegged as an eight seed. If that is the case, you would think they are still in.

And now we come to the big debate. Is the SEC worthy of more than four teams? Most pundits do have the SEC as a five or six bid league. The folks over at CoachCal.com took a look at what Texas A&M and Ole Miss have to do to go dancing.

"#5 TEXAS A&M (20-10, 11-7 SEC)Biggest SEC win: at LSU, 67-64Top performers: Danuel House (14.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 40.0 3P%) | Alex Caruso (9.4 ppg, 5.6 apg, 4.7 rpg)First round matchup: Winner of No. 12 Miss. St. vs. No. 13 AuburnDate and time: Thursday at approximately 3:25 p.m. ET, SEC NetworkProjected NCAA seed: First Four OutProjected first-round matchup: N/AComments: The Aggies can hang in there in some tough environments, but they’ve got a longer road to the SEC Tournament championship game than the teams seeded above them. This writer isn’t sure how much winning against No. 12 Mississippi State or No. 13 Auburn would help Texas A&M as far as NCAA seeding goes, but losing would hurt. The Aggies are one of Lunardi’s first four teams out. A strong showing in Nashville is imperative for Texas A&M. #6 OLE MISS (20-11, 11-7 SEC)Biggest SEC win: at then-No. 19 Arkansas, 96-82Top performers: Stefan Moody (16.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.8 spg) | Jarvis Summers (12.3 ppg, 4.5 apg, 1.7 rpg)First round matchup: Winner of No. 11 South Carolina vs. No. 14 MissouriDate and time: Thursday at 9:25 p.m. ET, SEC NetworkProjected NCAA seed: No. 10 MidwestProjected first-round matchup: vs. No. 7 San Diego StateComments: By losing three of their last four games of the season, the Rebels’ once solid position in the NCAA Tournament field has become much less stable. Losing in their first game against either South Carolina or Missouri would put the Rebels on even shakier ground. Ole Miss needs to get at least one win under its belt in the SEC Tournament."

It is a bit interesting that the two teams that took Kentucky to overtime are the ones that may be in danger of missing the tournament. However, both can still play their way into the NCAA Tournament.

The easiest path seem to be for Ole Miss, although they definitely are not playing their best ball right now. You would think that they are in with a win, if they are currently a 10 seed right now. And if they can’t beat South Carolina or Missouri, they probably don’t deserve to go as that would be four losses in five games.

The path is a little toughest for Texas A&M Aggies, even though they are a higher seed than Ole Miss. As the article states, winning their first game will not help that much, and the Aggies will need to win a second game to advance into March Madness. That second game will pit them against LSU, in what could ultimately be a play-in for the NCAA. Texas A&M already has two wins over the Tigers this year and a three-peat should put them in, and put the Tigers squarely on the bubble.

As much as I like LSU and think they deserve a spot, they have to beat Texas A&M to do so. In my opinion, the winner of that game will give the SEC their fifth bid, behind Kentucky, Arkansas, Georgia, and Ole Miss. Depending on what else happens in the other conference tournaments, the loser of a possible Texas A&M/LSU game may need help. I think LSU can get in if they lose, but it is over for the Aggies with a loss.

So my guess is that LSU will beat the Aggies and the SEC will have five teams and least two will make the Sweet 16. The only way I see six SEC teams is if a team like Vanderbilt, who has won five in a row, gets hot and wis the whole thing. To help you keep track of the SEC Tournament and make your picks, Fansided is providing a downloadable and printable 2015 SEC Basketball Tournament schedule for you here. 2015SECTourneyWBN

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