As the 2016/2017 regular season comes to a conclusion, March Madness has officially begun as conference tournaments are set to tip off. Kentucky Basketball looks to make a statement in the SEC Tournament.
The SEC Tournament matchups are officially set. Kentucky Basketball battled their way through a tough season to earn yet another SEC Regular Season Championship. The Wildcats will look to make a statement in what looks to be a tough SEC Tournament pool.
Your 2017 #SEC Tournament Bracket. pic.twitter.com/H5cdUAoQOg
— Around the SEC (@AroundTheSEC) March 5, 2017
Tough Match-ups
Kentucky’s No. 1 seed allows them to get a bye in the first two rounds of the SEC Tournament. On the other hand, the placement puts them in a possible matchup with one of two teams that may give the young Wildcats fits.
The Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers will play in a second round contest on Thursday, March 9. The winner will get another shot to take down the “Top Dog” in Kentucky.
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Tennessee Volunteers
The Vols are one of the five losses on the Kentucky Basketball record. At 16-15 on the year, Rick Barnes’ squad defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 82-80 in Knoxville on January 24. On the other hand, John Calipari’s squad returned the favor in the Rupp Arena version of the game. Kentucky defeated the Volunteers 83-58 on February 14th.
In other words, if Tennessee can get by a rolling Georgia Bulldog team, Kentucky will not get an easy way out of their first matchup. Rick Barnes will have his team prepared. You can bet on that.
Georgia Bulldogs
One could venture to say, that the Georgia Bulldogs have played the best basketball against the Wildcats consistently over the course of the season. In two match ups, both losses, the Dawgs have fought tooth and nail but just came up a little short. Two great performances by Malik Monk put the Cats over the edge.
Georgia has a dynamic duo of their own in Yante Maten and JJ Frazier. Maten, the talented big man from Pontiac, Michigan was injured in the Wildcat’s second matchup in Athens. After a collision with Isaiah Briscoe early in the contest, Maten was pulled off the floor and hasn’t returned since. Obviously, one would think that without Maten’s 18.7 points per game, the Bulldogs would have a rough time. In fact, Mark Fox’s squad has won three of their last four games following their Kentucky loss.
JJ Frazier has carried the load for the Bulldogs with his 18.5 points per contest. After scoring 36 points against Kentucky on February 18, Frazier has scored 142 points in the Bulldogs’ final four games. He’s a handful, no doubt.
The Quarterfinal Round
A matchup with either of these two teams will be a tall task for this young Kentucky Basketball team. In order for Kentucky to have any hopes in improving their seeding for the NCAA Tournament, an SEC Championship is a must.
Whichever team it may be, Kentucky will have to fight right out of the gate. This, apparently, is a problem for this young team as they have a habit of digging themselves a hole to start games. Fighting your way back from a double-digit lead is hard to do. When you are playing a coach like Rick Barnes, or a superstar scorer in JJ Frazier, climbing out of deep deficits are going to be mighty difficult.
Next: The Wildcat's Regular Season Player Report Card
Kentucky will play the winner of Tennessee vs. Georgia in the Quarterfinal round of the 2017 SEC Tournament. The Wildcats’ opening game will tip off at 1:00 pm ET on Friday, March 10. The Game will be televised on the SEC Network.