Kentucky basketball: Projecting the SEC Tournament seeds

Our beloved Kentucky basketball team is one month away from the start of the SEC Men’s basketball tournament in St. Louis. More than any other year I can remember, the St. Louis edition of the SEC basketball tourney is more wide open than ever before. I’m bringing to you my attempt at Joe Lunardi aka “Joey Brackets” status, giving BBN weekly previews as to what the SEC tournament will look like this spring.

Top Seed No. 1 – Auburn Tigers. Bruce Pearl’s squad is undoubtedly the top seed in the SEC Men’s basketball tournament. Auburn is currently 21-2 on the season, and 9-1 in conference play. The Tigers lone loss in the SEC was on the road to Alabama on January 17th. Since that loss, Auburn has won 5 straight conference games. Next up for the Tigers: A home game vs Texas A&M on Wednesday night. Auburn will finish the week on the road at Georgia on Saturday.

No. 2 Seed – Tennessee Volunteers – The Vols, in the 2nd year of Rick Barnes’ tenure, are the clear No. 2 seed in the SEC tourney, currently sitting at 17-5 on the season and 7-3 in SEC play. The Vols lost their first 2 SEC games of the year, at Arkansas and home to Auburn. Since these 2 losses, the Vols are 7-1 in conference play. Barnes’ Volunteers have won 4 consecutive games in conference play, including a road win at South Carolina and a 23-point home win vs LSU. On tap for this week is a road trip to Rupp Arena to take on the Kentucky basetball team, a game with significant SEC Tournament implications. The Vols will finish the week on the road at Alabama.

No. 3 Seed – Alabama Crimson Tide – Seeds No. 3-5 were the most difficult to select, with Alabama, Florida and Kentucky each having 6-4 SEC records. Alabama comes in as the 3-seed primarily because of their ROAD WIN at Florida this weekend. The Crimson Tide have won 5 of their last 7 SEC games, and also tout an impressive victory against Trae Young’s Oklahoma Sooners on January 27th. The Kentucky basketball team is struggling right now, and since Kentucky and Alabama have not played each other, Alabama’s recent success propels them to the 3-seed. Alabama has a crucial week, hosting Mississippi St. on Tuesday and then hosting Tennessee on Saturday.

No. 4 Seed – Florida Gators – Florida has lost to Alabama, and has beaten the Kentucky basketball team on the road at Rupp Arena, placing them at the 4-seed currently. Florida has one of the most impressive rosters in the SEC, but has been the victim of a few head-scratching defeats. The Gators have now lost 3 straight SEC games, having started SEC play going 6-1 in their first 7 contests. The Gators play host to LSU on Wednesday and then travel to South Carolina on Saturday.

No. 5 Seed – Kentucky Wildcats – After an impressive victory at West Virginia, the Wildcats have struggled to maintain momentum. They followed the WVU win with an unimpressive home victory in overtime against Vanderbilt, then a road loss at Missouri. This week is a crucial week for the Kentucky basketball team, as they can expect two very challenging SEC games. On Tuesday, the Cats will play host to Tennessee. On Saturday, the Wildcats travel to Texas A&M to play a much healthier and much improved Aggies team than when the Cats hosted them on January 9th. Coach Calipari and his team can certainly move up the standings, and just as easily, move down the standings after this week.

No. 6 Seed: Mississippi State Bulldogs – MSU is currently .500 in the SEC at 5-5, and 17-6 overall. Their non-conference schedule is very, very unimpressive, which is why they only had 1 loss before SEC play. However, like Missouri, the Bulldogs are trending in the right direction, having won 3 consecutive SEC games. These recent 3 victories include a win over Missouri, on the road at South Carolina and home against Georgia. This week will be a tough test for Mississippi State as they host Alabama on Tuesday and travel to Mizzou on Saturday. In terms of the seeds 5-7, this week can certainly help create separation from these teams.

No. 7 Seed Missouri Tigers – Missouri is playing really impressive basketball as of late, with a season record at 15-8 overall. Even as they sit at .500 in conference play, Mizzou is a team gaining momentum. After losing 3 consecutive games, the Tigers have won back to back contests against Alabama and Kentucky. Missouri has a really good chance to move up the rankings this week as well. On Tuesday, Mizzou travels to Ole Miss and then host Mississippi State on Saturday. Both Ole Miss and MSU are ranked below the Tigers, and with their recent momentum, Missouri should have a chance to extend their winning streak to 4 games.

No. 8 Seed LSU Tigers – LSU is just 2-5 in their last 7 SEC games, with home wins against Texas A&M and Arkansas. The Tigers 2 most recent losses however are to the top 2 teams in the SEC, Auburn and Tennessee. I expect the Tigers to go 1-1 this week, traveling to Florida for a loss on Wednesday and then hosting Ole Miss for a win on Saturday. Bad news for LSU fans, the Tigers have only defeated 2 SEC opponents on the year. LSU possesses 2 wins against Texas A&M and 2 wins against Arkansas. The  No. 8 seed might be too high for LSU, but I predict they have 5 more SEC wins.

No. 9 Seed Texas A&M Aggies – The Aggies are actually 3-1 in their last 4 SEC games. Their lone loss was on the road at LSU, with home wins against South Carolina, Arkansas and Missouri. The Aggies have lost twice to LSU, which is why I have LSU ranked ahead of the Aggies. This week is a challenge for Texas A&M, as they travel to Auburn on Wednesday and then host the Kentucky basketball team on Saturday. I think the Aggies will struggle to win more than 2 more SEC games from here on out.

No. 10 Seed South Carolina Gamecocks – Frank Martin’s team, one year removed from a Final Four appearance, is certainly struggling this season. The Gamecocks are 4-6 in SEC play, and have lost 4 of their last 5 conference games. Their most recent loss was a dominant 23-point loss to the hands of Texas A&M. It’ll be a tough week for South Carolina, and I do not expect them to move up the SEC standings. The Gamecocks travel on Tuesday to take on Arkansas, then on Saturday they host the Florida Gators. I predict 2 losses this week for South Carolina.

No. 11 Arkansas Razorbacks –  The Razorbacks were a team that I expected to be much better than 4-6 at this point in SEC play. Arkansas has clearly struggled against conference opponents, and have dropped their 2 most recent games, at Texas A&M and at LSU. Arkansas is fortunate enough to stay home for the entire week though, hosting both South Carolina and Vanderbilt. The Razorbacks definitely have a chance to sweep their SEC games this week. Arkansas has 2 losses on the season to LSU, 1 to Texas A&M and 1 to Mississippi State.

No. 12 Seed Georgia Bulldogs –  Mark Fox’s team is 1-3 in their last 4 SEC games, and 4-6 overall. To make matters worse for the Bulldogs, 3 of their last 4 SEC losses have been by double digits. Not only has Georgia been losing, but they’ve struggled to stay competitive in some of these losses. Georgia has a chance to get a road win on Wednesday at Vanderbilt, but then play host to the top SEC team on Saturday when Auburn rolls into town. Georgia currently has SEC wins over LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Florida.  I predict Georgia to be the No. 12 seed when the SEC tournament play gets started.

No. 13 Seed Ole Miss Rebels – There’s some murky waters in the 10-13 range of the standings, as wins and losses from these teams blend together. Ole Miss is sitting at 4-6 in conference play, but their 2 most recent losses are to the top 2 teams in the SEC. The Rebels have a really solid chance at grabbing 2 wins this week, matching up with Missouri and LSU. Unfortunately for Ole Miss, they do not have a single SEC win on the road this year. Ole Miss currently possesses the No. 13 seed.

No. 14 Seed Vanderbilt Commodores – Bryce Drew’s Vandy squad is all by itself at the bottom of the SEC standings, currently sitting at 2 wins and 8 losses. Vandy has some dangerous pieces and have taken Kentucky down to the wire in each of their 2 games. The Commodores struggle to play winning basketball and will find themselves as the No. 14 seed when they arrive in St. Louis.