Kentucky basketball: Projecting SEC Tournament seeds 2.0
Here is the most recent edition of the SEC Tournament seed projections, Joey Brackets style. There are several critical SEC games to be played on Saturday.
Top Seed No. 1 – Auburn Tigers: Even after their loss early this week to Texas A&M, Bruce Pearl’s squad is still undoubtedly the top seed in the SEC tournament. Auburn is currently 21-3 on the season, and 9-2 in conference play. The Tigers 2 SEC losses are to Alabama and Texas A&M. Auburn goes on the road to Georgia on Saturday.
No. 2 Seed – Tennessee Volunteers: The Vols are still the clear No. 2 seed in the SEC tourney, currently sitting at 18-5 on the season and 8-3 in SEC play. Rick Barnes’ squad picked up a very important win on Tuesday, defeating the Kentucky basketball team on their home floor at Rupp Arena. Tennessee’s three losses are to Arkansas, Auburn, and Missouri. Barnes’ Volunteers have now won six consecutive games in conference play. The Vols will look for another win on Saturday when they travel to Alabama.
No. 3 Seed – Florida Gators: Florida defended their home floor on Wednesday night, defeating the LSU Tigers. The Gators are now 7-4 in SEC play and 16-8 overall. Florida’s losses are to Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Georgia. Wednesday’s win over LSU ended a 3-game losing streak in SEC play for Florida. It’ll be a challenge this weekend for Mike White’s squad as they travel to South Carolina for a tough road game.
The next for SEC teams are each sitting at 6-5 in SEC play as of now.
No. 4 Seed – Mississippi State Bulldogs: MSU is currently 6-5 in SEC play and 18-6 overall. I’m giving Mississippi State the No. 4 seed because they are on a 4-game winning streak. More importantly, two of those wins are against two SEC teams with 6-5 records. Mississippi State scored a home victory on Tuesday vs 6-5 Alabama. Saturday will be a very important match up for MSU, on the road at Missouri. This is an important showdown between two 6-5 SEC opponents.
No. 5 Seed Missouri Tigers: Missouri is playing really impressive basketball as of late, with a season record at 16-8 overall and 6-5 in SEC play. Mizzou is currently on a 3-game win streak, which is why I have them seeded above the Kentucky basketball team and Alabama Crimson Tide. Their 3 most recent wins are against UK, Ole Miss and Alabama. The Tigers have a great chance at another win this week, as they host fellow 6-5 Mississippi State on Saturday.
No. 6 Seed – Alabama Crimson Tide: Alabama steals the #6 seed away from the Kentucky basketball team primarily because of their impressive 18-point ROAD win at Florida on February 3rd. The Crimson Tide have won 5 of their last 8 SEC games, losing Tuesday at Mississippi State. This weekend could be a struggle for Alabama though as they play host to a very impressive Tennessee team.
No. 7 Seed – Kentucky Wildcats: Our beloved Kentucky basketball team come in as the 7-seed right now, losing at home this week to Tennessee. While the Vols are a really solid team, it’s important to defend your home court in SEC play. The Cats have also lost back to back SEC games, having them trend in the wrong direction.
On Saturday, the Cats travel to Texas A&M to play an Aggies team that just scored a very impressive road win at top-ranked Auburn. With the Cats trending downward and Texas A&M now healthy and playing the best they have all season, Saturday could be a real struggle for the Kentucky basketball team. If the Cats prove to be road warriors, this would be an impressive victory for Coach Cal’s squad.
No. 8 Seed – Texas A&M Aggies: The Aggies are actually 4-1 now in their last 4 SEC games, 5-6 overall in the SEC. This team might actually be the hottest team in SEC basketball, which is bad news for Kentucky on Saturday. Their lone loss was on the road at LSU, with home wins against South Carolina, Arkansas and Missouri. I have Texas A&M up to the No. 8 spot because of their momentum and their win Wednesday ON THE ROAD against top-ranked Auburn. The Aggies failed to meet big expectations early, but looks like they’re starting to peak at the right time.
No. 9 – Arkansas Razorbacks: The Razorbacks improved to 5-6 in the SEC after their critical victory against South Carolina on Tuesday. The Razorbacks should pick up a 2nd win this week as well, as they go up against Vanderbilt on Saturday. Arkansas should be trending in the right direction after this week. Next Tuesday they play host to the Kentucky Wildcats – HUGE game!
The next 4 teams are all currently 4-7 in SEC play.
No. 10 Seed – LSU Tigers: LSU is going to be the highest rank of the 4-7 teams, well, because they have only lost one-game in a row as of now. The rest of the 4-7 teams are losing momentum much quicker than the Tigers. There was no shame in LSU’s loss to Florida on Wednesday. The Tigers, though, are certainly looking for a win today against fellow 4-7 SEC opponent Ole Miss.
No. 11 Seed – Georgia Bulldogs: Mark Fox’s team is below LSU because the Bulldogs have lost 2 games in a row in SEC play. Georgia had a very disappointing loss on Wednesday to Vanderbilt, and it doesn’t get much easier this weekend. On Saturday, Fox and his squad will go up against top-ranked Auburn. Georgia must pull off a big upset Saturday against Auburn to avoid an 0-2 SEC week.
No. 12 Seed – South Carolina Gamecocks: The Gamecocks are 4-7 in SEC play, and have lost 4 SEC games in a row. Their most recent loss was a dominant 16-point loss against Arkansas on Tuesday. to the hands of Texas A&M. South Carolina will have another tough task on its hands Saturday as they host Florida.
No. 13 Seed – Ole Miss Rebels: Ole Miss is sitting at 4-7 in conference play, having now lost 4 consecutive SEC games. Ole Miss lost a winnable game on Tuesday to Missouri, but have another winnable game this weekend. If Ole Miss loses Saturday against LSU, they might drop to the very bottom of the SEC.
No. 14 Seed – Vanderbilt Commodores: Bryce Drew’s Vandy squad is all by itself at the bottom of the SEC standings still, currently sitting at 3 wins and 8 losses.