SEC Teams Look To Go Dancing

The Arkansas Traveler - sports









February is over and March Madness is in full swing. The Southeastern Conference basketball tournament begins Wednesday and the winner will get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. With only one SEC team able to get the automatic bid, all others must hope to have a strong resume to receive an at-large bid from the selection committee.











The Locks






Kentucky (16-2, 26-5) clinched the regular season championship with the best record in the regular season and the Wildcats are the clear favorites heading into this year’s conference tournament with four key NBA-bound players in Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo and Isaiah Briscoe.





Florida (14-4, 24-7) has the highest BPI and RPI rank in the entire conference, ranking fifth and third in the nation, respectively. The Gators are led by a semifinalist for Naismith Coach of the Year in Mike White. Florida also had the longest win streak in the SEC this season with nine and  major wins against Kentucky and South Carolina.





South Carolina (12-6, 22-9) has not gone to the NCAA Tournament in over a decade. This season, however, the Gamecocks have been a defensive force and are second in the nation in least number of points allowed per 100 possessions, with 87.7. They also have wins against nationally ranked Michigan, Syracuse and Florida.





These three teams have been the only SEC teams to be nationally ranked this entire season, so expect these teams to all be included in our brackets come Selection Sunday.





The Bubble Teams





Arkansas (12-6, 23-8) was on the bubble for much of the season, but now look more like a lock after sneaking themselves into the third seed in the SEC. Arkansas bounced back after a horrendous week, which saw them lose to Vandy and Missouri, by winning five of their next six games before senior night, strengthening their résumé for the ...


Read more