Once again, the most competitive conference in collegiate athletics will feature a tournament full of teams that could steal the championship for the Southeastern Conference, with many of these teams likely to take part in the big dance of March Madness later this month.
Regardless of placement in this tournament, some schools have already practically guaranteed a spot to play in March, while for other programs, this week is THE week to make their case for March.
1) Auburn
Currently ranked No. 4 in the nation, the Auburn Tigers (27-4 overall, 15-3 in SEC) are the likely favorites to win their second SEC championship in the last three tournaments played. Bruce Pearl’s squad was atop the conference standings all season long. Additionally, from Jan. 24 to Feb. 14, the Tigers were ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 nationwide for the first time in program history, losing the top ranking in a Feb. 8 overtime loss at Arkansas.
Auburn is full of stars, led by freshman forward, All-SEC first-teamer and SEC Freshman of the Year, Jabari Smith. Smith, standing at 6-feet-10, leads the SEC in three-point percentage and is fifth in average points per game. At the time of writing, Smith is also projected to be the number-one overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft this summer.
Alongside Smith is fellow SEC first-teamer and Defensive Player of the Year Walker Kessler, a sophomore who used his 7-foot-1 frame to lead the conference in blocks, while also ranking fourth in rebounds. There’s also two guards to consider in Wendell Green and K.D. Johnson. If any other program is going to win the SEC tournament, they’ll have to go through the Auburn Tigers.
2) Tennessee
After a rocky first half of the regular season, the Tennessee Volunteers (23-7, 14-4) rallied in the back half of the season, winning nine of their last ten games to grab the No. 2 seed in the SEC tournament. That 10-game stretch was highlighted by wins over higher-ranked programs in No. 4 Kentucky and No. 3 Auburn, capped off by a redemption win over No. 14 Arkansas in the regular season finale.
Leading the way for the Rick Barnes-coached team is Santiago Vescovi, a Uruguayan guard who ranked fifth in three-point percentage through the conference, leading the Vols in points scored and was a first-teamer on the all-SEC team. There’s also Kennedy Chandler, leading the conference in steals per game and ranking fifth in assists per game.
The key for Tennessee is to keep up their momentum from the second half of the season should they win their first conference championship since 1979.
3) Kentucky
Ahh, Kentucky. After an off year last season when the team’s slow start set the program toward a mediocre record, John Calipari and the Wildcats (25-6, 14-4) have rebounded to be a top-10 national program and a No. 3 seed in the SEC Tournament.
Oscar Tshiebwe is the big star for a loaded Wildcat program. Tshiebwe was named the SEC Player of the Year, not to mention he’s also an all-conference 1st-teamer, led the conference in rebounds per game, and was in the top five in points per game, blocks per game, and field goal percentage.
Aside from Tshiebwe, all-conference second-teamers Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington, Jr. will also pose big challenges for their opponents. In my humble opinion, Kentucky is Auburn’s biggest threat for the conference championship.
4) Arkansas
The Arkansas Razorbacks (24-7, 13-5) are, in my mind, one heck of a scrappy bunch. The Hogs ran out to a hot start, winning their first nine games of the season. Things hit a lull in December, however, as they lost five of their next six games and fell out of the AP Top 25.
Eric Musselman and his team were able to right the ship, though, as the team has gone 14-2 since Jan. 12. The highlight of this dominant stretch was an upset overtime victory over then-No. 1 Auburn that cemented Arkansas’ place among the nation’s top 25 programs.
Two players are of critical importance to the Razorbacks. The first is JD Notae, an all-conference first-teamer who ranked second in the SEC in points per game and steals per game. His teammate, fellow first-teamer Jaylin Williams, ranked second in the conference in rebounds per game, in addition to recording multiple double-doubles in the back half of the season. I’d say Arkansas is a dark horse pick for the conference title.
5) LSU
The LSU Tigers (21-10, 9-9), after a season where they made it to the SEC Championship game, find themselves slightly lower from where they were last year.
While Will Wade and the Tigers had a great start to the season, the season got very rocky once SEC play began, as LSU went .500 in the SEC, bad enough to drop them out of the AP Top 25 in February. However, the Tigers from Baton Rouge have a tendency to get things going once postseason time starts.
Tari Eason is crucial to how LSU’s tournament will go. The Cincinnati transfer scored over 500 points for the Tigers en route to a place on the All-SEC first team.
Other noteworthy players include former Mizzou Tiger Xavier Pinson, who ranked fourth in the conference in assists per game, recording 118 overall in his first season in the purple and gold. Keep an eye on SEC second-teamer Darius Days, the team leader in rebounds, and freshman star Brandon Murray.
6) Alabama
After a March Madness run as the No. 2 seed in their bracket that ended in the Sweet Sixteen, last year’s SEC champs have certainly had their fair share of tough competition this season. The Crimson Tide (19-12, 9-9) took a step back this year, in large part due to the loss of some star players to graduation.
That’s not to say all is lost, however, as Nate Oats’ Alabama squad has been on the fringe of AP Top 25 play for the last couple of months. While wins over Baylor and Arkansas showed what they were capable of, losses to Mizzou and Georgia showed that there were still flaws to correct.
In order for the Tide to roll to a repeat as SEC tournament champions, Alabama will likely look to junior Jaden Shackelford, an All-conference second-teamer who totaled 514 points (the most on the team). The Tide also have two players who made the SEC all-freshman team with JD Davison and Charles Bediako, the latter of whom ranked third in the conference in blocks per game. The defensive play of Keon Ellis (team leader in rebounds) is also something opponents will need to keep in mind.
7) South Carolina
After a disastrous 2020-21 season, Frank Martin’s South Carolina Gamecocks (18-12, 9-9) rebounded in solid fashion, posting a winning record in overall play. However, they did noticeably struggle once SEC play began. They did get some upward momentum going at the end of their regular season, winning five of their last seven games.
When looking at who the big stars of the team are, it’s hard to single anybody out for Carolina. Not that that’s a bad thing, as they get plenty of help on offense from several players. Senior Erik Stevenson leads the team in points scored (343) and total rebounds (141).
Two other players, Jermaine Couisnard and James Reese V, a transfer from North Texas, also have totaled over 300 points each for the Gamecocks. Meanwhile, freshman Devin Carter totaled 261 points and over 100 rebounds in his debut season, enough to earn a spot on the SEC all-freshman team. I expect a first round victory for this squad.
8) Texas A&M
The first team in the bottom half of the SEC Tournament bracket, the Aggies (20-11, 9-9) made a step in the right direction compared to last season, when they were the No. 13 seed in the SEC and had several games postponed or canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
That said, there’s still some work to be done. Notable wins over Arkansas early in SEC play and over Alabama near the end of the season were weighed down by an eight-game losing streak that extended from January into February.
Graduate student Quenton Jackson is undoubtedly the leader for the Aggies. The Los Angeles-native scored 451 points and stole the ball 51 times for TAMU, not to mention he was named to the all-SEC second team.
Henry Coleman III and Tyrece Radford are two players that are willing to jump up for the ball whenever it misses the bucket, as they combined for 363 total rebounds in the regular season. The Aggies face Florida in the first round, a team they beat by a single point on February 15. Can they repeat a winning result on Thursday?
9) Florida
How do I describe the Florida Gators? They feel like a team that should do better than it actually does, or maybe my expectations are too high. Prior to this year, the Gators saw several players transfer, while Tre Mann and Scottie Lewis both declared for the NBA draft.
Nonetheless, the Gators (19-12, 9-9) delivered rather mixed results this season. While they had a slightly better overall record, their conference record was worse than the 9-7 record they had last season. They never won more than four games in a row once SEC regular season play started. However, they did get a huge win against No. 2 Auburn on February 19, out-chomping the Tigers in a thrilling one-point victory.
The Gators will be relying on a Florida native in Colin Castleton. The DeLand, Fla. native led the Gators with over 400 points and over 200 rebounds, in addition to playing the most minutes, which earned him a place on the All-SEC second team. Outside of Castleton, there’s also high scorers in Tyree Appleby and Phlandrous Fleming, Jr. that opponents will hope to contain.
10) Mississippi State
Beginning to reach the back end of the SEC now as we talk about the Mississippi State Bulldogs (17-14, 8-10). The Bulldogs of Starkvegas had a season that can best be described as mediocre. They weren’t outright terrible, but didn’t capture many wins in SEC play once January came. One of the few SEC wins they collected in January, though, was a win over No. 24 Alabama on Jan. 15.
The unquestionable star for State is Iverson Molinar. The junior guard from Panama registered a whopping 553 points scored this season, an average of just under 18 points per game (3rd in the SEC) and 113 assists, earning a spot on the All-SEC first team for his work. Elsewhere, you may look at former North Carolina Tar Heel Garrison Brooks.
While Brooks has nowhere near the number of points from Molinar, he is the team’s second-leading scorer, in addition to being the team’s best rebounder. In addition, Tolu Smith is one of the more accurate shooters in the SEC. The Bulldogs played South Carolina twice this season, garnering a 1-1 record. It will be interesting to see who prevails when they meet again on Thursday.
11) Vanderbilt
In recent years, the Vanderbilt Commodores (15-15, 7-11) have become familiar with the bottom of the SEC standings. This year, however, showed signs of progress under third-year head coach Jerry Stackhouse. Vandy won seven games in SEC play this year, more conference wins than they’ve had in the last three seasons combined. While there’s still a lot of progress to be made, Vanderbilt did get wins over No. 25 LSU and Texas A&M.
In terms of players to watch, forgive me if I sound hyperbolic, but the Commodores are essentially carried by Scotty Pippen Jr.
That may be an unfair statement, but it also serves as a testament to just how good Pippen Jr. is the son of Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen, the younger Pippen is the only player in the SEC to score over 600 points this season, averaging over 20 points per game (both of which lead the conference).
He’s also the team leader in assists and steals. As you can imagine, Pippen Jr. also is an all-SEC first-teamer. In order to beat Vandy, you have to beat Scotty Pippen Jr.
12) Missouri
This one may sound different from the others, considering I’ve paid the most attention to the Missouri Tigers (11-20, 5-13) this season. It’s painful at times to watch this program and to think pessimistically about how far the program has fallen since the glory years that were the end of Mizzou’s tenure in the Big XII.
Sure, Cuonzo Martin may be gone after this season (or not, who knows?), but Mizzou still has something to play for. They will face Ole Miss in the first round, a team that Mizzou swept in both of their regular season games against the Rebels.
However, the Tigers will need players to step up and perform at their best level. Kobe Brown will need to perform at his best, and considering how he ranked fifth in the SEC in rebounds per game and led the team in several offensive categories (including overall points, points per game, and total rebounds), Brown is very good when he’s at his best.
Javon Pickett, the lone senior for Mizzou, is right behind Brown in most categories and will look to end his career at Mizzou on a high note with at least one tournament victory. The key to whether or not Mizzou goes far into the tournament depends on what type of Mizzou team we see in the first round.
13) Ole Miss
The Rebels (13-18, 4-14) took a big step back this season, falling from a 10-8 conference record and the No. 6 seed in the conference last year to the No. 13 seed and a negatively lopsided SEC record. It didn’t help matters that Ole Miss lost eight of their last nine games, the only victory coming against bottom-ranked Georgia.
Sophomore guard Matthew Murrell is the best player on a struggling Rebel squad, nabbing over 300 points and averaging 13.2 points per game. Meanwhile, center Nysier Brooks ranked 5th in the SEC in rebounding, showing he’s unafraid to go for the ball at the backboard.
Working against Ole Miss is the fact that they’re facing a team that swept them during the regular season in Missouri. I’m not saying a win is impossible, but it may not be likely. I could be wrong, though, and it could be shown that the third time around is the charm for an Ole Miss victory.
14) Georgia
The last seed in the conference, there’s really not much to say about the Georgia Bulldogs (6-25, 1-17). The lone bright spot in conference play for the Dawgs was a surprising home victory over Alabama on Jan. 25.
Ignoring the 25 overall losses they had for the season (a school record, by the way), senior and Atlanta native Braelen Bridges leads the SEC in field goal percentage (64.2 percent). Kario Oquendo led Georgia in scoring and was in the top 10 in the conference in points scored. That said, Georgia needs a LOT of things to go their way in order to advance past the first round.
My picks:
First Round
(12) Missouri over (13) Ole Miss
(11) Vanderbilt over (14) Georgia
Second Round
(9) Florida over (8) Texas A&M
(5) LSU over (12) Missouri
(7) South Carolina over (10) Mississippi State
(6) Alabama over (11) Vanderbilt
Quarterfinal
(1) Auburn over (9) Florida
(4) Arkansas over (5) LSU
(2) Tennessee over (7) South Carolina
(3) Kentucky over (6) Alabama
Semifinal
(1) Auburn over (4) Arkansas
(3) Kentucky over (2) Tennessee
SEC Championship
(1) Auburn over (3) Kentucky