2015 Southeastern Conference Tournament Preview

(SportsNetwork.com) – The 2015 Southeastern Conference begins on Wednesday, March 11 and runs through Sunday, March 15 at Bridgestone Arena, with the champion earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

It’s hard to imagine any team in the conference unseating No. 1 ranked Kentucky atop its lofty perch. John Calipari’s Wildcats completed an undefeated regular season at 31-0, something no other team from a power conference has accomplished since Indiana during the 1975-76 season. Kentucky now has 46 SEC regular season titles and 27 SEC Tournament crowns, the last of which came in 2011.

This season, it was crippling defensive play that fueled the perfect season for Kentucky. The Wildcats led the nation in field-goal percentage defense (.349) and scoring margin (+21.4), while ranking second in scoring defense (53.5 ppg) and blocked shots (207 – 6.9 per game). The team features a ton of young talent, including guard Aaron Harrison and big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein.

As a result of a flawless 18-0 league ledger (just the second in conference history), Kentucky sits atop the SEC Mountain. UK won the conference with a comfortable five-game cushion, but that shouldn’t detract from the other teams giving chase, as five other squads finished with 20 or more wins during the regular season.

The top four seeds in this event picked up double-byes into Thursday’s quarterfinals. Joining Kentucky are No. 2 seed Arkansas (24-7, 13-5), No. 3 seed Georgia (20-10, 11-7) and No. 4 seed LSU (22-9, 11-7).

Behind a strong offensive attack, Arkansas was able to finish second in the league, despite dropping two of the last three games in the regular season. The Razorbacks were the top scoring team in the SEC (79.0 ppg), led by one of the rising stars in the league in sophomore forward Bobby Portis, who led the league in field-goal percentage (.563), ranked second in scoring (17.8 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (8.7 rpg). Michael Qualls (15-3 ppg) can fill up the basket as well. Arkansas’ only SEC Tournament title came in 2000.

The surprising Georgia Bulldogs picked up the three-seed in this event, earning tiebreakers over LSU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss, who all finished with the same conference record. Georgia closed out the year with wins in three of its last four games, including a crucial road win at Ole Miss to help earn its seeding. Senior forward Marcus Thornton (12.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg) headlines the play for the Bulldogs, who ranked a modest sixth in the league in scoring (68.8 ppg). Georgia has two tournament titles to its credit, including 2008.

LSU picked up the four-seed with a strong finish to the regular season as well. The Tigers managed to win four of the last five games, including a big win over Arkansas in the regular-season finale. The team boasts of a lethal one-two punch in the low post in forwards Jarell Martin (16.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg) and Jordan Mickey (16.0 ppg, SEC-best 9.9 rpg). LSU’s only SEC Tournament title came in 1980.

Teams that start their postseason in the second round include No. 5 seed Texas A&M (20-10, 11-7), No. 6 seed Ole Miss (20-11, 11-7), No. 7 seed Vanderbilt (19-12, 9-9), No. 8 seed Florida (15-16, 8-10), No. 9 seed Alabama (18-13, 8-10) and No. 10 seed Tennessee (15-15, 7-11).

Both Texas A&M and Ole Miss await the winners from Wednesday’s first-round matchups.

The Aggies looked like they might finish second-fiddle in the SEC for a time, but A&M struggled down the stretch with losses in three of its last four games. Guards Danuel House (14.8 ppg) and Jalen Jones (13.6 ppg) are a potent perimeter tandem for the Aggies, although House is a little banged up (foot injury) heading into the postseason. Texas A&M is a mere 1-2 in the SEC Tournament since its arrival in the league.

Ole Miss is another team that squandered opportunities to finish higher in the standings. The Rebels dropped three of their last four games, including setbacks to squads like Georgia and LSU. Junior guard Stefan Moody (fourth in the conference at 16.6 ppg) is the straw that stirs the drink in Oxford this season. The Rebels won the 2013 SEC Tournament, just the second tourney title in school history.

Vanderbilt overcame a sluggish start to league play and is one of the hottest teams to enter the postseason, winning six straight games to close out the regular season. The Commodores boast of two of the conference’s top-20 scorers in center Damian Jones (14.3 ppg) and guard Riley LaChance (12.5 ppg). Vanderbilt also has a recent SEC Tournament title to its credit in 2012, its second in school history.

Vanderbilt will take on Tennessee in the second round. The Volunteers enter the postseason ice cold, with losses in six of their last seven games. Senior guard Josh Richardson (15.6 ppg) is the go-to-guy in the UT lineup, ranking sixth in the league in scoring and first in steals (2.1 spg). Tennessee has a 62-50 record in this event, with four tournament titles. However, the team hasn’t won since 1979.

The defending SEC Tournament champs took it one the chin this season, as Florida, which also ran the table in last year’s SEC, struggled in the month of February, with just two wins against six losses. UF is led into the postseason by forward Dorian Finney-Smith (13.1 ppg) and guard Michael Frazier II (12.8 ppg). Last season marked Florida’s fourth SEC Tournament title.

The Gators will take on Alabama in second-round action. The Crimson Tide lost three of their last five games, but did earn a one-point win over Texas A&M (61-60) to end the regular season. Alabama has been without a key contributor in Ricky Tarrant (13.1 ppg) since late January with a lower leg injury. Senior guard Levi Randolph (15.2 ppg) has had to shoulder more of the offensive responsibilities as a result. Alabama (61-48) is one of just three teams with a winning record in this event and ranks second behind Kentucky with six tournament titles, the last of which was back in 1991.

First-round action will commence on Wednesday, with No. 11 seed South Carolina taking on No. 14 seed Missouri and No. 12 seed Mississippi State battling No. 13 seed Auburn.

The Gamecocks won two of their last three games during the regular season to climb back to .500 overall. South Carolina had some problems offensively this season, ranking 10th in the conference in scoring at 65.4 ppg. The team didn’t place anyone in the top-20 scorers in the SEC, although guard Duane Notice does come in at No. 21 (11.5 ppg). South Carolina has never won this event.

USC will face the last team in the league in Missouri. The Tigers managed just three conference wins all season long, but two of them came in the last four games. Still, Missouri’s struggles came primarily at the offensive end of the floor, as the team finished dead-last in the conference in scoring at a mere 60.7 ppg. Forward Johnathan Williams III (12.0 ppg) is the team’s top offensive threat. Missouri is just 2-2 in the SEC Tournament since joining the league.

Mississippi State enters the postseason with its own problems. The Bulldogs did end the regular season with a win, but it came over last-place Missouri and ended a five-game losing streak. Scoring points has also been a tough task for MSU (61.6 ppg), which is led by guard Craig Sword (11.0 ppg), who ranks 26th in the conference in that regard. Mississippi State won its third tournament title in 2009.

Auburn boasts of the conference’s top scorer in guard KT Harrell, but his 18.1 ppg did very little in terms of leading the Tigers to victory. Auburn managed just four SEC wins this season and enters the postseason with a six-game losing streak in tow. Antoine Mason (15.1 ppg) is a key contributor and his possible return from personal leave (death in the family) could help end the skid. Auburn’s only SEC Tournament championship came in 1985.

The SEC has some talented teams, but the chasm between Kentucky and the rest of the programs is vast. Expect the Wildcats to enter the NCAA Tournament as they have the SEC Tournament, perfect.

Sports Network Predicted Champion: Kentucky

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball