Kentucky still the favorite in SEC Tournament

Despite its loss in the regular-season finale to LSU, Arkansas had secured its spot in the Southeastern Conference Tournament and wound up two games ahead of the group of four: LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M and Mississippi.

Yes, it was a fun SEC season with the Razorbacks pushing through in coach Mike Anderson’s fourth year. They’ll be in the NCAA Tournament, along with three or four of the teams that finished tied below Arkansas.

One of the hottest teams entering the postseason is Vanderbilt, winners of five straight and eight of 10 after getting off to a lousy start.

Alabama opened SEC play 2-0 but couldn’t put together a winning streak the rest of the way, and Florida will enter the SEC Tournament with a 15-16 record a year after reaching the Final Four.

Thirteen teams in the SEC provided their share of dramatics. The 14th mostly watched in amusement.

Kentucky takes a 31-0 record to Nashville, Tenn., for the SEC Tournament, and is the overwhelming favorite to win three there and six more in the NCAA Tournament to complete college basketball’s most perfect season.

The Wildcats had some frights along the way, needing an overtime to subdue Mississippi and a double overtime to put away Texas A&M in the first week of SEC play. More recently, Kentucky trailed at Georgia by nine with nine minutes remaining.

But Kentucky won them all. The roster is loaded with talent, height and even hunger after the Wildcats lost to Connecticut in last year’s title game.

Coach John Calipari has said that it wouldn’t matter if Kentucky lost a game along the way. This will be the last week for that to occur without consequence.

If it does, at any time from now until the first week in April, it would seem a monumental upset.

Top story lines

▪ Missouri, the No. 14 seed, looks to win its first SEC Tournament game and its first conference tournament game since capturing the Big 12 in 2012. The Tigers meet No. 11 South Carolina on Wednesday.

▪ Seventh-seeded Vanderbilt meets No. 10 Tennessee in a game between contrasting finishes. The Vols have dropped six of eight, Vandy has won eight of ten. But in those runs, Tennessee defeated the Commodores in Nashville.

▪ Besides Kentucky, Arkansas (5-7 seed range) is an NCAA Tournament lock. On the right side of the bubble are LSU (9-11) and Georgia (9-11). Hanging by its fingernails is Mississippi (10-12), and Texas A&M could be on the outside looking in.

▪ Assuming Kentucky defeats Florida or Alabama in its first game, the Wildcats will take on fourth-seeded LSU or fifth-seeded Texas A&M. Both team pushed the Wildcats into the final seconds, with the Aggies taking them to double overtime.

▪ Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament path is clear. If the Wildcats keep winning they’ll open in Louisville. Two victories there will get them to Cleveland. Cut nets there and Kentucky makes the short trip to Indianapolis for the Final Four.

Schedule

At Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

First round: Wednesday, March 11

▪ No. 12 seed Mississippi State vs. No. 13 seed Auburn, 6 p.m. (SEC Network)

▪ No. 11 seed South Carolina vs. No. 14 seed Missouri, about 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

Second round: Thursday, March 12

▪ No. 8 seed Florida vs. No. 9 seed Alabama, noon (SEC Network)

▪ No. 5 seed Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State-Auburn winner, about 2:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

▪ No. 7 seed Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 seed Tennessee, 6 p.m. (SEC Network)

▪ No. 6 seed Mississippi vs. South Carolina-Missouri winner, about 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

Quarterfinals: Friday, March 13

▪ No. 1 seed Kentucky vs. Florida-Alabama winner, noon (SEC Network)

▪ No. 4 seed LSU vs. Texas A&M-Mississippi State/Auburn winner, about 2:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

▪ No. 2 seed Arkansas vs. Vanderbilt-Tennessee winner, 6 p.m. (SEC Network)

▪ No. 3 seed Georgia vs. Mississippi-South Carolina/Missouri winner, about 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

Semifinals: Saturday, March 14

▪ First two quarterfinal winners, noon (ESPN)

▪ Second two quarterfinal winners, about 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Championship: Sunday, March 15

▪ Semifinal winners, noon (ESPN)

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Kentucky still the favorite in SEC Tournament."