The 2016 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament tips off March 9th with 13-seed Auburn taking on 12-seed Tennessee. This basically serves as a play in game, as 11-seed Mississippi State gets a bye week since Missouri is banned from post season play. Auburn has been disappointing since beating Kentucky, but Tennessee is reeling from Kevin Punter’s stress fracture in his foot.
*Flips coin in the air*
Tails. Auburn wins the opening game, and now we can look on to the next round of the SEC Tournament.
No. 9 Arkansas vs No. 8 Florida
Coach Mike White’s Florida team had a great first 2/3 of the season, but the train has started to come off the tracks as of late. They’ve lost 5 of their last 7 and now more than likely find themselves needing an impressive SEC Tournament run to get into the NCAA tournament.
Arkansas has been the exact opposite. They had a disappointing first 2/3 of the season but enter
the tournament winning 4 of their last 5. Arkansas has a top 50 ranked offense, but their defense is currently ranked 256th in points allowed per game. Arkansas has to win the SEC Tournament to get into the Big Dance.
Prediction: Arkansas wins because Florida cannot take advantage of Arkansas’s porous defense.
No. 12 Tennessee/No. 13 Auburn vs No. 5 Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt had great expectations coming into the season and after a rough start, they finished strong. they won 4 of their last 5 games, including wins at Florida and a double digit victory at home against Kentucky. Joe Lunardi currently has them set as a 9th season in the NCAA Tournament, but a loss here would surely hurt their chances.
Tennessee lost star player Kevin Punter, and they’ve been unable to develop any time of effective offense. He has a stress fracture, and even if he plays, chances are that he is no where near 100 percent. After beating Kentucky, Auburn has gone 3-11. They have one of the ugliest offenses I’ve ever seen.
Prediction: Vanderbilt comes to play, and Auburn doesn’t reach 60 points as Vanderbilt advances.
No. 10 Alabama vs No. 7 Ole Miss
Coach Andy Kennedy has the SEC’s leading scorer in senior guard Stefan Moody averaging 23.1 points per game. That’s always a luxury. Ole Miss is probably on the outside looking in right now as far as the NCAA tournament, so they will be looking to make a deep run.
Coach Avery Johnson has done an amazing job with this Alabama team. Nobody plays harder than this Alabama team, and their defense is proof of that. They just really have a hard time scoring the ball. Their hopes rest on the scoring shoulders of Retin Obasohan. Despite some impressive wins this season, Alabama will find themselves in the NIT with anything less than an SEC Tournament championship win.
Prediction: Ole Miss and Alabama both play an inspired defensive game as Moody and Obasohan struggle. Ole Miss’s supporting cast just narrowly edges out the Alabama supporting cast.
No. 11 Mississippi State vs No 6. Georgia
Georgia is 3-3 in their last 6, and that basically sums up their season. More was expected from Georgia, but like many of their SEC counterparts, they have had a really hard time producing a consistent offense. Georgia probably needs to win the automatic bid to get into the SEC tournament, so there will be a lot of pressure coming into this game.
Coach Ben Howland has his team trending upwards. Much was expected of highly touted freshman Malik Newman and company, but it is Gavin Ware who has led the way for Mississippi State. They are 4-2 in their last 6 after a very slow start, and a deep run could mean a decent seed in the NIT.
Prediction: Upset of the opening day as Mississippi State wins by 7 points.
All scores and scheduling information taken from espn.com