As the SEC Tournament moves on to the second round of action in St. Louis and more teams begin their runs toward Sunday’s championship game, the plot thickens.
Some programs are looking to get off to strong starts in trying to play their way into the tournament, while others look to strengthen their resumes against tough conference opponents.
South Carolina and Georgia are looking to regroup and keep their Cinderella hopes alive against top-half teams, while teams like Alabama and Mississippi State attempt to win huge games in their quest for a potential at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Let’s take a look at the storylines to keep an eye on as Thursday’s action gets underway from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
Can Alabama play its way back into the tournament?
In the first game of the day, one of the SEC’s bubble teams in Alabama will take on Texas A&M for the second straight time.
The Aggies won the regular season finale between the two teams and are looking to continue that success through this game in order to earn a meeting with Auburn, who the Aggies already beat once this season at Auburn Arena.
But the Crimson Tide, in the words of Collin Sexton, are as focused as they’ve been all season in practice, which is key to end their six-game winning streak and to get back into the tournament picture.
Alabama should have Herbert Jones back for this game (he missed the previous matchup with a concussion), and he will be a big piece to the puzzle that Avery Johnson’s team has been unable to solve for the last six games.
It will be interesting to see if Alabama can turn the proverbial tide and win a game or two in the tournament to solidify its spot in the field of 68 come Selection Sunday.
How will Missouri look with Michael Porter Jr.?
Porter is widely regarded as a top-five pick in the eyes of most NBA scouts and draft evaluators, so his return is certainly a significant boost for the Tigers.
The rumors began swirling of his return a few weeks ago when he began to participate in shoot-around, and his official return will take place on Thursday against a Georgia team that put on a dominating performance against Vanderbilt.
Porter is a special talent, but Missouri has been quite good without him this season in pretty much locking up an NCAA Tournament bid. His return does present a little concern when it comes to chemistry and offensive flow, as well as defensive assignments and rotations.
There’s no doubt that he can make the Tigers a threat against anyone in the country, but it all comes down to if he can gel with his teammates in a way that’s productive. Considering how talented the freshman is, it’s safe to say that Mizzou will find a way to make it work.
Keep an eye on Porter’s interactions with his teammates on both ends of the court, as Missouri’s future success this season hinges on it
Can Mississippi State put it all together and be the tournament’s sleeper team?
Like many teams in the SEC this season, Mississippi State has been hard to figure out at times.
Saturday’s loss to LSU was a bit of a head-scratcher, and unfortunately for Bulldog fans, that defeat combined with a blowout home loss to Tennessee has left Mississippi State outside the tournament picture.
The Bulldogs have an opportunity to make up for that LSU loss by getting revenge on the Tigers on Thursday, and perhaps with a few more wins, play could their way back into the conversation.
The road to Sunday won’t be easy for the Bulldogs, but with the talented backcourt of Lamar Peters, Quinndary Weatherspoon, and Nick Weatherspoon, Ben Howland’s squad should be able to compete in almost any game they play in down the stretch.
If the Bulldogs can return the favor from Saturday to LSU, and then grab a win over a co-regular season champion Tennessee, the SEC bubble picture could get a bit more interesting.
How will Arkansas handle the loss of Dustin Thomas?
Earlier this week, Arkansas lost a key frontcourt contributor in Dustin Thomas, who was kicked off off the Razorbacks’ roster for a violation of team rules.
While not exactly stuffing the stat sheet in only averaging 5.0 points and 4.1 rebounds, Thomas still played a big role in helping out talented freshman Daniel Gafford and senior Trey Thompson in the frontcourt.
Thomas’ size gave Mike Anderson another option to go to, and with that option no longer being available, the Razorbacks will need to stay out of foul trouble in the post.
However, that may not be easy given the next opponent. Arkansas will take on a South Carolina team that is led by Chris Silva and Maik Kotsar, who form a dynamic frontcourt duo that will attempt to attack the Razorbacks inside.
If Arkansas can’t figure out its adjustments quickly, this game against the Gamecocks could be closer than most fans in Fayetteville would like.