The SEC went 6-2 through through first round action in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, which was the most wins for any conference through the first two days.
Now, the competition picks up a notch as teams try to fight for a berth in the Sweet 16 next week.
As always, my predictions are based on team analysis and who I think will win. Score projections are for my own amusement.
Let’s get to the picks.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 251-74
No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 9 Alabama – 12:10 PM EST, CBS
Villanova is the most efficient offensive team in the country, but Alabama has defended well enough this season to make things difficult on the Big East champions.
I said before round one that I didn’t like this draw for the Crimson Tide, but as we saw on Thursday, this is a dangerous team when everyone is contributing.
It’ll take a complete team effort to take down Jay Wright’s balanced squad, so Alabama needs similar production from players like John Petty and Dazon Ingram.
Since my Tide pick history has been a little shaky, I’ll ease concerns for Alabama fans and go with the Wildcats.
Prediction: Villanova 71, Alabama 65
No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Buffalo – 5:15 PM EST, CBS
The Bulls pulled off the most shocking upset of the NCAA Tournament by scoring a 21-point win over Arizona, and then UMBC happened on Friday.
But that shouldn’t take the shine off of what Buffalo did in that game. This was an Arizona team that entered as hot as anyone in the nation, and the Bulls ran them off the floor.
This is a tricky game to predict, because if Buffalo shoots that well again, it may be another double-digit victory for Nate Oats’ team.
However, I think we see Kentucky come out focused on using its length to guard the perimeter, and that may be enough to squeak by.
Prediction: Kentucky 75, Buffalo 72
No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Loyola Chicago – 6:10 PM EST, TNT
Another hard game to predict due to the 3-point shooting ability of the Ramblers.
Loyola is 22nd nationally in 3-point field goal percentage, but the positive for Tennessee is that it ranks 21st in the country in 3-point field goal percentage defense.
The Vols had one of the most dominant performances of the first round, but it came against a Wright State team that was more known for its defense than its offense.
This feels like a game that will go down to the wire, and I’ll give the slight edge to Grant Williams and company.
Prediction: Tennessee 74, Loyola 70
No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 6 Florida – 8:40 PM EST, TNT
This may be the toughest game to figure out due to still feeling somewhat hesitant about trusting Florida.
The Gators’ biggest strength is obviously their shooting, and when their guards get going from outside, this is a difficult team to slow down.
Of course, it may be hard for those guards to get going since Texas Tech features one of the most efficient defenses in the country. The Red Raiders are 15th nationally in giving up only 64.6 points per game, so this should be a grind-it-out type of matchup.
I’ve said all season that Florida has the makeup of a team that can go a long way due to its scoring ability, or get ousted by 20 in the first round due to its defensive lapes.
Given what we saw from Mike White’s team against St. Bonaventure, I’ll take a chance and roll with the assumption that the good Gators will show up once again.
Prediction: Florida 65, Texas Tech 64
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