The top eight seeds have all advanced to the 2017 SEC Tournament Quarterfinals, which sets the stage for four fascinating matchups on Friday.
Let’s get right to thoughts and picks for each game.
Season Prediction Record: 80-42
No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 8 Georgia – 1 PM ET, SEC Network
In case you had forgotten, this was the result of the two regular season meetings between these two teams:
- January 31 in Lexington – Kentucky 90, Georgia 81 (OT)
- February 18 in Athens – Kentucky 82, Georgia 77
Sure, Kentucky won both games. But like Florida and Vanderbilt, Georgia has played the Wildcats extremely well this season. And unlike the second meeting, the Bulldogs should have Yante Maten for the entire game.
Maten returned to floor on Thursday and scored 12 points in 26 minutes. He will be a huge factor in Georgia’s ability to keep Bam Adebayo in check.
I’d say there’s a good chance that John Calipari leans on zone defense for at least parts of this game due to its effectiveness against the Bulldogs during the regular season.
Kentucky wins, but Maten and JJ Frazier will make things interesting once again.
Prediction: Kentucky 77, Georgia 71
No. 4 South Carolina vs. No. 5 Alabama – 3 PM ET, SEC Network
The four overtime thriller in Columbia on February 7 was the game of the year in the SEC…..if you like defense.
Both teams struggled to find their way offensively in that game, which isn’t a shocker considering that these were the top two scoring defenses in the league in this season.
And since it’s a tournament atmosphere where grind-it-out games are the norm in the later rounds, we should expect nothing different in this one.
After searching for balance entering the SEC Tournament, Avery Johnson finally found it from his Alabama team in a dominant 75-55 win over Mississippi State on Thursday. It was one of the most complete games of the season for the Crimson Tide, and Dazon Ingram was simply outstanding on the offensive end of the floor.
South Carolina will hope to match the Tide’s intensity after stepping onto the court for the first time since losing the regular season finale to Ole Miss. There’s no doubt that the Gamecocks struggled down the stretch, but like all teams that play defense well and force turnovers regularly, you can never count them out.
Going into the tournament, I had every intention of picking South Carolina if this matchup happened.
However, after seeing such a complete performance from Johnson’s squad (which may result in the complete opposite in this game), I think it may have found the confidence that it needs to down the Gamecocks for a second time.
Prediction: Alabama 68, South Carolina 65
No. 2 Florida vs. No. 7 Vanderbilt – 7 PM ET, SEC Network
Speaking of teams that put together a complete performance on Thursday, Vandy would not be denied against Texas A&M.
The Commodores made it three wins in three tries against the Aggies this season, and used an incredible three-point barrage by Joe Toye in the second half to do it. Toye scored a career-high 18 points, with his five three-pointers in the second half being the difference in the game.
The even more impressive thing about Vandy’s win is that Luke Kornet, Jeff Roberson, and Matthew Fisher-Davis didn’t need to score in double-figures. The development of players like Toye, Nolan Cressler, and Riley LaChance has been a huge part of the Commodores’ success over the past several weeks.
But for Bryce Drew’s team to get to the semifinals, it’ll have to beat Florida. Again.
The final game of the regular season between these two featured plenty of drama and suspense. Vandy won the game after coming back from a 54-42 deficit in the second half, and as you know by now, it was its second win of the season over the Gators.
Will Friday feature the third? It will be extremely difficult.
As for my pick for the game, my regular readers know by now that Vandy fans don’t allow me to pick their team after my not-so-impressive streak earlier in the season. And given what’s at stake, they might riot if I pick them here.
This should be an excellent basketball game.
Prediction: Florida 71, Vanderbilt 67
No. 3 Arkansas vs. No. 6 Ole Miss – 9 PM ET, SEC Network
If you like offense, you will like this game.
The Rebels officially ended the Kim Anderson era at Missouri on Thursday with an 86-74 victory, which included a 23-point performance from Deandre Burnett, and another double-double outing for Sebastian Saiz (14 points and 16 rebounds).
I said a few weeks ago that Ole Miss was a sleeper team heading into postseason play. And then what happened? The Rebels got blown out at Arkansas, then struggled through two wins before getting beaten by 15 at Alabama.
But as we all know, tournaments are about matchups. And although Andy Kennedy’s squad didn’t play well in the first meeting, this should be a different story.
Let’s not overlook how impressive Arkansas has been, though. The Razorbacks won six of seven to end the regular season, and Mike Anderson deserves a ton of credit for getting this team back on track after losing back-to-back head-scratchers to Missouri and Vandy.
The key to this game will be Arkansas’s defense on Saiz, as the Hogs should him down in the first meeting (only eight points and five rebounds).
He might not get shut down this time around, but the outcome should stay the same.
Prediction: Arkansas 83, Ole Miss 77