Championship Sunday is here at the 2017 SEC Tournament in Nashville.
Will Kentucky or Arkansas earn the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA tournament?
Let’s get to my thoughts and pick for the game.
Season Prediction Record: 83-43
No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 3 Arkansas – 1 PM ET, ESPN
These were two of the hottest teams in the SEC heading into this week’s tournament, so we shouldn’t be surprised to see this as the title game.
Kentucky took Alabama’s best shot in the semifinals on Saturday, but De’Aaron Fox made huge plays down the stretch in rolling to 28 points. Of course, it helped that Malik Monk added 20 points after only scoring two against Georgia in the quarterfinal round.
And then there’s Arkansas, who beat another red hot SEC team in Vanderbilt. The Razorbacks took advantage of the Commodores’ tired legs and pushed the pace in cruising to a 76-62 victory.
The reason for the Hogs’ win? The same reason that has contributed to their success all season: the stellar playmaking ability from their top four players.
Dusty Hannahs, Moses Kingsley, Daryl Macon, and Jaylen Barford all scored between 12 and 18 points, which shouldn’t shock anyone that’s seen this team play this season. All four players add a scoring dynamic that’s tough to prepare for. That’s why Arkansas has won 25 games.
Another overlooked element of the Razorbacks’ success has been defense.
Their length and athleticism is enough to give any team in the country problems, and as usual, Mike Anderson’s high-pressure gameplan was a factor in Vandy’s struggles.
Another stat to keep an eye on heading into this game: the Razorbacks have outscored teams by 208 points in the second half (compared to only outscoring them by six in the first half). They’ve only been outscored three times in the second half in 33 games this season.
This will be a home game for Kentucky. The arena has been filled with blue since play began on Wednesday, it’ll be the same in this one.
The last time these two teams met at Bridgestone Arena, it was the 2015 SEC Tournament title game (Kentucky won 78-63). The previous title game meeting before that came in 1999, with Kentucky also winning.
As for this season, the Wildcats won the only regular season meeting between these two teams by 26 in Lexington.
However, that was on January 7.
A lot has changed since then. Kentucky is no longer invincible, and Arkansas is no longer playing wildly inconsistent basketball. That should make for a great game with a fast pace.
But picking against the Wildcats in a Rupp Arena-like atmosphere just doesn’t feel like a smart move.
Prediction: Kentucky 84, Arkansas 78