It is that time of the year when the NFL is over, the NBA has come off of its honeymoon stage where the general population stops paying attention to it and the hockey season is far from its most exciting point. With conference play ending soon, college basketball has hit its stride and you should start paying attention! With that being said, let’s take a look at SEC basketball.
So far, SEC basketball has been led by Tennessee, as the Volunteers have one of the best teams in the country, led by Dalton Knecht and Zakai Zeigler. More than just those two, Rick Barnes is one of the best coaches in college basketball, and the cast of characters around the duo is about as good as any in the country. While Tennessee is a juggernaut, teams like Auburn and Kentucky may have a chance to knock off the top dogs.
3 Best Bets to Win the SEC Basketball Conference
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Best Bet: Tennessee Volunteers (+120) | 21-6 (11-3)
As stated in the introduction, the Tennessee Volunteers are one of the best teams in the country. Led by probable First-Team All-American Dalton Knecht, Tennessee currently sits with a 21-6 record overall and 11-3 in the SEC basketball conference. Knecht scores 20.1 points per game (PPG) on 47.7% from the field and 40.3% from the three-point line. Adding five rebounds and two assists per game, there is no doubt that the offense runs through the Northern Colorado transfer. Currently ranked as the fourth-best team in the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, Knecht carries this Volunteers team.
Outside of Knecht, junior forward Jonas Aidoo scores 12 PPG. Long-time Volunteers and household names Zakai Zeigler and Josiah-Jordan James round out the top scorers on Barnes’ squad. Tennessee also brings back Santiago Vescovi, who in the past season has been a force from the three-point line. Vescovi has dealt with injuries this season, so his impact has not been as strong as before.
According to KenPom, Tennessee ranks sixth in the country, with the 21st-best offense and second-best defense. That defense has allowed the Volunteers to come up with big wins over Wisconsin, Illinois, Ole Miss, Alabama and Kentucky this season. Tennessee is currently tied with Alabama for the SEC basketball lead, and with a game between the two coming up at the end of the week, that could be the regular season conference championship.
Alabama is currently the team leading the odds in the SEC, at +110, but I think it has become obvious that the Volunteers are the best team in the conference. To get the best team in the conference at the second-shortest odds, I think that is a bet that you have to make.
Best Value: Auburn Tigers (+500) | 21-6 (10-4)
As has been the case for recent seasons, Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers are staking their claim as one of the best teams in the country. Currently tied for second in the SEC basketball conference, Auburn is looking to win their second regular season title in three years. While Pearl is not working with Walker Kessler or Jabari Smith this season, he has a duo of prolific scorers, as well as one of the best defenses in the country. Junior forward Johni Broome leads the Tigers in scoring this season, with 16.1 PPG on 55.1% from the field and 36.8% from the field. Adding to the frontcourt, senior Jaylin Williams pours in 13 PPG on 58.1% shooting from the field. Junior Chad Baker-Mazara leads the backcourt, scoring 10.1 PPG on 46.2% shooting from the field.
According to the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, the Tigers are the 11th-best team in the country. KenPom, on the other hand, has Auburn as the fifth-best team in the country. This comes on the back of a 15th-ranked offense and a fifth-ranked defense. The defense has been instrumental in their season success, as Auburn allows opposing teams to shoot just 38.4% from the field, which ranks fourth in the country. In fact, Auburn has held 10 opponents to 60 or fewer points this season.
With four games remaining on their schedule this season, the Tigers take on Tennessee, Mississippi State, Missouri and Georgia. The big game on the schedule there is Tennessee. The Volunteers and the Tigers have yet to play this season, so this will be a great test for both teams. If Auburn can match that 38.4 opponent shooting percentage true against a player like Knecht, there is a good chance that they can win this game. Winning the game would allow Auburn to sniff the top of the conference. The defense and the athleticism on this Tigers’ team are good enough to take down one of the better teams in the country, proven by their wins over Ole Miss, Alabama and South Carolina this season.
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Best Long Shot: Kentucky Wildcats (+4000) | 19-8 (9-5)
I have talked before about how I like Kentucky this season and that I think they have the opportunity to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. If that were to come to fruition, that needs to start now and it has. Last weekend, the Wildcats dismantled the Alabama Crimson Tide, winning 117-95. As a team, the Wildcats score 88.7 PPG, ranking fourth in the country. That means that Kentucky is geared up to score with anyone in the country, as proven by outscoring the number one offense in Alabama. Overall, Kentucky has scored over 90 points 14 times this season. That comes on the back of fifth-year senior Antonio Reeves, who scores 19.9 PPG and sixth-man freshman Rob Dillingham, who adds 15 PPG. In total, the Wildcats employ six players who average over eight points.
Currently ranked 16th in the AP Poll and 15th in the Coaches Poll, the Wildcats probably need to win their remaining four games to win the SEC regular season. With Mississippi State, Arkansas and Vanderbilt in their next three games, it seems likely they can go 3-0. That will lead to a showdown with Tennessee in Knoxville on the last weekend of the regular season. Similar to Auburn, that game has the potential to be the SEC conference college basketball championship, especially if Tennessee falters in any game along the way.
Right now is the time that we are looking for teams that are getting hot. I am not saying that Kentucky’s win over Alabama proves that they are going to win out and take home a championship, but if there is any team that can do it, it is John Calipari’s squad. I mean, we have seen it before, and at +4000, there are certainly worse bets that you can make.
