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SEC Tournament Preview

Season in Review
Not long ago, the SEC was a barren basketball wasteland save for Kentucky. Now, the league has six sure fire tournament teams that will be wearing their home jerseys in the opening round, and they might have a chance to get two more in. LSU outperformed even my high expectations and won the SEC, although things don't seem to be going great in Baton Rogue at the moment as Will Wade and Javonte Smart are both suspended in relation to a wiretap involving a payment. Meanwhile, Tennessee has emerged as a basketball powerhouse with Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield, the two most jacked guys in college basketball, becoming stars, and Auburn had another very good season. Meanwhile, Kermit Davis breathed new life into Ole Miss and made them fun to watch, South Carolina had a big time turnaround in conference play, and oh by the way Kentucky is still incredible. The tournament could go to a number of contenders, and I'm excited to see what happens.

Bracket
Image result for sec tournament bracket 2019

Contenders
LSU (26-5, 16-2)
On the court, everything has gone exactly as LSU fans would have hoped coming into the year. Off the court, not so much. It looks as if the Tigers will be without head coach Will Wade and guard Javonte Smart for the remainder of the season thanks to an alleged payment made to Smart to attend LSU. That will obviously affect how this team plays, but outside of that, they seem like a strong contender. They are electric in the open court thanks to some high level athletes and the playmaking ability of Tremont Waters. Luckily they are fifth in the nation in steals per game, so they get to run a lot. This helped them finish tenth overall in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom, and if that wasn't enough, they are also a great rebounding team, leading the SEC in boards. If they can put all of the distractions in the rear view mirror, then LSU will have a real shot at winning the tournament.

Kentucky (26-5, 15-3)
The Wildcats opened the season in embarrassing fashion, getting absolutely steamrolled by Duke, but since then, they have been elite, ranking thirteenth in offensive efficiency and eighth in defensive efficiency in the nation and third and first in the SEC respectively. There isn't anything they do poorly, as they have talent at every position. From defensive menace Ashton Hagans at the point to walking bucket Tyler Herro on the wing to PJ Washington, an absolute monster, in the front court, the Cats are stacked. They can beat you in a variety of ways, be it with their three point shooting, their athleticism, or their defense, and they are a threat not just this tournament, but the one starting next week.

Tennessee (27-4, 15-3)
There are few teams that are as consistent as Tennessee. You know almost exactly what you are going to get out of the Vols, and they provide excellent play every game. They are third in adjusted offensive efficiency, and they point the ball inside. They take less threes than almost any team in the SEC, and it's not that they aren't good at shooting, they make a respectable 35.2% of shots, but they don't need to. When you have Grant Williams, one of the best low post players in the country, why bother taking threes? They are also very physical defensively, and when they get locked in, they can stop just about anyone. Look for them to make a deep run.

Sleeper Team
Mississippi State (22-9, 10-8)
I could've chosen either the 5, 6, or 7 seed for my sleeper since all of them have what it takes to make a run, but I went with the Bulldogs. They have an experienced group and are more consistent than Auburn and Ole Miss, and I think they have what it takes to go far in the SEC Tournament. They are led by the third leading scorer in the SEC Quinndary Weatherspoon, and with a rock solid seven or eight man rotation, they can compete with any team in the conference. They are sixteenth in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency and they have won six of their last eight games coming into the tournament, and I think they could take down one of the teams above of them.

Bubble Watch'
Florida
Threat Level: High Alert
The Gators are in a precarious position at the moment with their bubble resume. They lost their last 3 games of the regular season, and missed multiple chances to pick up a big win, with their best win currently being over LSU in overtime. Bracket Matrix has them ranked as an 11 seed and one of their Last Four In, so they need to get at least one win in the SEC Tournament. They play Arkansas in the first round, and they have another opportunity to play LSU should they win, and that would put them in. However, that is a little bit of putting the cart ahead of the horse, as a loss in the first round could knock them out, so they are playing for their lives right now.

Alabama
Threat Level: High Alert
The Crimson Tide are in an even worse spot than the Gators, sitting in the Next Four Out right now, although they are the first team in that group. With a win over Kentucky, they have an elite win, but beyond that, Mississippi State, Mississippi, and Murray State are their next three best wins, and they have some bad losses like Northeastern, Georgia State, and a sweep by Texas A&M. They have a chance to beat Mississippi again in the first round, but that likely won't be enough, and they'll probably have to beat Kentucky a second time as well, which seems unlikely. Still, crazier things have happened, but they need some big performances and a lot of luck.

Players to Watch
Tremont Waters
Stats: 15.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 5.9 APG, 3.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 43.6/33.3/78.8
Waters is the leader of the dynamic LSU offense, and he makes the entire offense tick. Coming in eighth in points, third is assists, and first in steals in the SEC, Waters can best be described as electric. He shoots it better than the 33.3% he's at on the year, has lightning quick speed that allows him to blow past just about anyone, and he's one of the best playmakers in the nation. He can explode for 36 points like he did against Texas A&M, or rein in his scoring and focus more on passing, with 5 games in double digit assists. There are few players impacting the game in as many ways as he does, and he could have a huge tournament.

PJ Washington
Stats: 14.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 52.1/42.3/67.3
Washington is up there with the best big men in the country, and he went on a torrid 10 game stretch from January 26 to February 23. During that time, he averaged 18.7 points and 7.9 rebounds and looked like an All American. He still finished tenth in points and seventh in rebounds in the SEC, and if he can approach those numbers at any point during the SEC Tournament, he can probably win the SEC Tournament by himself. He's got very arms and is an excellent finisher around the rim, and his jumper is improving. Look for him to be an absolute beast in the tournament.

Grant Williams
Stats: 19.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 56.9/33.3/83.3
Williams is the reigning SEC Player of the Year, and he is one of the best players not only in the conference, but the country. He is the leader in points per games fifth in rebounds, and third in field goal percentage in the SEC, so he's clearly a huge threat. Despite being the center of most, if not all, scouting reports on Tennessee this season, the forward has become even better than he was last season. I didn't think he was the type of player who would take over a game just because of his style of play, but a 43 point and 8 rebound game against Vanderbilt says otherwise, as he willed his team to victory in that one. The fact that there still isn't really an answer for him is scary for other teams, and I can't wait to see what he does in the tournament.

Breein Tyree
Stats: 18.5 PPG, 3 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 47.6/39.8/83.1
The dimunitive guard at Mississippi can fill it up, averaging 18.5 points a game, which is second in the conference. There are few players as fun to watch as Tyree, as he is a jitterbug with the ball and his shifty dribble moves allow him to beat just about anyone off the dribble. He is also a great shooter, and it isn't uncommon to see him pull up for a deep three, sometimes in transition, and splash it home. He's averaging 20.7 points over the last three games for the Rebels, and he could make headlines with his exciting style of play and major point outputs.

My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Tremont Waters, LSU
G: Breein Tyree, Mississippi
F: PJ Washington, Kentucky
F: Grant Willians, Tennessee
F: Daniel Gafford, Arkansas

Second Team
G: Tyler Herro, Kentucky
G: Jordan Bone, Tennessee
G: Quinndary Weatherspoon, Mississippi State
F: Admiral Schofield, Tennessee
F: Naz Reid, LSU

Third Team
G: Jared Harper, Auburn
G: Bryce Brown, Auburn
G: Terance Davis, Mississippi
G/F: Keldon Johnson, Kentucky
F: Chris Silva, South Carolina

Note: I almost put my guy Isaiah Joe on the third team over Keldon Johnson. Almost

My Pick: Kentucky over Auburn
I don't think LSU or Tennessee makes it to the title game, and I actually have the Vols losing their first tournament game to Mississippi State. Meanwhile, I think LSU's off the court dysfunction catches up to them in the semifinals against an Auburn team that can get red hot at a moment's notice, and rides big performances from it's back court to the finals, where they fall to the Wildcats. Kentucky has displayed the highest ceiling of any SEC team, and they gifted with an easier path than previously thought to the SEC Championship game, winning it for the fifth straight year.

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