NCAA betting: SEC tournament preview, March 09

The always entertaining Southeastern Conference tournament begins on Wednesday when No. 13 seed Ole Miss and No. 12 Missouri square off followed by a game between No. 14 seed Georgia and No. 11 Vanderbilt.

Tournament favorites Auburn and Kentucky won’t play until Friday’s quarterfinals. There’s no question that the Tigers and Wildcats will be in the NCAA Tournament but, according to some of the March Madness predictions, other SEC teams could use a win or two in the conference tourney to secure spots in the field of 68.

The championship game is on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., the site of the tournament.

Here is a team-by-team look at the SEC tournament field with the March Madness odds included.

Teams to Beat

Kentucky Wildcats

Record: 25-6
SEC record: 14-4
Last SEC tournament title: 2018
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +175
Odds to win national title: +650
NET ranking: 4
What you should know: Kentucky is just 1-2-1 against the spread in its last four games.

Kentucky is getting healthy at the perfect time. Guard Sahvir Wheeler, the SEC’s assists leader, has averaged 14.3 points and 5.3 assists in the three games since he returned to the court. His backcourt mate, Tyty Washington, is still looking to shake off some of the rust. Kentucky is eyeing a No. 1 seed in the March Madness bracket.

Auburn Tigers

Record: 27-4
SEC record: 15-3
Last SEC tournament title: 2019
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +275
Odds to win national title: +1100
NET ranking: 10
What you should know: Auburn has failed to cover against the college basketball spread in four of its last five contests.

Jabari Smith, who could very well be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, has scored more than 20 points in five of his last six games and has 21 3-pointers over that stretch to lead the Tigers to the SEC regular-season title.

Jabari Smith becomes Auburn’s first All-American in 23 years https://t.co/s4V71s40H9 pic.twitter.com/HadeqyAIwr

— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) March 7, 2022

Challengers to Watch

Tennessee Volunteers

Record: 23-7
SEC record: 14-4
Last SEC tournament title: 1979
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +400
Odds to win national title: +5000
NET ranking: 8
What you should know: Four of the last six Tennessee games went under the total.

Freshman Kennedy Chandler has had some ups and downs offensively, but he is back trending in the right direction for the Volunteers. Chandler has scored in double figures in each of his last six games and is averaging 15.8 points over that stretch.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Record: 24-7
SEC record: 13-5
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +600
Odds to win national title: +5000
NET ranking: 20
What you should know: Four of Arkansas’ last six games went over the total.

Wins over Tennessee and Kentucky late in the regular season are proof that the Razorbacks can play with and beat anybody in the conference. Something to consider for those who bet online: each of Arkansas’ last three games have been decided by four points or less.

Louisiana State Tigers

Record: 21-10
SEC record: 9-9
Last SEC tournament title: 2009
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +1000
Odds to win national title: +7000
NET ranking: 16
What you should know: LSU has covered against the Las Vegas odds in three of its last four games.

Xavier Pinson has shot less than 40 percent in six of his last seven games. If he rediscovers his shooting touch, watch out for the Tigers.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 19-12
SEC record: 9-9
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +1400
Odds to win national title: +6000
NET ranking: 27
What you should know: Five of the last six Alabama games finished over the total.

Alabama was ranked as high as No. 6 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll thanks to non-conference wins over Gonzaga and Houston. Recent results, however, have not been quite as impressive for the Crimson Tide.

Will the Glass Slipper Fit?

Texas A&M Aggies

Record: 20-11
SEC record: 9-9
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +5000
NET ranking: 56
What you should know: Texas A&M has covered in each of its last four games.

Texas A&M comes into the tournament on a four-game winning streak, but the Aggies are just 1-4 against ranked opponents. That is a concerning number considering that a matchup with fourth-ranked Auburn awaits in the quarterfinals if Texas A&M wins its opener against Florida.

Florida Gators

Record: 19-12
SEC record: 9-9
Last SEC tournament title: 2014
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +5000
NET ranking: 54
What you should know: Florida has covered in just three of its last 10 games.

Florida’s win over then-No. 2 Auburn sent shockwaves through the SEC. The Gators threw a scare into Kentucky in the regular-season finale. Consistency has been an issue but Florida has enough offensive firepower to make life difficult for the SEC heavyweights.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Record: 17-14
SEC record: 8-10
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +4000
NET ranking: 57
What you should know: Mississippi State is 0-5 against the spread in its last five games.

The Bulldogs took Auburn into overtime and fell by three points to Texas A&M, so the quality of play is there even if results late in the regular season have not been what Mississippi State was seeking.

South Carolina Gamecocks

Record: 18-12
SEC record: 9-9
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +12500
NET ranking: 90
What you should know: Ten of the last 11 South Carolina games went over the total.

The good news is that South Carolina won the last meeting against Mississippi State, the Gamecocks’ first opponent in the SEC tournament. The bad news is a win will set up a matchup with Tennessee. South Carolina lost to the Volunteers by 20 and 24 points this season.

Vanderbilt Commodores

Record: 15-15
SEC record: 7-11
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +12500
NET ranking: 78
What you should know: Vanderbilt is 8-1-1 against the spread in its last 10 games.

Scotty Pippen Jr. has scored at least 20 points in each of his last seven games. Unfortunately, Vanderbilt has won just two of those contests.

Ole Miss Rebels

Record: 13-18
SEC record: 4-14
Last SEC tournament title: 1981
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +25000
NET ranking: 106
What you should know: Seven of the last eight Ole Miss games went over the total.

Leading scorer Jarkel Joiner has returned to the court, but he had just 17 points in the last three games of the regular season.

Georgia Bulldogs

Record: 6-25
SEC record: 1-17
Last SEC tournament title: 2008
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +25000
NET ranking: 214
What you should know: Six of Georgia’s last seven games went over the total.

Georgia has lost 11 games in a row and is 0-12 away from home.

Missouri Tigers

Record: 11-20
SEC record: 5-13
Odds to win SEC Tournament: +50000
NET ranking: 153
What you should know: Missouri is 1-6 in its last seven games but has covered in three of its last five contests.

Five of Missouri’s 13 SEC losses have come by four points or less.

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