The Auburn Tigers surprised many by fending off traditional powers like the Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats to claim the regular season SEC crown. Even so, the oddsmakers may not be buying their ability to win the conference tournament.
Auburn enters as the top seed but a possible matchup against Kentucky in the semifinals and Florida in the finals is daunting. The Tigers and the Tennessee Vols are listed as the co-favorites, but neither have better than 4-to-1 odds to capture the tournament in what is being looked as a wide-open competition.
Kentucky and Florida are also solidly in the mix, as the oddsmakers believe any of these teams could reasonably come away with the championship.
SEC Tournament Schedule
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Scottrade Center from Wednesday, March 7, 2018 through Sunday, March 11 on SEC Network and ESPN. We'll have NCAA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game of the SEC Tournament.
First Round - Wednesday, March 7th
No. 12 Georgia vs. No. 13 Vanderbilt, 6 p.m.
No. 11 South Carolina vs. No. 14 Ole Miss, 8:30 p.m.
Second Round - Thursday, March 8th
No. 8 Texas A&M vs. No. 9 Alabama, 12 p.m.
No. 5 Missouri vs.TBD, 2:30 p.m.
No. 7 Mississippi State vs. No. 10 LSU, 6 p.m.
No. 6 Arkansas vs. TBD, 8:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals - Friday, March 9th
No. 1 Auburn vs. TBD, 12 p.m.
No. 4 Kentucky vs. TBD, 2:30 p.m.
No. 2 Tennessee vs. TBD, 6 p.m.
No. 3 Florida vs. TBD, 8:30 p.m.
Semifinals - Saturday, March 10th
TBD at 12 p.m.
TBD at 2:30 p.m.
Championship - Sunday, March 11th
TBD at 12 p.m.
Odds Analysis
Auburn and Tennessee finished with identical 13-5 records in SEC play and are both listed at +400 to win the conference tournament. Florida is right behind them at +450 while Kentucky is listed at +500. That is the quartet most likely to come away with the conference tournament title.
Longer shots include Mississippi State, listed at +800, as well as Texas A&M at +1000. It is pretty difficult to see teams like Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia, Ole Miss or Vanderbilt claiming the tournament championship, and they have long odds to do so.
Bubble Watch
The Alabama Crimson Tide is currently projected to be one of the last teams into the March Madness field by ESPN. Alabama is the slightly lower seed against Texas A&M in the second round and may need to win in order to have a shot at making the field. It is a huge game for the Crimson Tide, as at least one more win on the season would be huge.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
This is not an easy tournament to handicap, as any of the top four teams could easily come away with the tournament or each of them could lose in the semifinals or before. Florida was inconsistent during the conference season but has a good setup for the tournament and a talented team.
Take the Gators to face off against Auburn in the conference championship game and to come away with the win. The Tigers will have a solid showing but fall just short of capturing both the regular season title and the conference tournament crown.
NCAA Odds: Florida 73, Auburn 70 in the SEC Tournament Championship Game
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
