It’s been three long seasons since the Kentucky Wildcats last won the SEC tournament with Auburn and Alabama taking the two most recent and the 2020 tourney cancelled because of COVID. Online sportsbooks look to be of the belief that John Calipari’s Wildcats end the drought this time around with KY Jelly the perceived favorite to win this tourney for the 32nd time in program history. Way back in August when futures odds started hitting the board for the national championship, I was screaming from the roof tops to get you a piece of the Wildcats at 15-1 and as high as 20-1. Well, Kentucky now only sits behind Gonzaga and Arizona on the futures odds to win the whole enchilada +700. As loaded a conference this is at the top of the heap, Kentucky still comes off as the best team when healthy in my book. Avoiding the injury bug has however been a bugaboo for the team all season long. Will those lingering injuries allow Auburn, Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU, etc. to take advantage? I guess we’re about to find out! Either way, the following are my favorite, underdog and longshot selections to make some noise in the Sunshine State over the next week.
The SEC Tournament will be held at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, FL beginning Wednesday, March 9, 2022. BookMaker.eu will have NCAA basketball odds available for every game until the nets are cut down.
SEC Tournament Odds at BookMaker.eu
Kentucky +167
Auburn +270
Tennessee +365
Arkansas +575
LSU +1000
Alabama +1500
Florida +5000
Texas A&M +6000
Mississippi State +6500
South Carolina +12500
Vanderbilt +15000
Ole Miss +27500
Missouri +30000
Georgia +40000
Favorite to Bet: Kentucky Wildcats +167
As it stands right now, TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler are in the starting lineup and back to nearly playing to their seasonal averages of minutes played. That my friends and enemies is huge for a Kentucky team that was still able to win games with each out of the lineup, but is still leaps and bounds better when all the pertinent pieces are 100 percent healthy and locked in. Not many teams can deal with what the Wildcats bring to the hardwood every passing game. They’re the full package! Offensively, Kentucky ranks out as the third best in efficiency and backs it up with a defense that concedes just over 65 points per game No. 76and ranks No. 25 in efficiency. On top of that, it ranks out as the best offensive rebounding team in the nation with Oscar Tshiebwe in the midst of a banner season that’s likely to result in him taking home the Wooden Award. The free throw shooting leaves a bit to be desired No. 133, but that’s likely to only rear its ugly head when it comes to covering the spread and not winning games; the Wildcats will be favored in every game played moving forward. It’s 5-0 SU versus Georgia, Vandy, and Alabama while splitting with Tennessee. It lost both regular season meetings against Arkansas and Auburn, but wasn’t completely healthy for either matchup. Kentucky would love nothing more than to see either of those teams in the finals. If they do and remain 100 percent healthy, they’ll cut down the nets!
Underdog to Bet: Arkansas Razorbacks +575
Only four teams notched double-digit win totals in conference this season, and the Hogs were one of them. Things started off terribly slow for Eric Musselman’s squad, but the team found a way to flip the switch once the calendar reached the middle of January. Since then, Arkansas has gone on to win all but two of its 16 games played and went on to cover the closing college basketball odds in 13 of those games. Yes, you read that right – 13! JD Notae is the ringleader of a potent offensive attack that averages better than 77 points per game and takes care of business from the charity stripe No. 70. Things look good at the other end of the court as well with the defense giving up just over 68 points per game No. 150while holding the opposition to just over 40 percent from the field No. 47. In order for Arkansas to go deep in this tournament, it’ll be paramount that Jaylin Williams manages to stay out of foul trouble. When he’s off the floor, Arkansas loses a ton of physicality both defending and cleaning the glass. He’s also good for nearly 11.0 points per game. Tennessee might be the better choice in this spot, but they lack the clutch factor. The Hogs don’t!
Longshot to Bet: LSU Tigers +1000
I got to hand it to Will Wade; the dude knows how to recruit. He also knows how to keep his team in the game at all costs. Since dropping an embarrassing 75-66 decision at Vanderbilt as 2.5-point road chalk back on the 5th of February, the Tigers have gone 5-3 SU and ATS. The three losses to Arkansas, Kentucky and South Carolina came by an average of 2.7 points per game. I caught each of their last two games against Arkansas and Alabama and came away thinking this team is not only playing the type of ball that can see them make noise in Tampa Bay, but also the NCAA tournament as a No. 5 or 6 seed. This Tari Eason kid is a problem. He’s always around the ball and finding ways to score or come up with a huge defensive play. The kids in a heck of a groove right now as well having gone for 20+ points in six of the Tigers last eight games while averaging 7.5 rebounds during that stretch. The kid also blocks shots! Darius Days is no joke either! The team shouldn’t have any problem with the winner of the 13/12 matchup, and the rematch with the Hogs will be an all-out war. This team made it to the SEC tourney finals last season and fell by a point to Alabama. The kids that stuck around will no doubt want a shot at redemption. If they continue playing the type of ball they have recently, they could get it.
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