There will be five SEC teams in the Big Dance this postseason, surpassing last year’s total of three. Does this show growth in the league now? Possibly, but it still has some ways to go. After looking through my bracket and going over season results, I tried to figure out just how well the SEC teams can do in the Big Dance, and after looking it over, it could be a fairly decent showing early. After Thursday and Friday my guess for the SEC record would be 4-1. Below are my expectations of the improving conference.
(4) Florida vs (11) East Tennessee State
This matchup really scares me for the SEC since the Gators lost their big man John Egbunu. If the Gators were at full strength, I could see them making some serious noise in March, but they have been struggling a little bit since losing Egbunu. That being said, I feel somewhat confident Florida will move into game two of the weekend due to their good guard play. KeVaughn Allen is a guy to keep your eye on when watching Florida. My prediction for the Gators is a Sweet 16 appearance.
(7) South Carolina vs (10) Marquette
Sindarius Thornwell is the truth, there is no arguing that. The SEC Player of the Year was phenomenal this season (21 PPG, 7.2 RPG) but South Carolina is honestly not that good. Marquette will beat the Gamecocks in this one and move on to give Duke a tough matchup in round two, where we can all only hope for that upset. Even though South Carolina is not very good, tune in and watch Sindarius Thornwell… you won’t regret it. Also, who doesn’t enjoy seeing coach Frank Martin just boil over on the sideline?
(9) Vanderbilt vs (8) Northwestern
Maybe the toughest matchup for me to predict because you never know what Vandy team will show up to play. If the hot shooting Commodore team shows up, then Northwestern’s first ever tourney experience won’t be a great one. In the end, I feel like Luke Kornet will be too much and Vanderbilt will move on to game two of the weekend where they will get knocked off by Gonzaga. The Commodores seem to be back on the rise, though, and that’s huge for the league.
(8) Arkansas vs (9) Seton Hall
Seton Hall is a tough opponent. That being said, Arkansas wins this one. The Razorbacks are an extremely physical team, and I think Seton Hall will struggle with Moses Kingsley. I am intrigued to see how the matchup between Angel Delgado and Kingsley plays out, that should be a really good matchup to watch if you are by a TV. Arkansas will survive a tough one in round one and move on to lose to North Carolina, but don’t be surprised if the Razorbacks hang around for a while.
(2) Kentucky vs (15) Northern Kentucky
Kentucky will have no issues with Northern Kentucky. De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo, and Malik Monk will be way too much for NKU and the Wildcats will move on to face the winner of Wichita State and Dayton. Kentucky has the opportunity to make a deep run this year, but it won’t be easy. They will more than likely have to go through Wichita State, UCLA, North Carolina, and Kansas for a championship birth. My biased opinion says Kentucky will be a Final Four team again, but my actual belief is they get defeated in the Elite 8. If De’Aaron Fox and Bam Adebayo play the way they did in the SEC Tournament and Monk gets back on track, then I like the Wildcats over anyone. Keep an eye on De’Aaron Fox, I think he is poised to have one hell of a postseason.