Championship week is upon us and no other team in the country has been as dominate in their conference than Kentucky has in the SEC.

Kentucky has won the SEC tournament 31 times since the inaugural tournament in 1933. The second most? Alabama with 6, with their last sec tournament title coming in 1991. Kentucky has not lost an SEC Tournament game since the 2014 final against Florida in the Georgia Dome, and is poised to make another run at the SEC tournament title.

Under Calipari, Kentucky has only failed to miss the title game once and have won 6 times in their 8 appearances. For someone who doesn’t ‘care’ about the SEC tournament he sure loves to win it. Let’s take a step back and look at the big picture of the SEC Tournament and what’s to come.

The Favorites

Kentucky (26-5, 15-3): The Wildcats have 16 out of their last 18 games and are an offensive interference call away from a SEC regular season title. The Cats will most likely welcome back missed graduate transfer Reid Travis in some capacity. The Cats will play the early game on Friday and could matchup against Tennessee to settle the series and secure a 1 seed with a win.

Tennessee (27-4, 15-3): Grant Williams was named AP SEC Player of the Year on Tuesday and both Admiral Schofield and Jordan Bone made AP All-SEC teams. The Vols are one of the most veteran led teams in the country. Coming off loss to Auburn, I fully expect Rick Barnes to have floppy top motivated and ready to play Kentucky is the semifinal.

LSU (26-5, 16-2): Surrounded by controversy, LSU did just win the SEC regular season title for the first since 2009. Even though the NCAA will probably take it away, the Tigers have bought enough talent to win the SEC tournament too.

Sleepers

Auburn (22-9, 11-7): Guards win come tournament time, that’s been shown time and time again. Auburn who was ranked as high as no. 8 in the country, has had a difficult time in SEC play. However, this Tiger team still has the 12^th most efficient offense in the country and a top-40 defense. The Tigers are playing well and coming off a win against Tennessee. With a favorable bracket, this team could catch fire and make a run to the final.

Mississippi State (22-9, 10-8): Mississippi State has one of the best teams they have had in several years. Just like Auburn, the Bulldogs were at one time top-20 in the country but have struggled in SEC play. The Bulldogs have one of the toughest roads to the final, if not the toughest as they will need to beat Tennessee and Kentucky to make the championship game.

Ole Miss (20-11, 10-8): The Rebels are most likely in the NCAA tournament unless they collapse. Ole Miss has lost 3 of their last 4, but they played Tennessee and Kentucky very well. With one of the best backcourts in the SEC in Breein Tyree and Terence Davis, they could provide some big scoring outbursts to make it to the final.

Florida (17-14, 9-9): The Gators came into the season with hopes to compete as one of the top teams in the SEC. That just hasn’t been the case as they are sitting right on the bubble. The Gators have a top 15 defense in the country, but really struggle on offense. However, the Gators play hard and if they bring the urgency of needing a win, they could squeeze out some wins with their defense.

Hell Would Freeze Over

Georgia (11-20, 2-16): Tom Crean admitted that he regretted keeping this team…

Vanderbilt (27-4, 15-3): They went 0-18 in SEC play…

Tournament Implications

Kentucky for a #1 Seed: When the world seen Kentucky get blown out by 34 points by Duke on opening night, not many would have thought Kentucky would be contending for a 1 seed. However, the Wildcats have the opportunity to do just that. Virginia and Gonzaga have all but locked up a 1 seed, leaving two more. North Carolina and Duke are in contention for a one seed and unless both are upset early, whoever goes the farthest in the ACC tournament will get a 1 seed. The Cats should beat the winner of Ole Miss/Alabama and if they are able to beat Tennessee in the semifinal, they should certainly receive a 1 seed.

Florida on the Bubble: Despite having a disappointing season, Florida is on the bubble. The Gators were projected in the tournament before losing three straight to close out the regular season. Florida is in the favorable part of the bracket, and have taken LSU to the wire in their previous two matchups. If the Gators are able to beat Arkansas and upset LSU they can place themselves firmly back into the NCAA tournament.

Alabama on the Bubble: Alabama has lost 7 of their last 11, but the bubble is so terrible this year that their nonconference play still has the Crimson Tide in contention for an at-large bid. Alabama was able to beat Kentucky and take Tennessee to the final possession. To give themselves the best shot at an NCAA bid, Alabama will need to use their talent and athleticism to beat Ole Miss on Thursday and hope for some things to go their way.

Odds

2019 SEC Tournament Odds

• Tennessee Volunteers +190
• Kentucky Wildcats +200
• LSU Tigers +420
• Auburn Tigers +420
• Mississippi State Bulldogs +1500
• Florida Gators +1800
• Ole Miss Rebels +4000
• South Carolina Gamecocks +4400
• Arkansas Razorbacks +5100
• Alabama Crimson Tide +6500
• Missouri Tigers +6500
• Texas A&M Aggies +9500
• Georgia Bulldogs +9700
• Vanderbilt Commodores +9800

This year’s SEC tournament is back in Nashville and it will definitely be special. Bridgestone Arena is usually packed in blue, but it looks like some gawdy orange will find itself in there as well as Tennessee has played this season. Unless a MAJOR upset occurs, I expect the winner of the Kentucky-Tennessee semifinal to go on and win the SEC tournament. Let’s get Reid Travis back in the lineup, have some fun, and bring the SEC tournament Trophy back to John Calipari’s house as we watch the Selection Show.