Chaos in the SEC: Bubble Watch and Who Should Be a Lock After This Week of Play

In the SEC, winning is always earned and never given. As selection Sunday approaches, teams will look to add the finishing touches to their résumés as they prepare for the SEC tournament. For some, the path to March may already be a lock; however, for others there are some powerhouses in the way. All of this and more will unravel within the next few weeks.  

As of right now, there are five teams in the SEC that should be a guaranteed lock. To no surprise, all five are currently ranked in the top 25. Florida leads the way defending their title, ranked seventh in the nation with a 12-2 conference record. They end the season against Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Kentucky. Only Arkansas is ranked out of those opponents but with a tough conference overall; there is no easy game.  

Alabama is another lock sitting at 10-4 in the conference and ranked 17th in the nation. The Crimson Tide end the season against Mississippi State, Tennessee, Georgia, and Auburn. The standout game to watch is this Saturday against 22nd ranked Tennessee as these two are evenly matched when it comes to the hardwood. The last matchup took place in Tuscaloosa with Tennessee taking the win 79-73 back in January. This matchup will display the best talents from both sides as they prepare for March. 

To follow that up, Tennessee should be another lock to get a spot in March with a 10-4 record on the season. Their final games of the season are on the tougher side facing off against two top 25 ranked opponents with Alabama and Vanderbilt. They also face Missouri and South Carolina who should be on the easier side compared to the other SEC powerhouse teams. All these teams are fighting for a better spot in the SEC tournament, which could be the make-or-break case for some of these schools with the conference being so competitive.  

To round out the final two teams who should be a lock, it is 20th ranked Arkansas and 25th ranked Vanderbilt. The Commodores have struggled in conference play this season with a record of 8-6. This is combined for a regular season record of 21-6 where they have taken down some high-quality opponents. As for Arkansas, they look to end the season strong with highly ranked Florida in their way. The matchup between Arkansas and Florida on Saturday should be a fun one to watch.  

As we enter the bubble, the important things to look at are the quality of wins that some of these teams have. For instance, when looking at Kentucky, they have a regular season record of 17-10 along with a conference record of 8-6. This is not the strongest argument; however, they have quality wins including a season sweep against Tennessee and a win over Arkansas. If they can close out strong with a win over either ranked Vanderbilt or Florida, I see a very strong argument for why they should be in the tournament.  

Another team slightly further down on the hot seat is Georgia with a regular season record of 19-8 and a conference record of 7-7. Their strength of schedule has not been the greatest, only playing two ranked opponents so far. The good news is they play 25th ranked Vanderbilt on Wednesday, and 17th ranked Alabama next Tuesday. These are good signs for the Bulldogs as they can make a case for themselves and put up some quality quad one wins before the season is over.  

The final team hoping to make the bubble with just a few games left are the Texas A&M Aggies. They currently have a 19-8 record on the season with a 9-5 conference record. They end the season against 20th ranked Arkansas, followed by Texas, Kentucky, and LSU. The standout games are the next three as Arkansas could be a huge win for the Aggies as they have struggled to get quad one wins this year. Ending the season against other bubble teams such as Texas and Kentucky could give them enough to punch their ticket. 

All of this and more will unfold within the next few weeks as we prepare for conference tournaments. Some teams are a guaranteed lock, while others look to get just one more win to seal the deal. The conference tournaments will also separate good teams from great ones as they prepare to face the toughest competition yet. March Madness is just three weeks away as teams look to make the final push and punch their ticket into history.