Bracketology: How many SEC teams will make the NCAA Tournament?

Bracketology update for the SEC which is looking to get more than Auburn, Kentucky and LSU in the NCAA Tournament.

SEC basketball is not on par with SEC football but there could be a team in the conference winning a national championship just as LSU did in football.

The SEC has three locks for the NCAA Tournament with Auburn, Kentucky and LSU having the resume so far to safely enter the field of 68. Annually, the SEC team with the best chance to cut down the nets is almost always Kentucky. That’s not necessarily the case this year with the way the Wildcats have played for most of the season, but largely because of the way Auburn has played for most of the season.

Auburn is coming off a Final Four berth a season ago and could be primed for back-to-back trips with the play of Samir Doughty and his supporting cast. We know Bruce Pearl is one of the best coaches in the country and thrives in these pressure-packed games. Auburn could be looking at a No. 2 or No. 3 seed if they win the SEC and SEC Tournament.

LSU was on the losing end of the overtime loss to Auburn last weekend which also came on the heels of a troubling loss to Vanderbilt. Will Wade’s team has played well at home but like most teams this year has struggled on the road. They’re also 0-2 against ranked teams. Nevertheless, the Tigers are in the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky was the No. 1 team in the country at one point early in the season, but it feels like forever ago but this is a program and a coach used to playing their best games late in the season and peaking in March. I expect history to repeat itself again this spring.

On the outside looking in

Arkansas – The Hogs should be a tournament team despite their losing record in the SEC. They’re playing poorly at the worst possible time with losses in five of their last seven, including a pair of overtime defeats. That leaves them dangerously in peril of the bubble. Arkansas has a chance to get to surpass 20 wins but they might need to get wins over Florida, LSU and split with Tennessee to increase their strength of wins to avoid their bubble bursting.

Florida – The Gators might be the biggest disappointment in the country. At one point, the No. 6 team in the nation, Mike White‘s team was a popular Final Four pick with the addition of grad transfer Kerry Blackshear Jr. but things haven’t gone according to plan for Florida. The team defense has been pitiful but despite how bad things have gone the first few months, there is time for Florida to finish strong and make the Big Dance. Florida might need to go on another run in the SEC Tournament to get there, but it’s something they are capable of doing.

Mississippi State – I’m not really sure what to make of the Bulldogs. One night they look like a Tournament team and the next they look like they’d get run in an NIT game. Mississippi State has a great offense but their lack of results against great teams gives me pause. The Dawgs are only 1-5 against Quad 1 teams so they are right on the bubble. State, like Florida, will need an upset or two in the SEC Tournament to feel secure about their status on Selection Sunday.

SEC Bracketology tally

Five. Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Arkansas and Florida make the NCAA Tournament.

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