The Favorite: LSU Tigers
There was plenty of talk about Tennessee, Florida, and Kentucky prior to the season, but LSU stole the show, finishing with three more wins in conference play than any other team. The Tigers were riding a 10 game winning streak before losing to Vandy and Auburn to close out the season. It appeared that the Tigers got a little complacent down the stretch with the conference title already wrapped up but those two losses should serve as a wake up call prior to the start of the tournament. The Tigers will face either Kentucky or Ole Miss in the second round and both teams played the Tigers tough during the regular season. I’m sure the Tigers would much rather face Ole Miss because of the ability Jodie Meeks has to completely take over a game for the Wildcats. The Tigers are led by 6′4” guard Marcus Thornton and his 20.9 points per game.
Another Team That Can Win: Tennessee Volunteers
I should have labeled this category other teams that can win, but of the remaining teams Tennessee appears to have the best shot. It’s been a disappointing season for a Tennessee team which shined in the SEC in 2008 and this is its chance to make things right. The Vols won 3 of their last 4 to get a share of the East Division title and that was key as now they have a first round bye to aid them in their quest for the championship. Tyler Smith leads the Vols with 17.1 points per game and he has really picked up his play down the stretch after starting slow. As he goes the Vols go. Several other teams like Florida and Kentucky have major motivation to make a run at this title as they likely need to win to get it in, but it is going to be tough to win 4 games in 4 days. But they can look to Georgia, who pulled off the feat a year ago, for inspiration.
2008 SEC Tournament Recap:
Perhaps the best conference tournament story of them all was Georgia last season. The Dawgs finished the regular season tied for the worst record in the conference but were able to pull off the Cinderella sweep to punch their tickets to the Big Dance. They won each of their first 2 games in overtime, defeated Mississippi State by 4 in the semifinals, and pulled off a 9 point win over Arkansas in the championship game.
Bet on basketball this March with the help of Jimmy Boyd’s expect college basketball picks for the most winners against the college basketball spreads.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- 2009 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Predictions
- 2009 Big East Conference Tournament Predictions
- 2009 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Predictions
- 2009 Patriot League Tournament Predictions
- 2009 Big South Conference Tournament Predictions
Written by Jimmy Boyd
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