BTI's Rants and Ramblings: When Do No. 1 SEC Tournament Seeds Lose?

It is anyone's guess what is going to happen for Kentucky at this week's SEC Tournament.  I think you could make a semi-serious argument for just about any kind of result.  Blown out by Mississippi State, team is done with this season.  Beat Mississippi State, lose to Alabama.  Team just isn't good enough to beat a quality opponent.  Lose in the semifinals to Florida or Tennessee.  Lose in the finals to LSU.  Win the whole thing.  There are just so many possibilities and that is what makes the tournament, even during this miserable season, somewhat interesting. But if the Cats can get by Mississippi State on Thursday, then Alabama awaits.  The Crimson Tide have been the class of the league this year and handed UK their worst home loss under Calipari, plus a close win in Tuscaloosa.  So I wondered just how often does the overall No. 1 seed lose in the SEC Tournament and when does that normally occur.  A breakdown of the stats: Quarters: 1983, 1985, 2000, 2004, 2018, 2019 Semifinals: 1981, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2006, 2008, 2009 Finals: 1980, 1982, 1989, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 Won: 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2017 Quarters: 6 times (15.7%) Semifinals: 9 times (25.0%) Finals: 10 times (27.8%) Champions: 13 times (36.1%) Ok, so as expected, you see that the best team in the league progressively does better and better depending on the round.  They have lost in the quarters a few times, lost in the semifinals a few more times, lost in the finals more, and then won the whole thing the most.  But a couple things of note in relation to a potential UK-Alabama matchup.  First, the overall No. 1 seed has lost in the last two SEC Tournaments.  And it's happened six times overall.  We've also got the old adage that it is very tough to beat a team three times in a season too.  So if you are looking for some kind of optimism, maybe that is it. It should be an interesting week.  Don't know if fun is the right word but the potential is there for it to be VERY fun.  Getting through Alabama will be a requirement and it has been done before.  Can the Cats do it again?