Race will be tight for double byes at the SEC Tournament

Believe it or not, we are over halfway through the SEC season. All 14 teams in the league have played 10 conference games with just four weeks remaining in the regular season. The stretch run is here.

In the Bluegrass, we’ve already been paying close attention to bracketology this season as Kentucky is firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble at the moment with just one Quadrant 1 win and a bad Quadrant 4 home loss to South Carolina. But there is another seeding race we should be paying attention to.

Despite a 1-3 start in conference play, Kentucky is very much in the mix for a double-bye when the SEC Tournament returns to Nashville next month. Let’s take a look at the current conference standings.

1. Alabama (10-0)
2. Tennessee (8-2)
3. Texas A&M (8-2)
4. Kentucky (7-3)
5. Auburn (7-3)
6. Florida (6-4)
7. Missouri (5-5)
8. Arkansas (5-5)
9. Vanderbilt (4-6)
10. Georgia (4-6)
11. Mississippi State (3-7)
12. Ole Miss (1-9)
13. South Carolina (1-9)
14. LSU (1-9)

Alabama should win their second outright SEC title under Nate Oats

When Buffalo head coach Nate Oats was hired to replace Avery Johnson at Alabama, the Crimson Tide had not won a regular-season SEC title since 1987. Bama is on the verge of winning its second regular season title in three years this season.

Alabama sits at 10-0 and has more than a puncher’s chance to run the table in conference play. The Tide must go to Auburn on Feb. 11 and Tennessee on Feb. 15 but this team should be a betting favorite in seven games to close the year.

Alabama will have a great shot at securing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament over the next month.

Kentucky vs. Auburn looms large

Texas A&M barely missed the NCAA Tournament last season. However, the Aggies are on quite the run in SEC play this season as Buzz Williams appears well on his way to getting this program back in the NCAA Tournament.

A&M is 8-2 in conference play with home games remaining against Auburn (Feb. 7), Arkansas (Feb. 15), Tennessee (Feb. 21), and Alabama (March 4). If A&M can gobble up some home wins, this team has a great shot to secure the No. 3 seed.

After that, Kentucky and Auburn could be battling for the No. 4 spot as each team currently owns a head-to-head win over Florida.

The Wildcats and Tigers both have brutal schedules remaining as quite a few Quad 1 opportunities are on the table for John Calipari and Bruce Pearl. But Kentucky owns the edge in this race as these teams meet just once and that occurs at Rupp Arena on Feb. 25.

If Kentucky can own the tiebreaker over Auburn, that will go a long way with SEC Tournament seeding. Despite the awful start, the Cats will have a great chance to lockup a double-bye in Nashville and potentially face Alabama in a huge game on Semifinal Saturday.