Thinking about college sports means thinking about superlatives. Fastest, strongest, most athletic, best shooting … but could Saturday be the biggest day in SEC hoops history? Very possibly.

Despite being seen as a one-trick pony, the SEC has gone 6-2 in the NCAA Tournament and is a big upset or two away from being perhaps the story (you know, other than Fairleigh Dickinson) of the Big Dance. Here’s where we stand… and a guess at what might happen.

Kentucky TCBs (Takes Care of Boards)

Leave it to Oscar Tshiebwe to steal the show for Kentucky in a grinder of a 61-53 win over Providence. His 25 rebounds are the most in an NCAA Tournament game since 1970. No, the ‘Cats didn’t exactly look glamorous. And yes, there are still issues. Cason Wallace is clearly less than 100% and UK’s bench gave them 0 points. But as much as anything, Kentucky can now forget the however-many-hundred days since their last NCAA Tournament win. Will that lift be enough to survive what looks at time of writing to be a dangerous Kansas State team? Check back later … and speaking of later …

Saturday SEC: Group 1- the favorites

The league’s 5 teams active Saturday prominently includes No.1 overall Alabama. Brandon Miller is confirmed to be nursing a minor groin injury, coming off a 0-point outing in the Tide’s opening-round win. Should this be cause for concern? Not especially. The difference for Alabama that keeps them from being another guard-heavy team that lives and dies on perimeter shooting is Charles Bediako. He’s capable on offense, but on defense, he’s a rim protector at the highest level. He frees up the Tide guards to gamble, and will keep Alabama in virtually any game. Pencil Bediako down for a big 2nd-round game, as the Tide, favored by 9, will have no real problems.

Prediction: Bama by 17.

Missouri finds itself in the unlikely position of being a 2nd-round favorite after No. 15 seed Princeton knocked off No. 2 seed Arizona on Thursday. Princeton doesn’t rebound like an Ivy League team and will match up pretty well in the frontcourt, although guarding Kobe Brown is always a challenge. It’s the experience and athleticism of D’Moi Hodge that should be the difference for the Tigers. Princeton is tough enough to give Mizzou fits early, but …

Prediction: Mizzou by 11.

Group 2: The favorite that’s not a favorite

So No. 4 seed Tennessee takes on No. 5 seed Duke … and is a 3-point underdog. What? Yes, part of the answer is that the Vols are struggling mightily on offense without Zakai Zeigler to be the steadying hand leading the team. Part is that Duke is a tall, stout team that seems to be evolving into a better version of itself just as UT is regressing. But if UT’s big men can hold their own inside, UT’s guards figure to hit enough shots to keep this one competitive. With Ziegler, UT would be a solid 8-point pick. But without him …

Prediction: Duke by 3, with the Blue Devils shooting twice as many free throws as the Vols.

Group 3: The dangerous underdogs

The Vols aside, the key to the SEC having a successful day Saturday are a pair of dangerous underdogs. Arkansas limped into postseason play as a team that hasn’t really lived up to its promise. They did show impressive defensive engagement in outlasting Illinois in Round 1, and won that game comfortably despite getting almost nothing from Nick Smith.

Maybe that’s why Vegas has the Hogs as just a – point underdog to No. 1 seed Kansas.

Kansas is solid but really has no single exceptional facet to its game. If the Hogs can defend for 40 minutes again and get a reasonably productive game from Smith, Purdue might not be the only No. 1 seed heading home before the Sweet 16. Expecting much of anything from this Arkansas team has been dangerous, but …

Prediction: Arkansas by 2 on a Davonte Davis jumper in the final seconds.

Auburn is the SEC’s other underdog, and their foe, No. 1 seed Houston, looked incredibly vulnerable in struggling past No. 16 Northern Kentucky on Thursday. But the Cougars aren’t exactly a favorable opponent for Auburn, which relies heavily on their guards to key everything on offense. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson is a defensive mastermind, and his Cougars lead the nation in field-goal defense. With Marcus Sasser struggling with injuries, Bruce Pearl and Auburn will keep this rock fight competitive. But at the end of the day …

Prediction: Houston by 4, as the Cougars withstand a furious Auburn rally.

The Big Picture

Is a 3-win day, as predicted, the biggest ever for the SEC? Probably not. That might take a 4-1 or even a 5-0 day. But none of these games are out of reach, and if Tennessee can get a hot shooting day going, it could be an historic day of hoops for the SEC. Kentucky’s Sunday performance will matter, too, but if the league can put 4 teams in the Sweet 16, it positions itself well in a week when the Big Ten and the Pac 12 have looked a little ridiculous.