SEC Tournament 2025: Joe Lunardi, ESPN experts name 3 teams as biggest threats to Auburn

SEC Tournament action tips off this week in Nashville, with Round 1 games slated for Wednesday. The SEC could get up to 14 teams into the NCAA Tournament depending on how things shake out this week.

Heading into what should be an incredibly competitive SEC Tournament, Auburn is the No. 1 seed and the No. 2 team in the country behind only Duke. But it’ll be tough for Auburn to cut down the nets in Nashville with so many great teams competing.

ESPN experts Jeff Borzello, Myron Medcalf and Joe Lunardi put together a roundtable discussion of some of the biggest questions during conference tournament week, including who the biggest threat to Bruce Pearl’s squad is.

Borzello went with Todd Golden and the Florida Gators:

Borzello: Florida. I picked the Gators when we had to predict all 31 conference tournaments last week, and I’m sticking with Todd Golden’s team. The Gators are balanced, they’re experienced, they have size and they have depth now that they’re healthy. They also have emerging NBA prospects in Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh, proven shot-makers in Alijah Martin and Will Richard and arguably the best scorer in any game they play in Walter Clayton Jr.

Medcalf is riding with Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide, who just took down Auburn on Saturday evening:

Medcalf: Alabama. In the Crimson Tide’s win over Auburn on Saturday night on the road, they battled the former No. 1 team in the country, despite Mark Sears struggling throughout most of the game until he made the game winner. That’s the kind of win that will give Alabama a confidence boost as it prepares for the SEC tournament. The team’s pace (No. 1 in adjusted tempo on KenPom) is also a difficult style for any opponent to handle in a single-elimination event over consecutive days. Fatigue will be a factor for opponents. Plus, the Tide have played Tennessee and Florida close in recent weeks.

And finally, Lunardi is going with the other top-4 seed in the SEC Tournament — the Tennessee Volunteers:

Lunardi: I’ve been leaning toward a Florida-Duke final in the NCAA tournament. The Gators, to me, are the most balanced team in the country. I think they would win a best-of-seven series against every team in the SEC. However, we all know there is no such thing in college basketball. So I’m going with Tennessee in its home state, with an upset of Auburn in the semifinals. I like the Vols’ defense to power them through the grind of three games in three days. What will that mean for the NCAA tournament? Absolutely nothing …

You’re not going to want to miss a single game of the SEC tourney in Nashville this week. South Carolina and Arkansas start things off at noon ET on Wednesday on the SEC Network.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.