What’s at stake on the final day of SEC basketball regular season?
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Well, folks, this is it. Saturday is the final day of the SEC men’s basketball regular season. Yes, Kentucky has already locked up the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament, but there’s still plenty to play for around the conference.
From teams needing to add some last-minute boosts to their NCAA Tournament resumes to teams fighting for SEC tourney seeding, there will be some hard-fought games on Saturday.
So, let’s take a look at what each of the 14 SEC teams still has to play for entering Saturday’s finale:
Vanderbilt (10-20 overall, 2-15 in SEC)
The Commodores are fresh off a big road win at Alabama, dealing what could end up being a death blow to the Crimson Tide’s NCAA Tournament hopes. Now, the Commodores end the year at home against South Carolina, looking to play spoiler once again.
Georgia (15-15 overall, 5-12 in SEC)
Similarly to Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs don’t have much to play for. They’re going to have to play in one of the Day 1 games in the SEC Tournament, so this game is, for the most part, meaningless. Still, when they travel to LSU, it’ll be a chance to keep their record above .500 for the season, which keeps their slim NIT hopes alive.
Mizzou (14-16 overall, 6-11 in SEC)
Ole Miss (15-15 overall, 6-11 in SEC)
Both the Tigers and Rebels can still avoid a Day 1 game in the SEC Tournament. Mizzou hosts Alabama and Ole Miss travels to Starkville to take on rival Mississippi State. If Arkansas beats Texas A&M, it won’t matter, but if the Hogs lose, the Rebels and Tigers would still be alive for the No. 10 seed in the SEC tourney, which means they wouldn’t have to play until Thursday in Nashville.
Arkansas (19-11 overall, 7-10 in SEC)
The Razorbacks head to College Station to take on Texas A&M. The Aggies just took down Auburn during the week, so they’re not to be taken lightly. Arkansas desperately needs this win to work its way into the NCAA Tournament field and off the bubble. Even with a win, the Hogs will still need a victory in the SEC Tournament to solidify their resume, but Saturday’s game should be treated as a play-in game.
Alabama (16-14 overall, 8-9 in SEC)
The Crimson Tide blew their last chance to make the NCAA Tournament this week in a home loss to Vanderbilt. Now, though, even their NIT resume isn’t sparkling. If the Tide can’t beat Mizzou on Saturday, they’d fall to 16-15. A loss in the first round of the SEC Tournament would drop them to 16-16 and in danger of missing out on the NIT. So, yeah, this is a big game for Nate Oats in his first year at the helm of the program.
Texas A&M (15-14 overall, 9-8 in SEC)
A&M isn’t going to make the NCAA Tournament, but the Aggies can still end Buzz Williams’ first year as head coach on a positive note. They host Arkansas, a team that is desperate for a win to make the NCAA field. A win from the Aggies would almost certainly keep the Hogs out of March Madness. Playing spoiler can be fun.
Tennessee (17-13 overall, 9-8 in SEC)
South Carolina (18-12 overall, 10-7 in SEC)
The Vols and Gamecocks are both still on the outside looking in when it comes to the NCAA Tournament picture. It’s probably too late for both teams, but wins on Saturday (Tennessee is at home against Auburn and South Carolina is at Vanderbilt) would keep their hopes alive. Both teams would still need a couple of wins in the SEC Tournament, but it all starts Saturday.
Mississippi State (19-11 overall, 10-7 in SEC)
The Bulldogs need to pay back rival Ole Miss for a loss earlier this season. Plus, getting to 20 regular-season wins will greatly help their NCAA Tournament resume. More than any other SEC team, the Bulldogs need a couple of additional victories to secure their spot in March Madness. However, Breein Tyree and the Rebels would love nothing more than to play spoiler.
Florida (19-11 overall, 11-6 in SEC)
The Gators close the year at home against Kentucky. That won’t be an easy game, but these are the types of games Mike White’s team was expected to win coming into the season. The 2019-20 season hasn’t lived up to expectations for many Florida fans, but making a statement in the final game of the regular season (and earning a double-bye in the SEC Tournament in the process) would be huge.
LSU (20-10 overall, 11-6 in SEC)
As a team that has gone 3-6 over its last 9 games, the Tigers simply need some momentum heading into the SEC Tournament. They’re likely secure in the NCAA Tournament picture, but after winning the regular-season title last season, they were bounced in their first game of the SEC Tournament by Florida. To avoid a similar fate this year, the Tigers will want to head to Nashville with some momentum. That would be greatly helped by beating Georgia.
Auburn (24-6 overall, 11-6 in SEC)
Much like LSU, Auburn desperately needs to right the ship heading to Nashville. Auburn has lost its last 2 games, falling to Texas A&M and Kentucky. In those games, they’ve gone a combined 17-for-55 from long range. That’s just shy of 31% from deep. If they’re going to make another run to an SEC Tournament title, they’ll need to start heating up against Tennessee on Saturday.
Kentucky (24-6 overall, 14-3 in SEC)
The Wildcats have the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament locked down, but they could definitely use another win. By beating the Gators on Saturday, they’d take another step toward a potential No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Beat the Gators and win the SEC Tournament (no easy task, mind you) and the Wildcats will likely get up to that No. 2 line in the NCAA tourney. Also, Immanuel Quickley could use one more big game to cement his SEC Player of the Year status.
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.
