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2023 College Basketball SEC Tournament Picks & Predictions

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The SEC bracket is finalized!

Seeds 11-14 will begin the tournament on Wednesday, March 8. On March 9, we’ll get our second-round games with the two wins who won, along with seeds 5-10.  The top four seeds in the SEC will get two days off to prepare for the tournament’s quarterfinals. That begins on Friday. Eventually, the tournament will conclude on Sunday. That’s when we’ll crown a champion.

According to KenPom, the SEC is the third-best conference in America behind the Big 12 and Big Ten. The Crimson Tide finished the conference with a 16-2 record and were the SEC Regular Season champions. Behind them was Texas A&M, who had just won over Alabama over the weekend at home.

However, betting odds give Tennessee and Kentucky a higher probability of winning the tournament over Texas A&M.

Tennessee would need four straight games to win the tournament, while Kentucky and Texas A&M would only need three straight wins. Tennessee might not be the best option to win the Tournament after all.

Let’s preview the SEC Championship below.

2023 NCAAB SEC Tournament Picks & Predictions

Dates: March 8-12
Venue: Bridgestone Arena — Nashville, Tennessee
Top Seed: Alabama

Previous Winners:

  • 2022 — Tennessee
  • 2021 — Alabama
  • 2020 — N/A
  • 2019 — Auburn
  • 2018 — Kentucky

Favorite to Watch

Alabama (+150 at DraftKings)

Alabama is undoubtedly the favorite in the SEC this season. The offense and defense ranked first on KenPom in conference play.

The Crimson Tide shot a 54.2% effective field goal percentage, hitting 57.1% from inside the arc in SEC games this season. The Crimson Tide is also the quickest tempo team in the Pac-12 and has 34.1% from downtown while shooting nearly 75% from the foul line.

On defense, Alabama has held teams to a 40.2% effective field goal percentage in SEC play. Opponents shot 40.4% from inside the arc and 26.5% from outside.

Alabama lost two games on the road in conference play and escaped other games where they almost lost. Being away from home could hurt Alabama in the long run. That’s something to consider before betting on the favorite to win the tournament.

Top Live Underdog

Texas A&M (+500 at DraftKings)

The Aggies almost have the same resume as Alabama in SEC play. Texas A&M didn’t blow teams out of the water every game like the Crimson Tide did, but they lost three games in conference play all year.

The Aggies also knocked off Alabama at home, earning a 67-61 win. Texas A&M has won eight of their last nine games heading into the Tournament and would have to face Arkansas or Auburn in the quarterfinals. If you’re A&M, you’re likely hoping to get Auburn over Arkansas, but either way, A&M just be able to overpower either team at this point in the season.

Then they’d likely have to face Kentucky next. The Aggies took a loss to Kentucky earlier this season, but Kentucky just lost to Vanderbilt, who could end up beating Kentucky.

Either way, A&M is a balanced team always prepared for whatever’s in front of them. They can win this thing.

Best Longshot Play

Missouri (+2500 at DraftKings)

Missouri will be a 4-seed in the SEC Tournament. That means they won’t have to play on March 8 or 9. They’ll begin their journey in the quarterfinals.

The consensus is that Missouri will meet with Tennessee in the Quarterfinals matchup.

The Tigers defeated Tennessee on February 11, earning an 86-85 win on the road.

The Tigers have not been good defensively this year. But if their offense gets hot throughout the tournament, it will be hard for any team to match them.

Missouri shot 35% from three in conference play this season. That rate was the best in the SEC. Yes, better than Alabama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt.

Meanwhile, Missouri earned 22.7% of turnovers per game on defense in SEC play. That also ranked first in the SEC this season by a wide margin.

The Tigers would likely have to get through a path of Tennessee, Alabama, and either Texas A&M or Kentucky. But Missouri already beat Tennessee. A win on a neutral site is doable. If they get to Alabama, the offense must stay scorching hot, but that’s the thing. Missouri’s offense can shoot lights out from the floor at any moment.

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