Here’s how many SEC basketball teams handicappers see making the NCAA Tournament

We are just a little over one month away from Selection Sunday so it seems the appropriate time to examine the current landscape in the SEC.

Most “bracketologists” currently have either 5 or 6 teams from the SEC in the projected NCAA Tournament field of 68. PointsBet Sportsbook out of New Jersey currently splits the difference and is offering a proposition of over or under 5.5 teams. The conference received seven bids last season with four teams reaching the Sweet 16, two in the Elite 8, and of course Auburn’s Final Four run.

As of now, there are essentially three locks to make the NCAA Tournament from the SEC: AP No. 11 Auburn (21-2, 8-2), No. 12 Kentucky (19-5, 9-2) and No. 25 LSU (18-6, 9-2). Mississippi State (15-9, 6-5) and Florida (14-9, 6-4) also look to be on the right side of the bubble at present time. Arkansas (16-8, 4-7) and Alabama (13-10, 5-5) are currently on the precipice while South Carolina (14-9, 6-4) and Tennessee (14-10, 6-4) would be on the outside looking in. The remaining teams in the league either have a lot of work to do or will have to win the SEC Tournament in Nashville on March 15th.

Speaking of that SEC Tournament, Draft Kings has odds to cut down the nets in Nashville. Kentucky is the current slight favorite to do just that at +250. Auburn, who has won four overtime games and seven games decided by five points or less, follows just behind at +275, while LSU (+500), Tennessee (+650) and Florida (+700) are also single-digit prices.

Arkansas, under first-year head coach Eric Musselman, has been the surprise of the conference and is a 10/1 choice. Georgia might have the conference’s most talented player in freshman Anthony Edwards and is given a punchers chance at 20/1. Mississippi State (30/1), Alabama, South Carolina and Texas A&M, all at 50/1 are mid-range choices.

Missouri (11-13, 3-8), Ole Miss (both at 150/1) and Vanderbilt (200/1) are currently at the bottom as long shots. If Arkansas is the most pleasant surprise in the league, then Ole Miss, with four returning starters from an NCAA Tournament team, is without question the biggest disappointment this season in the SEC. The Rebels, however, are among the hottest teams in the league at the moment with three consecutive wins, including Tuesday night’s 83-58 drubbing of Mississippi State to improve to 13-11 overall and 4-7 in SEC play.

With other conferences more top heavy at present, FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the SEC at +850 under the proposition of “Conference of National Champion”. So essentially you can take the entire league (mainly Kentucky, Auburn and LSU) to win the national championship at 17/2. If you are so inclined to take a single SEC team to cut down in the nets in Atlanta the first week of April, then Fan Duel is offering Kentucky at 22/1 (+450 to make the Final Four), Auburn at 30/1 (+450 to make the Final Four), LSU at 55/1, Florida at 60/1, Tennessee at 75/1 and Mississippi State at 85/1.

The Kentucky Wildcats were installed as 7/1 co-favorites immediately after the 2019 NCAA Tournament to win the 2020 title and bettors can now find them at slightly over triple the price to take down their first title since 2012.

This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Here’s how many SEC basketball teams handicappers see making the NCAA Tournament."