Which SEC team has the best road to the finish line?

All three are 20-5 overall.

All three are 10-2 in the Southeastern Conference.

All three have six league games remaining.

The preseason pick to positively pulverize a conference full of supposed weaklings, Kentucky finds itself locked in a three-way tie for first place with Florida and South Carolina as we hit the final third of the SEC men’s basketball season.

The Gators and Gamecocks have matched the Cats stride-for-stride and then some. Florida spanked John Calipari’s club by 22 points in Gainesville a shocking Saturday ago. True, Kentucky handled South Carolina by 16 at Rupp Arena on Jan. 23, but the visitors were without a key piece in P.J. Dozier, who missed the game because of back spasms.

With all that in mind and the stretch run at hand, let’s take a look at the road ahead for each of the three teams atop the standings.

Florida: After back-to-back losses to South Carolina (on the road) and Vanderbilt (at home), Mike White’s team has won six straight games, including five in the SEC and the convincing bashing of the Big Blue in Gainesville.

The Gators have four road games remaining and just two at home. They are at Auburn on Tuesday night before traveling to Mississippi State on Saturday. The following week is huge. After a Feb. 21 home game with South Carolina, the Gators visit Rupp Arena for the UK rematch on Saturday, Feb. 25.

Florida finishes its regular season with a home game against Arkansas (March 1) and road date at Vanderbilt (March 4). That’s the same Vanderbilt that is the last team to beat the Gators, pulling a 68-66 upset at the O’Connell Center on Jan. 21.

South Carolina: Like Kentucky, South Carolina has a balanced geographic schedule down the stretch. The Gamecocks play host to Arkansas (Feb. 15), Tennessee (Feb. 25) and Mississippi State (Feb. 28) while traveling to Vanderbilt (Feb. 18), Florida (Feb. 21) and Ole Miss (March 4).

The Florida game could decide the Gamecocks’ fate. A win in Gainesville would give Frank Martin’s club a sweep of the Gators and a spot in the conference driver’s seat.

True, South Carolina did slip up last Tuesday at home, losing that four-overtime marathon to Alabama, but Sindarius Thornwell — 28 points in Saturday’s win at Mississippi State — seems determined to carry the Gamecocks to the title.

Kentucky: The Cats have a balanced schedule the rest of the way. Tennessee (Feb. 14), Florida (Feb. 25) and Vanderbilt (Feb. 28) all visit Rupp Arena. UK must visit Georgia (Feb. 18), Missouri (Feb. 21) and Texas A&M (March 4).

The Florida game is huge, of course. Rupp should be rocking given the way the Gators handled the Cats in the Sunshine State. And after home losses to UCLA and Kansas, John Calipari’s club needs an impressive home win against a marquee team.

Yet the trickiest of the final six could be that Feb. 18 date with Georgia in Athens. The Bulldogs are the official hard-luck team of the SEC, losing five games by a total of 22 points. Two of those losses were in overtime, including the 90-81 decision at UK on Jan. 31.

Maybe the Dawgs finally climbed off the schneid Saturday, rallying from 14 points down to win 76-75 at Tennessee. Senior guard J.J. Frazier, who has struggled at times this season, scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half.

And maybe Kentucky got back on track with Saturday’s grinder of a 67-58 win at Alabama and can make good on all those preseason predictions. Six games left to find out.

This story was originally published February 12, 2017 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Which SEC team has the best road to the finish line?."