SEC Tournament Preview: Can Alabama challenge Kentucky?

The SEC is having a great college basketball year, as it features a lot of good teams that can make some noise in the NCAA Tournament. Usually, the SEC dominates college football and plays second fiddle to other conferences in basketball. That is not the case this year, as the SEC as a whole can match up to any other conference. Teams like Kentucky, Auburn and Tennessee have the talent to make a title run and will expect to be in the Final Four.

The Kentucky Wildcats are obvious favorites to clinch the SEC crown. They are 25-6 this season, and it is another vintage Kentucky team that will make a deep tournament run. At +200 with Bovada to win the tournament, they offer great value. They have one of the best bigs in college basketball in Oscar Tshiebwe and a future NBA guard in TyTy Washington. With those guys and a stable of five-star recruits, Kentucky is the team to beat in the SEC and should make a deep run in the conference tournament.

The next two favorites are Auburn and Tennessee. They have both played good basketball and at times have looked unbeatable. However, away from home they have been very beatable, and it remains to be seen how they will fare on neutral courts during the conference tournament. Auburn is +290 and Tennessee is +400 to win the SEC tournament, and at those odds it makes sense to just stick with Kentucky, as they are more proven.

Next up are the Arkansas Razorbacks. They have undergone a renaissance with coach Erik Musselman at the helm and are playing great basketball as of late. They have potentially the best point guard in college basketball in J.D. Notae, and people always say guard play wins championships. Arkansas has a great defense, and while the team struggles offensively at times, Notae’s playmaking can lift his side out of dry spells. At +500, Arkansas is an interesting bet, but the odds are not long enough to warrant picking them over Kentucky.

If you are looking for a long shot, then look no further than the Alabama Crimson Tide. The football powerhouse quietly has built a solid basketball team under coach Nate Oats. They don’t play great defense, but outside of Kentucky, the Crimson Tide have the best offense in the country. Their odds to win the SEC tournament are currently +1400, and if they get hot on offense, there’s not a lot opposing teams can do. It’s not a lock by any means, but Alabama can light up the scoreboard and use hot shooting to carry them to a surprise SEC tournament win.

Overall, there are a lot of good teams and it’s hard to nail down who will win this tournament. Many of these teams will be playing in March Madness, so it will be nice to get acquainted with them during this tournament. At the current odds, Kentucky at +200 and Alabama at +1400 are the best bets, and if the Crimson Tide make a run, there will be opportunities to hedge and guarantee profits. It should be a thrilling tournament, so sit back and enjoy the basketball on display in this loaded conference.

More NCAA basketball

• ACC Tournament Preview: Can anybody stop Duke?
• Pac-12 Tournament Preview: Arizona & UCLA the teams to beat