Tennessee was picked to finish 13th in the SEC's preseason basketball poll.
Auburn fell in at ninth.
On Saturday, those two teams grabbed shares of the league's regular-season championship with conference records of 13-5. The final two weeks of the season were must-watch drama. At one point during that stretch, six teams were tied for third place. The average RPI of the league's top 12 teams entering the conference tournament is 44.3.
There will be no easy games in St. Louis, host city of the SEC Tournament. The league's postseason party begins on Wednesday, and the champion will be crowned on Sunday. If you're just now tuning into basketball, you're just in time for what should be the best conference basketball tournament in the history of the SEC.
Here's your ultimate preview for the ultimate tournament.
What they're saying
I asked South Carolina coach Frank Martin (pictured) to give me his quick preview of the SEC Tournament after the Gamecocks' loss at Auburn on Saturday. As usual, Frank was great:
"It's crazy. Who knows what's going to happen. It should be a lot of fun. If fans don't understand that every game that's played in this league is kind of like this, I don't know what else us coaches can do to make this league better," Martin said. "Right now you've got high-level basketball every single night by every single team in the league, and that's going to make for an unbelievable conference tournament.
"I mean, who knows who's going to win," Martin continued. "Heck, going into today Kentucky was probably playing better than anyone, and lost by 18 or whatever on the road. Auburn, the way they play, they're hard to deal with. Tennessee is just...it's a crazy league. Vanderbilt is a pretty good team, but their record...you sit there and you never watch them play and you look at their record and say, 'Oh, they stink.' No they don't. They're real good. They got seniors. They know how to play. Bryce [Drew] has done a great job. I don't know. Next week is going to be insane.
"I got no idea," Martin concluded. "Who would you say is the favorite going into next week?"
I told Frank I had no idea either. We shall endeavor here to figure it out.
But, first, some perspective.
How good is the SEC?
We've already mentioned where Tennessee and Auburn, the league's co-regular season champs, were picked to finish in the preseason. Here are a few more nuggets to put the quality of the league into perspective.
1. Mainstay Kentucky finished the league in fourth place despite having the nation's No. 1-ranked recruiting class loaded six five-star recruits. Kevin Knox (pictured) leads that bunch.
How good is the SEC?
2. Alabama has a point guard who might be a lottery pick in the NBA Draft, yet the Crimson Tide lost five consecutive games to end the season to five teams that likely all will be selected for the NCAA Tournament (Kentucky, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida and Texas A&M). Players like John Petty (pictured) will need to pick themselves off the mat after a difficult end to the regular season for Alabama to advance in the SEC Tournament.
How good is the SEC?
3. The league is deeper than a Jared Harper 3-point attempt. Texas A&M is just as talented as anybody, yet the Aggies finished eighth in the standings and enter the tournament with power forward Robert Williams (pictured) possibly coming off the bench.
Williams, a projected lottery pick at the beginning of the season, leads the SEC in rebounds per game (9.0 rpg). He didn't start in the Aggies' season finale against Alabama. The Aggies play Alabama on Thursday.
How good is the SEC?
4. In the NBA on Sunday, only 33 players were shooting 40 percent or better from 3-point range. Of qualifying players, a stunning 16 SEC shooters head to the conference tournament shooting 40 percent or better from 3-point range this season. That includes Auburn forward Chuma Okeke (pictured), who is eighth in the league in 3-point field-goal percentage (41.8 percent).
How good is the SEC?
5. Predicting a winner is anyone's guess. You could make a case for 12 teams winning it, including South Carolina, which went to the Final Four last year. The Gamecocks and Chris Silva (pictured), who has plenty of postseason experience, finished 11th in the league this season going 7-11. Despite its lowly standing, South Carolina pummeled league-champion Auburn 84-75 on Feb.17.
How good is the SEC?
6. The latest projections have eight teams from the SEC receiving at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. A case could be made, though, for bubble teams Alabama (59 RPI) and Mississippi State (69 RPI), which is led by junior Quinndary Weatherspoon (pictured). Maybe even long-forgottens South Carolina (77 RPI) and LSU (87) have a chance with deep runs in the tournament. The average RPI of the top 12 schools is 44, which is the best measure of the league's unprecedented depth.
The bracket
Auburn (25-6, 13-5), Tennessee (23-7, 13-5), Florida (20-11, 11-7) and Kentucky (21-10, 10-8) are the top-seeded teams, which mean they receive the tournament's coveted double byes. They don't play until Friday in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Here are the schedules for Wednesday:
12 Georgia (16-14, 7-11) vs. 13 Vanderbilt (12-19, 6-12), 7 p.m. SEC Network
11 South Carolina (16-15, 7-11) vs. 14 Ole Miss (12-19, 5-13), SEC Network
Here are the schedules for Thursday:
8 Texas A&M (20-11, 9-9) vs. 9 Alabama (17-14, 8-10), 1 p.m., SEC Network
5 Missouri (20-11, 10-8) vs. Georgia/Vanderbilt, 25 mins after first game, SEC Network
7 Miss. State (21-10, 9-9) vs. 10 LSU (17-13, 8-10), 7 p.m., SEC Network
6 Arkansas (21-10, 10-8) vs. South Carolina/Ole Miss, 25 mins after third game, SEC Network
Matchup machinations
There are no easy roads to Sunday in this tournament, but there are roads with fewer landmines. For example, Alabama is frustrated with the way it finished the regular season, but it can't be upset with its side of the bracket. Texas A&M just defeated Alabama, but it's difficult to beat a team twice in a back-to-back scenario. Get past the Aggies, and Alabama plays Auburn. Alabama is 1-1 against the Tigers this season. To make a run, a young Alabama team will need a solid tournament from sophomore guard Dazon Ingram (pictured).
Matchup Machinations
A Friday matchup between Kentucky and Missouri would likely sell out St. Louis' Scottrade Center. Mizzou is only an hour west of St. Louis, and Kentucky will travel well. Kentucky lost four straight earlier in the season, but found its form in time to save the season. Hype surrounding Mizzou basketball is returning to the levels of the program's glory days. If future pro and McDonald's All-American Michael Porter Jr. (pictured) returns from injury for the Tigers, St. Louis will be buzzing.
Matchup Machinations
A potential matchup between sixth-seed Arkansas and third-seed Florida would be between two of the hottest teams entering the tournament. Arkansas has won six of its last eight and Florida has won three in a row. Led by senior guard Chris Chiozza, UF's all-time leader in assists (551), the Gators defeated red-hot Kentucky 80-67 in the final game of the regular season.
Matchup machinations
LSU defeated Mississippi State 78-57 on the final day of the regular season. The Tigers get Mississippi State again on Thursday in the second round of the tournament. Have the Bulldogs quit on Ben Howland? The Tigers have to like the matchup. LSU struggled at times this season but, led by senior Aaron Epps (pictured), the team has the talent and depth to get hot and make a run.
Who's Hot?
To survive the first game of a tournament as deep as this SEC showdown, it helps to already be cooking before the action begins. Here are some of the hottest players in the league entering the SEC tournament, starting with perhaps the hottest player of all.
Jalen Hudson, Florida: He's on fire. Hudson scored 22 on Saturday against Kentucky, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. The performance elicited this gem from UK coach John Calipari: "The kid has 17 on us at halftime and three of them were step-backs,'' Calipari said. "Like what." The Gators have won three straight.
Who's Hot?
Bryce Brown, Auburn: Brown shot his way out of his slump in the Tigers' season finale, going a stunning 8 of 12 from 3-point range. Brown (pictured) leads the SEC with 100 3-pointers.
UT Athletics
Who's Hot?
Admiral Schofield, Tennessee: The forward went 26 of 48 (.542) from the field over the Vols final three games of the season. Tennessee has won four straight and Schofield (pictured) scored 16 against the Gators, 25 against Ole Miss, 24 against Mississippi State and 23 against Georgia.
Who's Hot?
Jontay Porter, Missouri: Jontay (pictured) is Michael Porter Jr.'s little brother and he's a future pro, too. The 6-11 forward comes off the bench for Mizzou and is 6 of 8 from 3-point range in his last two games.
Who's Hot?
Tyler Davis, Texas A&M: The big man (pictured) has carried the Aggies to the tournament. He's 31 of 46 from the field (20.0 ppg) over his last four games to go along with an average of 9.3 rebounds. The combination of Davis and forward Robert Williams makes the Aggies a difficult task for any team in the tournament.
Players to watch
Basketball is all about the stars. Here are some to keep an eye on during the tournament, beginning with the player Charles Barkley likes to call "The General."
Jared Harper, Auburn: An unlikely player of the year candidate for an unlikely team of regular-season champions. Harper makes the Tigers go, so it's no wonder Charles Barkley likes to call his favorite player in this tournament "The General." Harper (pictured) is averaging 13.9 points per game, and his range from behind the arc seems limitless. He's not afraid to shoot it from beyond 30 feet. He's third in the league in assists (5.7 apg).
Who's Hot?
Collin Sexton, Alabama: It's not the star point guard's fault Alabama has hit the wall late in the season. Sexton is second in the league in scoring, averaging 18.3 ppg. Sexton is a physical guard who can get to the rim and draw a foul, or penetrate and kick it out to the wings for a 3-point shot. Unfortunately for Alabama, they don't have any reliable 3-point shooters. Sexton is built perfectly for a new-age NBA, which is why he likely won't be returning to Alabama for his sophomore season.
Players to watch
Yante Maten, Georgia: The Bulldogs' 6-8 senior forward from Pontiac, Mich., is the SEC's most consistent and toughest player. He won't let Georgia go out easily this week. Maten (pictured) leads the SEC is scoring (19.4 ppg) and is second in rebounds (8.8 rpg).
Players to watch
Daryl Macon and Jalen Barford, Arkansas: The guard duo is first and second in the SEC in 3-point field-goal percentage. Macon (pictured right) leads the SEC in 3-point shooting percentage (43.8 percent), but Barford (pictured left) isn't far behind (43.3 percent). Both players average over 17 points per game.
Players to watch
Kassius Robertson, Missouri: Robertson will be the crowd favorite throughout the Tigers' run in the tournament. The 6-3 senior guard from Toronto is seventh in the league in scoring (16.5 ppg), second in 3-point makes (98) and fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage (.428).
Predicting the Second Round
Here are my bold predictions for Thursday, which will be more physical than spring football practices around the SEC.
Alabama 65, Texas A&M 61: Avery Johnson Jr. (pictured) and Alabama wins the ugly rematch. Johnson Jr., the son of Alabama's coach, is a transfer from Texas A&M.
Missouri 71, Georgia 63: Georgia is still playing with a lot of heart, but Mizzou will come out swinging in St. Louis.
LSU 80, Mississippi State 65: Bulldogs play the role of slump busters.
Arkansas 76, South Carolina 70: Frank Martin will have the Gamecocks ready, but Arkansas' shooters will enjoy a pro-Arkansas crowd.
Predicting the Quarterfinals
Here are my predictions for Friday, which should be one of the best days of basketball in the history of the SEC.
Alabama 68, Auburn 66: Playing for their NCAA lives, Alabama upsets an Auburn team a little tired from a long season.
Missouri 78, Kentucky 74: Should be a special atmosphere, especially if Michael Porter Jr. has a game already under his belt.
Tennessee 72, LSU 61: If the Vols can get going early, they'll take the fight out of the Tigers.
Arkansas 72, Florida 70: Let March Madness begin. Hogs avenge 15-point regular-season loss to the Gators behind its talented backcourt, and size inside like 6-11 freshman Daniel Gafford (pictured), who comes off the bench.
Predicting the Semifinals
Missouri 69, Alabama 61: We know what happens when Alabama plays on the road in hostile environments.
Tennessee 79, Arkansas 78: Will Jeremy Pruitt join the student section if the Vols make it this far?
Predicting the Championship
Missouri 80, Tennessee 77: The Porter brothers and home-court advantage give Missouri a boost throughout a brutal SEC Tournament, but senior Kassius Robertson carries the Tigers to the championship.
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