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SEC March Madness Preview

  • Charlie Boccanegra's Author profile. Charlie Boccanegra

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Look for LSU to Advance – Kentucky to Disappoint

The LSU Tigers completed a remarkable turnaround on Saturday, February 28th with an impressive 73-70 victory at Kentucky’s hostile Rupp Arena, proving they could be a force to be reckoned with come NCAA tournament time. Their defeated opponent might not be so lucky.

That key victory clinched the SEC NCAA Men’s Basketball Conference outright championship for the Tigers, who had suffered through consecutive losing seasons in conference play the previous two years. Most college basketball bettors probably overlooked LSU heading into this season, but they definitely won’t anymore after watching an improbable 13-1 run in the SEC.

Senior guards Garrett Temple and Marcus Thornton were members of the LSU team that advanced to the Final Four with NBA big men Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Tyrus Thomas before bowing out to eventual national champion Florida, and their leadership combined with the coaching of Trent Johnson have been the difference this season.

“I’m so happy for these guys, you have no idea,” Johnson said. “I don’t believe in all that destiny stuff. This is a good basketball team. The thing I really appreciate about these guys is they speak from the heart and they have a sense of security.”

Meanwhile, the Kentucky Wildcats are clearly on the bubble now for the Big Dance along with fellow Southeastern Conference contenders South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Auburn. Kentucky certainly has the most star power in the conference with All-American candidates Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson, but whether or not they will be playing in March Madness remains to be seen. Five teams from the SEC figure to get in.

The Gators may have opened the door a bit though with a disappointing 79-75 home loss to the Volunteers on Sunday, March 1st, setting up a super showdown with Kentucky in their regular-season finale on March 7th. The loser of that game could very well find itself on the outside looking in on the Big Dance barring a long run in the conference tournament.

Though it looks as if five teams from the SEC will get an invite to the dance, only the Tigers look as though they are a solid pick for advancing past the Elite Eight.