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SEC Tournament Odds, Preview, Picks, and Schedule

Chris Amberley

by Chris Amberley in College Basketball

Updated Mar 8, 2022 · 7:33 PM PST

Oscar Tshiebwe celebration
FILE - Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe (34) celebrates after defeating North Carolina following an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021, in Las Vegas. Tshiebwe is the unanimous pick as The Associated Press player of the year in the Southeastern Conference, announced Tuesday, March 8, 2022.(AP Photo/Joe Buglewicz, File)
  • The SEC Tournament will run from Wednesday, March 9th, to Sunday, March 13th
  • Auburn is the top seed, but Kentucky has the shortest odds to win the tournament
  • See the SEC Tournament odds, seeds, bracket, and full tournament preview, below

In terms of conference power rankings, the number one spot in college hoops this season belongs to the SEC. Six programs are considered locks for the NCAA Tournament, with an additional two teams having an outside chance of dancing next week at March Madness.

With so many quality programs, this week’s SEC Tournament is going to be must watch TV. The action gets underway on Wednesday (March 9th), with the final tipping off on Sunday (March 13th).

2022 SEC Tournament Odds

Team (Seed) Odds
Kentucky Wildcats (3) +150
Auburn Tigers (1) +200
Tennessee Volunteers (2) +350
Arkansas Razorbacks (4) +700
LSU Tigers (5) +1300
Alabama Crimson Tide (6) +1800
Mississippi State Bulldogs (10) +4000
Florida Gators (9) +5000
Texas A&M Aggies (8) +5000
Ole Miss Rebels (13) +12500
Vanderbilt Commodores (11) +12500
South Carolina Gamecocks (7) +15000
Ole Miss Rebels (13) +15000
Missouri Tigers (12) +20000
Georgia Bulldogs (14) +25000

Odds as of March 8 at Barstool Sportsbook. See the college basketball odds page for individual game odds. 

 

Every game will be contested at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida. Six teams earned a bye straight to the second round which tips off on Thursday, while the four top seeds earned a double bye and won’t play until Friday’s quarterfinals.

Kentucky is the betting favorite, but Auburn is the top seed. The SEC features four of the top-15 teams in the AP rankings, and five of the top-17 programs in the Final Four odds.

Last Five SEC Tournament Winners

SEC Champion Year
Alabama 2021
Not Held 2020
Auburn 2019
Kentucky 2018
Kentucky 2017
Kentucky 2016

SEC Stacked With Talent

Each of the four programs that earned a double bye (Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas) are legitimate threats to not only win this tournament, but the National Championship as well.

In addition to those four, LSU and Alabama are also March Madness locks. Texas A&M and Florida are part of the “next four out” grouping when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, but two victories by either program this week could be enough to secure their dancing shoes as well.

The Aggies and Gators square off in the second round, with the winner meeting Auburn in the quarterfinals. A March Madness berth would likely hinge on an upset victory over the top seeded Tigers, something the Gators accomplished just last month.

With so much talent in this conference, it’s hard to imagine we don’t see a fair share of upsets this week. The top half of this conference is absolutely stacked, which makes a fade of the favorite more palatable.

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Fade Kentucky

There’s plenty of reasons to be on Kentucky, however their +150 price tag is tough to swallow. If you’re interested in backing the Wildcats, you’d be more profitable by betting them on the moneyline in each game and rolling over the profits.

Kentucky won 10 of their final 13 games, and led the SEC in virtually every offensive category. They were first in points and assists per game, as well as total rebounding, field goal percentage, and three-point efficiency.

Unlike previous Wildcat teams that have been dominated by freshmen and sophomores, this team has plenty of experience. Six of their top-seven rotational players are upperclassmen, led by the Wooden Award favorite Oscar Tshiebwe.

Despite all of their accolades, the Wildcats are not invincible. Those three losses down the stretch came against three of the best four teams they faced, including defeats to Tennessee and Auburn, their most likely semifinal and championship opponents.

They have the shortest NCAA Tournament odds of any SEC team, but the competitive balance in this conference makes me want to chase a team with a more favorable price tag.

Back Tennessee

Which brings us to the Volunteers. Tennessee was one of the hottest programs in all of college basketball over the final month of the season, winning nine of their last 10 games, and 13 of their final 16 contests. They’re currently penciled in as a 3-seed in the projected NCAA Tournament bracket, but an SEC Championship would likely vault them into a #1 slot.

They beat fellow top-15 programs Auburn, Kentucky, and Arkansas in the final two months, in addition to a victory over LSU, who was ranked 13th at the time.

They finished with single-digit losses for the fourth time in five years, making them the only SEC men’s program to do so. The Volunteers are loaded with size, speed and athleticism, and excel at both ends of the court.

Thy ranked third in points per game in the SEC, and finished with the 20th best average point differential in the nation. They were second in the conference in both three-point efficiency and assists, and fifth in total rebounding.

Defensively, they allowed a conference low 66.4 points per game, and finished third in steals and fifth in blocks. Those numbers, plus their recent form make them too appealing to pass up at +350.

Pick: Tennessee Volunteers (+350)

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