SEC Tournament filled with teams on the bubble

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By Nick Gray | UK basketball beat writer

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The postseason fate of several SEC teams will depend on the SEC Tournament in Atlanta this weekend.

The University of Florida will be a 1-seed with its current resume; UK is solidly in the tournament with 12 wins against the RPI Top 100 and one loss outside of it. The RPI is a rankings statistic that the NCAA Tournament selection committee uses to help decide who gets a bid.

ESPN, CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated had as many as four SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament. The experts’ “bubbles” are cluttered with a handful of teams from the conference. A “bubble” team is the term given to teams whose chances at an NCAA Tournament bid are questionable.

Five teams seeded behind UK and Florida in the conference tournament have different claims to an NCAA Tournament berth with one common denominator — an opportunity to boost their resume starting on Thursday.

University of Tennessee – Best win: vs. University of Virginia; RPI: 44; Record vs. RPI Top 50: 2-5

Tennessee had leads against UK and Florida in the second half of games earlier this season but could not finish off either team. Its resume lacks depth as a result.

If Tennessee moves onto the semifinals, a possible matchup against No. 1 Florida will be its best opportunity to feel comfortable on Selection Sunday. But its first game could be against the University of Arkansas, a fellow bubble team.

­University of Arkansas – Best win: UK (twice); RPI: 62; Record vs. RPI Top 50: 3-3

The Razorbacks have won six of their last seven games, picking up a win in Rupp Arena against the Cats two weeks ago. The Razorbacks are one of two SEC bubble teams that have wins against one of the SEC’s top two.

University of Missouri – Best win: University of California, Los Angeles; RPI: 52; Record vs. RPI Top 50: 2-3

Missouri has skirted toward the bubble with bad losses at Vanderbilt University and the University of Alabama, and a .500 conference record. It does own a series sweep over Arkansas but was swept by Georgia.

The Tigers have the most immediate opportunity to improve their chances with a possible quarterfinal matchup against Florida to open up Friday’s action.

Louisiana State University – Best win: UK; RPI: 74; Record vs. RPI Top 50: 2-5

Under head coach Johnny Jones, LSU has four 4-and 5-star recruits but no NCAA Tournament berths. The Tigers’ resume features home wins against UK, Missouri and Arkansas but only three total road wins and four wins against the RPI Top 100. Their SEC Tournament road includes a possible quarterfinal game against the Cats if the Tigers can get past Alabama.

University of Georgia – Best win: Missouri (twice); RPI: 73; Record vs. RPI Top 50: 0-6

The Bulldogs have no Top 50 wins and had three RPI sub-Top 100 losses during a November tournament. But only Arkansas and Florida can match their record over the last 11 games (8-3), and Georgia’s road to the SEC Tournament provides a possible semifinal matchup against UK. That matchup is dependent on the Bulldogs defeating Ole Miss on Thursday.