Will Alabama be able to win the SEC? Here is a look at the conference standings and the final games with one week remaining.
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama: The Saturday night game between Alabama’s men’s basketball team and Tennessee, ranked fourth, was touted as a championship-caliber contest.
College GameDay (for basketball for the first time ever) was in town. The Vols and the 14th-ranked Crimson Tide were level at the top of the SEC, with the winner earning the inside track to the league’s regular season championship.
With just one week remaining in the regular season, Alabama’s chances of winning a third conference championship in four years have significantly increased despite the Vols’ thrilling 81-74 victory in Coleman Coliseum.
Afterward, Alabama coach Nate Oats remarked, “It’s hard.” “We no longer have complete control over whether or not we win. We were in complete control of whether or not we would win the championship going into tonight. We now require assistance.
“Control the things you can control, and we’ll see how mature our guys are because we talk to them all the time.” Our efforts on Tuesday and Saturday are what we can currently control.”
The SEC men’s basketball standings heading into the last week are as follows:
The Vols can win the championship outright as early as Wednesday if they defeat South Carolina and Alabama falls to Florida on Tuesday. That is the most straightforward scenario.
If Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Auburn all finish 13-5, there may also be a five-way tie for the regular-season championship. Yes, that is still conceivable if the Vols lose, both Alabama and South Carolina draw a blank, and both Auburn and Kentucky triumph.
(If that’s the case, good luck to those managing the SEC tournament seeding.)
Oats continued on Saturday, “It’s out of our hands now.” “We’ve still got a shot at it, but we’re gonna need to get some help to earn a share of it at this point.”
The remaining games are against Kentucky at South Carolina.
Easily the most difficult schedule left of all the contenders, especially considering that they have already faced and defeated Auburn and Alabama this past week. Win over the Gamecocks on Wednesday, however, would guarantee a share of the regular season championship.
State of Alabama: 20-9 overall, 12-4 in the SEC
Final Games: vs. Arkansas at Florida
Tuesday’s game against the Gators is crucial for two reasons: first, it will be the Tide’s first opportunity to prove they can defeat a top team on the road after Florida forced Alabama to overtime at Coleman Coliseum two weeks ago. Three of their four conference losses have occurred away from home, against Auburn, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
South Carolina: 12-4 in the SEC, 24-5 overall
The final two games are at Mississippi State against Tennessee.
For South Carolina, this has been a dream season, and a victory over the Vols at home on Wednesday could make it even sweeter. With a victory here, the Gamecocks would complete the season sweep and increase their chances of securing the top seed. They defeated Tennessee back in January. However, should the Tide hold serve, there’s also a chance for a three-way tie.
Kentucky Record: 11-5 in the SEC, 21-8 overall
The remaining games are at Tennessee against Vanderbilt.
With victories over Auburn and Alabama in their past six games, the Wildcats appear to have found their rhythm. Vanderbilt shouldn’t be too difficult, but if everything goes according to plan, the outcome of that Saturday’s game at Tennessee could have a significant impact on the SEC standings and tournament seeding.
Record for Auburn: 22-7 overall, 11-5 in the SEC
Final Games: vs. Georgia, at Missouri
There’s no reason to think the Tigers won’t finish the league season 13-5. It’s not impossible to win a league title during the regular season, but it does take a lot of assistance, and even then, they probably wouldn’t have to share it. At this point, Auburn is probably most concerned about its seeding in the SEC tournament.
Record: 10-6 in the SEC, 20-9 overall
The final game is at Vanderbilt against Alabama.
The Gators can disrupt the Crimson Tide’s plans on Tuesday, even though they are not going to win the league title during the regular season. In Tuscaloosa, Alabama overcame a 10-point deficit to win one over Florida; in Gainesville, the Gators are expected to start strong.
“At this point, we’re playing for seeding,” Oats stated. “Great if we get some assistance. We didn’t deserve to win it if we don’t receive any assistance. To fully control our fate and determine whether we would win the regular season or not, we needed to win this one.
“A two-seed is still conceivable. Without a doubt, we want to say goodbye. Hold off on playing until Friday.
