2020 SEC Tournament Odds, Preview and Picks – Kentucky Wildcats made favorites again

John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats are Favored to Win the SEC Tournament for the Fifth Time in Six Years

Kentucky locked up the SEC regular season title in February. The Wildcats finished the regular season 15-3 in the SEC, and they were three games ahead of both Auburn and LSU for the top spot in the conference.

That has led to Kentucky being listed as the favorite to win the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament per the SEC Tournament odds at FanDuel.

John Calipari has led Kentucky to six SEC Tournament titles in the last 10 years, and no other school claimed more than one title over the last decade. Auburn is looking to repeat after winning last year’s tournament, while LSU is out to win its first SEC Tournament in four decades.

2020 SEC Tournament Odds at FanDuel

Kentucky +180
Auburn +300
Florida +450
LSU +550
Mississippi State +1300
Tennessee +1500
Alabama +3500
Arkansas +3500
South Carolina +3500
Georgia +10000
Ole Miss +10000
Missouri +15000
Texas A&M +15000
Vanderbilt +15000

Odds provided by FanDuel (IN, NJ, PA & WV only)
Subject to Change - T&C's Apply, 21+

2020 SEC Tournament Odds Overview

The Wildcats are the favorite to win the SEC, but there isn’t much of a different between these three teams according to some of the best analytics in college basketball. Ken Pomeroy’s rating system has Kentucky, Florida, Auburn, and LSU rated between 28 and 36 nationally, so this tournament could be more of a coin flip than you might think at first glance.

As with the ACC Tournament, the SEC Tournament rewards its top four teams with a double bye into the quarterfinals. That will help Kentucky, Auburn, and LSU, but Florida finished behind Mississippi State in the standings, so the Gators will have to win four games in four days to win the SEC Tournament.

The Favorite

Ashton Hagans did not play in Kentucky’s regular season finale for personal reasons, and his status is something to monitor. Hagans has reportedly been dealing with anxiety, and there is another issue that could keep him out of this competition too. A photograph of Hagans holding thousands of dollars in cash surfaced over the weekend, so he could be held out by the school.

Hagans was averaging 11.5 PPG and 6.4 APG, so this offense will take a hit if it doesn’t have its primary distributor and ball handler. Hagans was responsible for over 20 percent of Kentucky’s assists this season, and only one other player (Tyrese Maxey) is averaging more than 2.0 APG.

Next Up

Auburn has been one of the luckiest teams in the country this season. The Tigers ran up a 15-0 record before their first loss, but they have looked much more vulnerable over the last two months. They are 10-6 in their last 16 games, and four of those wins were overtime victories. This team has the talent to make a deep run in both the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament with versatile players like Isaac Okoro, Samir Doughty, and Austin Wiley, but the lack of a reliable three-point shooter is concerning.

This was supposed to be the year that Mike White finally stepped out of Billy Donovan’s shadow in Gainesville, but Florida has underachieved all season. The Gators have not been as stingy on defense as many believed they would, and guard play has been an issue. Grad transfer Kerry Blackshear Jr. has teamed up with Keyontae Johnson to give Florida a dangerous frontcourt, but opponents are collapsing the defense around these two with success.

LSU has one of the most efficient offenses in the country, and that makes the Tigers viable despite having a defense that allows 80.9 PPG. Five of their top six scorers are shooting at least 48.6 percent from the floor, and there are multiple players that can create their own shot. They have lost their last games against Auburn, Kentucky, and Florida though, so there are questions about this team’s ceiling.

The Longshots

Mississippi State is going to be a dangerous team in the SEC Tournament. Reggie Perry is averaging a double-double on the season, and this team is superb at winning second chances through offensive rebounds. The perimeter shooting is a concern, but these are great odds for a team that has a double bye into the quarterfinals.

The Volunteers made it to the Sweet Sixteen last season, but this year’s Tennessee is nothing like last year’s edition. Jordan Bowden has tried to do too much to carry the burden, and the loss of Lamonte Turner was too much to overcome. Tennessee doesn’t have the horses to compete with the best teams in the SEC.

2020 SEC Tournament Free Picks
Auburn +300; Mississippi State +1300

Odds provided by FanDuel (IN, NJ, PA & WV only)
Subject to Change - T&C's Apply, 21+