Coaches Rick Barnes of Tennessee and John Calipari of Kentucky expect a wide-open SEC Tournament. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky coach John Calipari always touts the strength of SEC basketball and has been proclaiming that no one will want to play his team in the NCAA Tournament despite UK’s problems in SEC play.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said the SEC’s strength will make for a wide open SEC Tournament in Nashville.
“I think more than any time, certainly Alabama, we have the No. 1 team in the country in Alabama. I said before that game (Tennessee won) that they probably should have been No. 1 prior, back a couple weeks ago they should have been. We’ve got that,” Barnes said.
Of course, Tennessee beat Alabama in Knoxville Feb. 15 to give the Crimson Tide its first SEC loss this season. Three days later the Vols lost to Kentucky for the second time this season.
“It is probably more wide open than it has been in the eight years I have been in the SEC. I mean that sincerely. As you know, when you get into the tournament play, so much depends on matchups and how it plays out,” Barnes said.
“I look around the league this year and the coaches, there’s so many coaches who have done just great jobs with their teams. There have been some great games within our league and I would expect the tournament to be maybe the best it has been since I have been here.”
The SEC Tournament will start March 8 and Calipari says Vanderbilt – which now has buzzer-beating wins over Tennessee and Auburn – is going to be dangerous.
“Vandy is playing as well as anybody in our league,” Calipari said.
Today the SEC would be projected to have seven teams make the NCAA Tournament but that changes weekly.
Kentucky is currently in third in the standings and a win over Vanderbilt Wednesday would guarantee UK a double-bye in the SEC Tournament along with Alabama and Texas A&M. Even if UK happened to lose to Vanderbilt and Arkansas, it could still end up with a double bye.
