As the Auburn Tigers break for the finals, they are the subject of many questions.

First the areas for improvement.

1. Bad losses

Auburn has lost four games this season; two of them were just plain bad.

The eleven point loss to Missouri State was a result of poor shooting from others beside Lucas Hargrove and DeWayne Reed.

Auburn's loss to Troy was a result of poor shooting and poor defense on the Tigers' part, allowing the Trojans to penetrate as they pleased. This carried over into the Virginia game, although the Tigers did manage to come out with a win. 

2.  Bad Lane Defense

The last few games, the defense has not been up to the task to stop opponents from penetrating the lane and scoring easy baskets.

This will have to be rectified with Brendon Knox standing tall in the lane as opponents charge into the paint. 

3. Shot Selection

The shot selection has also been an issue. The Tigers are a guard shooting team, which means shot selection is key. In three of their four losses, Auburn shot under 40 percent from the floor and under 30 percent. 

Onto some good notes:

1.  Return of Tay Waller

Regardless on how it happened, having Waller back in the lineup will cause other defenses to guard the Tiger attack differently. Once Waller shakes off the rust, he'll be a scoring machine for the Tigers.

2. Auburn has played it close

Auburn has shown they can hang around and win ballgames in the clutch. It will be interesting to see how they ramp up play as conference season approaches.

3. Auburn has crashed the boards

Auburn has kept up with opponents on the boards unlike previous seasons. The Tigers have had better opportunities to win ballgames this year.

What remains to be seen is how the Tigers will react as conference season approaches.  Their next opponent, Florida State, is another quality team from the ACC. A win over the Seminoles will help Auburn move in the right direction.

It seems that each year the method is the same for the Tigers. 

Shoot the ball enough and see what happens.

Coming off a loss to the Troy Trojans, the weaknesses of the Tigers were shown in full force. 

So far this was their worse game of the season.  Auburn allowed the Trojans to shoot as they pleased from the floor. 

Auburn statistically doesn't look good on paper.  The Tigers took twenty more shots than Troy but only managed to make the same amount of baskets as Troy. 

The team as a whole is still trying to push the ball too quickly instead of getting a good look.

This has been the method for the last five years for Auburn.  Get the ball up and shoot it. 

For this writer and fan, it's starting to get a little old.  Auburn by far has a capable line-up to make some noise, but the way it has been handled so far has been mediocre at best. 

Granted, Troy is not a bad basketball team, but the recurrence of sloppy play by the Tigers should make one start to wonder if this team will make the turn when it comes to conference play.

The Tigers will have another shot to improve their record against the Virginia Cavaliers. 

It is still early in the season, but Auburn needs to break away from their old tendencies.

Much like by the sword, you can live or die by the shot as well.

The 2009-10 Auburn basketball season has already started, but any indications about this team are still too early to tell.

Jeff Lebo has had the challenge to come up with a quality group to play against the rough and tough play in the SEC. 

Early indications are that Auburn's success will somewhat lie on Dwayne Reed's shoulders.

In two games so far this season, Reed has played 74 out of 80 total minutes. He has become the de facto leader for yet another young Auburn squad.

Frankie Sullivan showed much promise last season and now has been thrust into a full-time starter role. Fan favorite Lucas Hargrove also takes over a full-time starter role at forward.

What could help Auburn's low post game is center Brandon Knox, who filled in part-time for Barber last season. A true center that stands 6'10" will help Auburn find the basket down low when the jumpers just aren't falling.

Freshman Earnest Ross burst onto the starting scene, impressing the coaches early during the preseason.

What plagues Auburn yet again is depth amongst the bench. Auburn's biggest problem during the Lebo years has finding that sixth man off the bench to provide that spark against tougher opponents.

With the new arena finishing up right across the street from old Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, one has to wonder when the basketball team will finally step up for contention for consistent postseason play. 

Traditionally, Auburn has not had a consistent presence in the SEC as far as basketball—a few glory years here and there, but nothing major to show for it except some Sweet 16 appearances. 

One has to wonder if the basketball team will ever get to a point of relevance for many years instead of seeming falling short.

Auburn has the talent and size to make some noise in the conference this season. It will be interesting to see how they will match up against fellow members in the SEC, as well as their non-conference schedule.

As for now, let us begin to transfer indoors as the temperature drops outside but begins to heat up inside Beard-Eaves for one last time.

Jeff Lebo has a comparatively long coaching history—and it's an ugly one.

Lebo is barely over .500 as a head coach at 81-76, and this season is looking like the end of the road for the Auburn head coach.

In fact, last year likely would have done it had it not been for a late resurgence. After a slow start to the SEC slate, Auburn's experience—not coaching—managed to pull them into second place in the Western Division...highest ever under Lebo.

2008-09 was Lebo's second year over .500 in five years at Auburn and easily the best record at 24-12 overall, along with an NIT quarterfinal appearance.

Those days are gone as the Tigers lose three starters, including possibly the most underrated big man in the nation in Korvotney Barber. Barber at times led the nation in field goal percentage and fell just 0.4 rebounds per game short of averaging a double-double.

Also gone is Rasheem Barrett, who was a steady role player capable of big nights, as well as the league's best true point guard in Quantez Robertson.

The War Eagle is losing its heart, and it is likely going to equate to a messy season in 2009-10. The three losses combined for 2,865 minutes last season alone, along with 814 shots attempted.

Trying to fill those massive shoes are five lesser-known recruits.

Andre Malone
(No. 27 SG - three stars - 6'4" - 200 lbs.)

Malone is a big shooting guard who creates a mismatch for his defender. He should see decent minutes as a freshman.

Earnest Ross
(No. 40 SG - three stars - 6'4" - 185 lbs.)

Ross is a versatile player with a very strong body. He will likely come in at the three spot, as his long-range touch isn't the best—neither is his ball-handling. Expect him to play off the bench but struggle with turnovers.

Ken Gabriel
(PF - three stars - 6'7" - 200 lbs.)

Gabriel comes in as yet another smaller big man for Lebo. He's thick but a bit short for his position; he should come off the bench a good bit due to a lack of depth.

Robert Chubb
(PF - two stars - 6'9" - 200 lbs.)

This afro-armed big man has work to do and will serve as a role player off the bench.

Ty Armstrong
(PF - one star - 6'8" - 190 lbs.)

While this big man has some work to do, he had several high-major offers and has some upside.

With such limited talent replacing some outstanding losses, Auburn's chances both short and long-term are not good for competing in any kind of postseason.

Auburn brings back a few SEC-caliber players.

DeWayne Reed: 6'1", 175-lb. Senior PG
(13.2ppg - 2.6rpg - 1.46 A/TO - 67 stl)

Reed will step into Quantez Robertson's position and run the Tigers this season, as he is a very talented ball-handler and all-around defender. Will start.

Tay Waller: 6'2", 193-lb. Senior SG
(12.1ppg - 2.8rpg - 1.32 A/TO - 36.8% 3PT)

Another leader who handles the ball effectively and has a nice stroke from anywhere on the floor. Waller dominates the team's three-point shooting. Will start.

Lucas Hargrove: 6'6", 218-lb. Senior SF
(8.1ppg - 5.3rpg - 46.4% FG - 40 stl)

Yet another Tiger that's good on defense and at handling the ball. Hargrove is the most versatile player on the team and has plenty of range, but he should work on his effort from the charity stripe. Will start.

Frankie Sullivan: 6'1", 195-lb. Sophomore SG
(7.6ppg - 1.9rpg - 1.24 A/TO - 39 stl)

Sullivan is a typical Lebo-style player, small and lean who can defend and handle the ball well. Despite attempting 124 shots from beyond the arc, Sullivan barely hits a third of them and must work on his long-range effort to be truly effective. Likely to start.

Johnnie Let: 6'8", 210-lb. Senior PF
(2.8ppg - 3.4rpg - 52.2% FG - 8 starts)

Let has limited use outside of a big body on the block, though he's efficient near the basket on offense. His defensive presence is average, and he has an absolutely awful stroke from outside of five feet.

Brendon Knox: 6'10", 238-lb. Senior C
(2.5ppg - 1.7rpg - 66.0% FG - 10 stl)

Knox is a specialist who sees most games, but not a huge number of minutes. He's good for a dunk every now and then and has a good eye for knocking the ball out of a dribble-drive.

While Auburn lost a ton from a season ago, imagine how much more difficult 2010-11 will be, when just a single player will be an upperclassman.

Schedule Breakdown

Cupcakes: Missouri St. (A), IUPUI (N), High Point (H), Alabama A&M (A), Troy (H), Alabama St. (H), Charleston Southern (H), Georgia Southern (H), West Georgia (H)

Real Games: Niagara (H), UCF (N), N.C. State (N), Sam Houston St. (H)

Marquee Matchups: Virginia (H), Florida St. (A)

Opposite Division: South Carolina (H), Tennessee (A), Kentucky (H), Vanderbilt (A), Georgia (H), Florida (A)

Predicted Result: 13-18, 3-13; No Postseason

Analysis: The Tigers have a fairly weak schedule, but it works for them due to this team's complete lack of depth or experience.

What's Returning

Points: 61.60 percent (10th—SEC Avg: 73.81 percent)

Rebounds: 49.33 percent (11th—SEC Avg: 75.80 percent)

The Tigers have massive voids that will be nothing short of impossible to fill, and this should be a rough year for Lebo's squad. Lebo will join John Pelphrey on the hot seat, although Lebo is much more likely to be searching for a job next March.

Yesterday I was watching the NBA Playoffs on TNT. It was painful enough watching Cleveland destroy the Pistons, but then having to see Charles Barkley in the studio just made me sick.

I was sick because he should have been fired months ago for making racist comments. Don Imus and Rush Limbaugh both were out after making racist comments. Why is Charles different?

The comments I am referring to are the ones he made toward his alma mater, Auburn. He didn't like the fact that they hired Gene Chizik over Turner Gill, so he accused them of being racist.

“I think race was the No. 1 factor," Barkley said. "You can say it’s not about race, but you can’t compare the two resumes and say (Chizik) deserved the job. Out of all the coaches they interviewed, Chizik probably had the worst resume.”

If you think about that comment for about two minutes, it makes absolutely no sense. Hey Charles, since when does a good resume get you a job? I always thought a resume got you an interview. A great interview gets you hired. Both Gill and Chizik had good enough resumes to get an interview.

Unless Barkley was present at the interviews, he has no idea what went on behind closed doors. Therefore, he had no right to make his comment. He has no right to accuse them of being racist when he is the one who is the racist.

By making this statement, he is assuming that these white men made a decision based on skin color. Therefore, he is judging them based on the color of their skin. Therefore, this statement is racist.

So why is Barkley still allowed to be on TNT? He was suspended for something unrelated to this. I just find it incredibly unfair that Imus and Limbaugh were both held accountable for their comments and Barkley, for whatever reason, can get away with it.

Those two guys did get new jobs, but will primarily be remembered for one stupid comment and be labeled racists.

I bet most people watch the playoffs on TNT and probably don't even remember Barkley's racist comments.

Why does he get special privilege?

The Auburn Tigers got the news most expected on Sunday, but no one in orange and blue wanted to hear it.  The NCAA tournament selection committee snubbed the Tigers and showed complete disdain for the SEC when the NCAA tournament field of 65 was announced.

Not only was Auburn not among the teams selected for the tournament, but SEC tournament champion Mississippi State garnered a paltry 13 seed. SEC West title holder and regular season winner LSU was given an eight seed, and SEC East champ Tennessee rated a nine.

That’s blatant disrespect for the league’s body of work.

Auburn’s exclusion marked the first time since the SEC split into two divisions that a team with 10-plus league wins was denied a berth in the tournament.

Auburn fans watched the final two weeks of the season unfold with great interest. No team in the league was any hotter than the Tigers.

Auburn won nine of eleven down the stretch. The Tigers pounded LSU in the season finale, won on the road against archrival Alabama, and demolished eventual tournament champ MSU in the Dogs' house.

But while fans followed the rising Tiger momentum with enthusiasm, the run was met with a collective yawn from the national media.  Heading into the SEC tournament, most experts had Auburn looking at the so-called bubble from a distance.

Where Auburn fans saw a win over Florida in the first round of the SEC tournament as a virtual NCAA lock for the 22-10 Tigers, the selection committee was busy thinking about 20-13 Michigan, a team that had a 9-9 record in the weak Big Ten and a team that went 5-5 in its last ten games.

Where Auburn fans saw a team that was playing its best down the stretch, the selection committee was blinded by the beauty of a 19-12 Wisconsin team that lost three of its last five games.  Oh, but the Badgers had a higher RPI because they lost to better teams than Auburn beat.  What?

RPI, SchmarPI. 

The Auburn team that roared down the stretch and won games it had to win deserved a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

An opportunity to play in the NIT and be granted a No. 1 seed is a nice consolation prize.

Nice in the way getting to take cousin Erdie and her plaid cotton dress to the prom, when you’d been expecting to take Betty Jo Buttercrust and her silky satin gown is nice. 

Nice in the way you want a new car for Christmas and Santa brings you a box of tube socks. Yes, exactly like that.

In the end, whatever Auburn did short of winning the SEC tournament was not going to be enough to get the Tigers into the NCAA tourney. Based on inferences drawn from seeding alone, had Mississippi State not won the tournament, the SEC would only have two entries, Tennessee and LSU, in this year’s field. That’s absolutely ridiculous.

Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the SEC has never started the tournament with its highest-seeded team seeded as low as eighth. 

The three total tournament bids are the lowest since 1990 when LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas were the only invitees. Even then, Arkansas was a four seed, Alabama a seven, and LSU a five. 

It’s worth noting that Arkansas advanced to the Final Four of that tournament. Alabama fell in the Sweet 16, and LSU dropped a three-point game to eventual Final Four participant Georgia Tech in the second round. 

The league has placed at least five teams in the tournament in each of the past five years.

The national disdain for the SEC is unfathomable. The national adoration for the Big East is equally unfathomable. The Big East placed as many No. 1 seeds in the tournament as the SEC did teams.  On what basis?

If you’re going by historical performance, the perpetual infatuation with teams from the Big East has little merit. 

In the last 20 years, an era flush with Big East entries in the tournament, only six Big East teams advanced as far as the Final Four.  Compare that to the ACC, where there have been 20 Final Four entries over the same span. Even the Big Ten had 15 teams make the Final Four in the last 20 years.

What about the SEC?  In the last fifteen years, the SEC has had 10 Final Four teams.
Every major league outperforms the Big East in the tournament.

Yet, the Big East has three No. 1 seeds in the 2009 tournament: Louisville, UConn, and Pittsburgh. In addition, the league has a three seed in Villanova, a three seed in Syracuse, a six seed in Marquette, and a six seed in West Virginia—seven teams, none lower than a six seed. That’s absurd and unwarranted.

To add insult to injury, the head of the NCAA tournament selection committee is SEC commissioner Mike Slive. With the SEC head at the helm, the league recorded its worst result in the bracket’s history. 

As time has passed, the brackets out there on the professional websites, as well as those posted by analysts on Bleacher Report, tend to become much more similar. In fact, it's hard to find all but the most minute of disagreements at this point, usually centered around one or two bubble teams.

The field seems all but set for most people, but the Selection Committee always has a few surprises in store when the actual 65 teams get named.

Why should today be any different?

Since the surprises are a virtual certainty (I can't remember a year when it hasn't occurred), I scoured the bubble teams to see where a surprise might come from and have come up with a couple of possibilities.

I don't expect many to agree with them; otherwise they wouldn't be surprises!

Still, on a day that has often centered around the unexpected, I hope you'll enjoy a little prognostication of the possibilities, slim as they may be.

[First, note that conference affiliation, where a team finished in their conference, or anything involving the words "eye test" have absolutely NO impact on the Selection Committee's decisions, nor do the coaches' pleas to the press.]

From Mike Slive, chairman of the committee, these criteria include:

1. Wins and losses

2. Strength of schedule

3. Road victories

4. Records against the RPI Top 50

5. Injuries or controversies that may cost a team one or two wins

6. How a team finished the season (last 10-12 games, plus the Conference Tournament)

7. Notable wins over a team that is "better" and notable losses against a team that is "worse"

So here are your two "surprises":

1.  Penn State (22-11, 10-8 Big Ten) is IN; Creighton (26-7, 14-4 MVC) is OUT

Nearly everyone rang the death knell for the Nittany Lions after a tournament loss to Purdue, but they likely lost to the Big Ten Tournament Champions.

Their road victories include Michigan State and Illinois, two of the top three Big Ten teams, the conference with the second-best RPI.

Georgia Tech is another nice road win for the Nittany Lions, despite the Jackets' final spot in the ACC. They are a team that knocked off Wake Forest, and yes, the committee looks at the "web" of who your opponents' opponents were.

Early season losses were to Temple (the A-10 Champion) and Rhode Island (a bubble team until the last two weeks of the season). Penn State's worst loss was at Iowa, but it was in-conference to a team that also beat NCAA Tournament teams Wisconsin, Northern Iowa and near-bubble teams Northwestern and Kansas State.

Compare this record to Creighton, who finished the season with a nip and tuck win over Wichita State and a humiliating blowout loss to Illinois State, who could not go on to win the MVC championship. This was not a very good last impression for the Bluejays.

Creighton's losses to Drake and Arkansas-Little Rock are worse than any loss Penn State posted, and a mid-season loss to Wichita State may be as well.

Creighton's home win over Dayton looks less and less impressive as the Flyers collapse. That's actually the best win Creighton has, which can't hold a candle to Penn State's marquee wins. The Bluejays' win over New Mexico? Same story (and it was at home).

Did Creighton have any road wins of note? Not a single one. The best is (drum roll, please) at St. Joseph's, a team that finished eighth in the Atlantic 10.

Creighton has an empty resume and virtually no shot at a bid on Sunday. The bracketologists who believe they are in the Big Dance must have hypnotized each other.

2. Auburn (22-11, 10-6 SEC) is IN; St. Mary's (26-6, 10-4 West Coast) is OUT

Teams that schedule for the NIT often end up in the NIT, and these two do not have impressive OOC schedules.

Auburn's best road wins are over Virginia and Mississippi State, though Virginia is a team that knocked off VMI, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Maryland. The only other road win of significance for the Tigers is the neutral-court victory over Florida in the SEC tourney.

St. Mary's two best road wins are over San Diego State (better than either of Auburn's) and...uh-oh. Oregon? San Diego? Auburn gets the edge.

Furthermore, you can discount that post-WCC tourney game at Eastern Washington (12-18, 6-10 Big Sky) right now. Beating the sixth-place team in a one-bid conference will mean exactly jack squat to the Selection Committee. Patrick Mills was healthy for the WCC final, and Gonzaga crushed St. Mary's by 25.

The losses to Portland and Santa Clara will only partially be mitigated by Mills' injury because the Gaels were absolutely blown out by very weak teams. The losses to Gonzaga will not be mitigated by Mills' injury because they got destroyed when he was healthy.

Auburn finished the season 9-2, including victories over LSU, Florida, Tennessee, and Mississippi State (twice). At least two of those teams are headed for the NCAAs and two are (at least) headed to the NIT, as MSU plays Tournament lock UT for the SEC title.

It will also be considered that three straight Auburn losses (to Dayton, Northern Iowa, and Xavier, all NCAA Tournament teams) were in single digits (one point, six points, and seven points, respectively).

I love the Gaels; they're one of my favorite teams in the nation. But they don't deserve to be dancing. They have the higher RPI (47 to Auburn's 57), but it's not enough to overcome the other factors.

So don't look so glum there, Tigers. At least one person says you'll be just fine tomorrow night.

SEC Tournament Semifinal

Auburn (22-10) vs. Tennessee (20-11)

The Line: Tennessee -4 1/2

Saturday March 14, 2009, 3:20 EST

Despite being labeled as a weak conference all season, five SEC Teams could make it to the dance. While you are more than likely get major points in our free NCAA Tournament bracket pool (with a $250 Cash Prize) if you pick an SEC team, there should be some value there.

Most felt that Auburn's game against Florida yesterday was a play-in game for the tournament. The way things are shaking out across the country in other tournaments, it still may not be enough.

At-large bids are being gobbled up, as the teams who seemed to be certain invitees are falling in their conference tournaments and opening the door for some dreamers. While the Auburn Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers were, at one point, dreamers, they might be dangerous teams in the Big Dance.

I have been talking for weeks about the Auburn Tigers and just how hot they have been. While AU may not get as much press as ACC or Big East schools, they have been a handful over the past month and are playing as well as anybody.

It all starts with consistency, and Auburn has it. The Tigers have been steady and even avenged their only loss in their last 10 games by pummeling LSU in the final week of the regular season.

Tennessee has had the strength of schedule and RPI to be a tournament team; what UT was missing for most of the season was a solid overall record.

Tennessee has won four of their last five games, including a 24-point thumping of Alabama on Friday, which makes them a Tournament team whether or not they win against Auburn.

Auburn won the only meeting between these two by one point, but that was at home.

See Mitch's Free College Basketball Picks against the spread for this game and all games today at The College Basketball Place

No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats (East) vs No. 1 LSU Tigers (West)

Friday 1:00 PM
TV: Raycom

LSU will be trying to snap a two-game losing streak by beating Kentucky on Friday. Ironically, the Wildcats were LSU's last win clinching the SEC regular season title. Kentucky has much more to play for, but LSU needs to get back on a winning track before the NCAA Tournament starts. Jodie Meeks will have to have a great game for Kentucky to pull it out.

Pick: LSU


No. 3 Mississippi State Bulldogs (West) vs No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks (East)

Friday 3:15 PM
TV: Raycom

Two teams that both need this game with Miss. State probably needing it more. The Bulldogs beat the Gamecocks about a month ago in Starkville 75-70. Neither team shot the ball very well but South Carolina was not able to force their normal number of turnovers from Rick Stansbury's Miss. State team. I think this will be another close one with Miss State pulling it out at the end.

Pick: Miss State

No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (West) vs No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers (East)

Friday 7:00 PM
TV: Raycom

These two met just last Sunday with the Tide winning on 30-foot buzzer beater in Knoxville. Alabama beat Vandy just like I thought they would with superior athleticism. But they won't have that advantage tonight against Tennessee. I think the Vols want to atone for the home loss last weekend and take care of Alabama.

Pick: Tennessee

No. 3 Florida Gators (East) vs No. 2 Auburn Tigers (West)

Friday 9:15 PM
TV: Raycom

This is the best game of the day. Both Florida and Auburn may be just one win away from the NCAA Tournament and the committee may only take the winner of this one (if they even take either of them). The Tigers have been red hot down the stretch and their lack of size (no player taller than 6'7") will not be exposed against another small team like Florida. Nick Calathes has to put the Gators on his back if they are to win as the favorites. I think Florida wins on a last second shot.

Pick: Florida

Season: 25-22 SU through 3/8

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The SEC Tournament field is all set, and it goes without saying that there are a few teams whose postseason chances hinge entirely on their performance from March 12 to March 15 in Tampa, Fla.

Kentucky (19-12, 8-8 SEC) has ended the season on a four-game losing streak after falling to Florida (22-9, 9-7) on Saturday and, as the Wildcats' NCAA hopes freeze over (for the first time since 1991), Billy Gillespie's seat warms considerably.

LSU (25-6, 13-3), Tennessee (19-10, 10-5), and South Carolina (21-8, 10-6) are virtual locks, but a win in the quarterfinals (they will each receive a bye in Round 1) would certainly make the Gamecocks more confident. Even Tennessee may be just a tad uncomfortable after losing at Alabama today.

Auburn (21-10, 10-6), once an SEC West afterthought, are now the hottest team in the conference after upending LSU on Saturday. Auburn has won eight of nine, the only loss in that span being to the same LSU team they just handily defeated.

Only one seed remains undecided. Now that Alabama has defeated Tennessee today, they will move ahead of Mississippi on a tiebreaker (they beat the Crimson Tide twice this year) and assume the SEC West's fourth seed.

Even if Vanderbilt beats Arkansas on Sunday, Kentucky gets the SEC East's fourth seed on a second tie-breaker (division record) and Vanderbilt will be the No. 5 seed in the East.

SEC TOURNAMENT ANALYSIS

Note: Tennessee (East Division No. 1 seed), South Carolina (E2), LSU (W1), and Auburn (W2) will receive first-round byes.

Round One

Kentucky (E4) vs. Mississippi (W5)

Kentucky lost by five at Mississippi in late January, and they may have their hands full again, probably preferring that Alabama had lost to Tennessee (becoming the West's fifth seed), since the Tide was a team they had beaten by 10 just prior to losing to the Rebels.

Kentucky's desperation coupled with the play of Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson should be enough to put Gillespie's crew over the top on a neutral court in March, but don't bet the house on it.

Prediction: Kentucky 77, Mississippi 73

Alabama (W4) vs. Vanderbilt (E5)

Vanderbilt has been one of the most inconsistent teams in the SEC all year long, but is finishing strong, beating likely NCAA entrants South Carolina and LSU in the past week.

Alabama has finished the season strongly, beating Tennessee in the last regular season game, giving them wins in four of their last five.

This game could very well go down to the last possession, and if Alabama pulls out the win, they will earn a rematch with the same Volunteer team they just embarrassed on Sunday.

Prediction: Vanderbilt 74, Alabama 73

Mississippi St. (W3) vs. Georgia (E6)

State is easily the most disappointing team in the West, and they have dealt with multiple personnel issues and off-court distractions.

Georgia's magical run in the SEC tournament last year (in which the "Dream Dawgs" won a miraculous NCAA bid as a No. 6 seed) remains legendary, but it's unlikely that they have the ability to manage any semblance of a repeat.

Georgia has just one road conference win (the knife that dashed Kentucky's at-large hopes) while MSU has four (including Georgia itself and that same devastated Kentucky team). The talent levels are not equal, but that meant little in 2008.

Prediction: Mississippi State 69, Georgia 64

Florida (E3) vs. Arkansas (W6)

After Arkansas upset both Oklahoma and Texas early in the year, some thought this could potentially be the SEC Championship game.

Florida has dropped three of four but won a virtual play-in game against Kentucky on Saturday. The Gators are 4-6 in their last 10, including losses to Georgia, Mississippi State, and Tennessee (twice). A win here makes it much less likely that they'll spend a second straight year packing for the NIT.

Arkansas could potentially enter this game losing 10 of their last 11 games and will need a win to stay at .500 or better. Florida won by 15 at home in the regular season matchup.

Prediction: Florida 82, Arkansas 71

ROUND Two

Kentucky (E4) vs. LSU (W1)

LSU has become a poll darling (until tomorrow at least), but few casual observers have examined the Tigers' horrendous non-conference schedule, which includes losses at Texas A&M and a 30-point blowout at the hands of Utah, the only decent teams that they played.

Their best non-conference win was a home win over a Washington State team that was not playing at their best early in the season.

However, the Tigers had generally beat up their SEC brethren until this week, when Vanderbilt and Auburn handed them successive losses to end the regular season.

Make it three in a row as the Tigers "geaux" home early (have I mentioned that Kentucky is desperate?) in a rematch of a game that LSU won on the road 73-70 just two weeks ago.

Prediction: Kentucky 84, LSU 81, OT

Mississippi State (W3) vs. South Carolina (E2)

South Carolina lost this game in Starkville 75-70 a few weeks ago, and the Gamecocks would go from "virtual lock" to "lock" with a win here. That normally means that you can count on South Carolina to lose, but Coach Darrin Horn and star PG Devan Downey have instilled a new attitude in this Gamecocks squad.

USC went on the road and grabbed a must-win against Georgia, and they are playing for an NCAA bid, while the Bulldogs are playing for NIT seeding. I'll take Coach Horn's experience and Downey's talent in this rematch, but Gamecock fans better have their beta-blockers and benzodiazepines handy.

Prediction: South Carolina 74, Mississippi State 72

Vanderbilt (E5) vs. Tennessee (E1)

Tennessee easily swept the season series with their bitter in-state rivals and have finished the season strong, with a win at home against Mississippi State and road wins over Florida and South Carolina.

Though Tennessee has played a bit of Jekyll and Hyde throughout the year, they appear to be roaring in March. Vanderbilt will not roll over and if Tennessee reverts to their mid-February impression of a fruitcake, they are capable of being upset.

The Commodores have not had an answer for Tyler Smith (who scored 30 in the most recent matchup) and Wayne Chism shredded them in the earlier game.

Guess who's peaking right now? Unfortunately for Vanderbilt, it's Chism and Smith (with J.P. Prince contributing nicely as well).

Prediction: Tennessee 79, Vanderbilt 63

Florida (E3) vs. Auburn (W2)

This is probably the best second-round matchup, and the game at Auburn earlier this year was a nail-biter as well, with Florida pulling out a 68-65 win. Since that game, Florida has been choppy, going 7-7 in conference play, while Auburn has soared, going 10-4 in the SEC.

Nick Calathes and Alex Tyus led the Gators in the regular season matchup, while the Tigers had four scorers in double-figures (and another player with nine points) and squandered a second-half lead.

Auburn continues to spread the ball around effectively and has become the SEC's leading scoring defense.

Florida has become a sieve when it comes to three-point shooting and the Tigers are one of the SEC's better teams from behind the arc. Big Mo' is on Auburn's side as well, as the Tigers have been winning on the road consistently during their current streak.

Prediction: Auburn 68, Florida 66

Semifinals

Kentucky (E4) vs. South Carolina (E2)

Kentucky's legs will be getting tired as they play their third game in three days. South Carolina, if they make it this far, will be playing only their second.

The Gamecocks defeated Kentucky twice during the regular season and will be trying to improve their tournament seeding at this point. Kentucky's desperation will not be enough to overcome the most underrated point guard in the country, though you shouldn't expect a repeat of the 77-59 thumping that the 'Cocks laid on the 'Cats on Feb. 25.

In one of the more bizarre stats of the SEC season, South Carolina set a school record with 16 blocks in the game and never led by less than 18 in the second half.

Kentucky fans, go ahead and get out your "For Sale" signs ready for Billy G's lawn.

Prediction: South Carolina 81, Kentucky 73

Tennessee (E1) vs. Auburn (W2)

Does anyone have a coin I can flip? Tennessee is capable of playing like a team headed for the Final Four. Unfortunately, the rest of the time they look like they couldn't make the Final Four of the College Basketball Invitational.

Fatigue won't be a factor, as both teams have first-round byes, and Auburn has been the more consistent team at the end of the year. Better yet, Auburn already has won a squeaker over Tennessee on Feb. 7 that started their incredible SEC streak.

Auburn's Korvotney Barber holds the key; he was an absolute beast (16 points and 17 rebounds) in Saturday's victory over LSU.

Prediction: Auburn 73, Tennessee 70

SEC Championship

South Carolina (E2) vs. Auburn (W2)

The Gamecocks haven't won an SEC Championship since 1997, when they went 15-1 in conference play under Eddie Fogler.

Auburn has won the tourney just once, back in 1985, under coach Sonny Smith. Jeff Lebo, who probably saved his job with his late-season run, would like to etch his name in Auburn lore as the next coach to do so.

In a year when the SEC has undoubtedly been a bit down, it is fitting that one of these two underdogs take home the hardware.

In their one meeting during the regular season, Downey was held in check by the Auburn defense, but Zam Frederick scored 27 as the Gamecocks stretched a two-point halftime lead into a 68-56 win.

The Tigers are a different team now and as much as I would like to think the Gamecocks can break their Chicken Curse in style, it's hard to argue with Auburn's current consistency, coaching, and teamwork. If Auburn can keep Downey in check again, they should hang on in a thriller.

Prediction: Auburn 67, South Carolina 65

SEC CHAMPION: Auburn Tigers

Keep in mind that this is the SEC, so it's more than just a cliche when I say that anyone has a chance. If nothing else, Georgia proved it last year.

If you're looking for a darkhorse this year, look no further than Mississippi State Bulldogs or the (yes, still desperate) Kentucky Wildcats. Perhaps even the Crimson Tide (winners of four of five) can pull out a Georgia-style miracle.

If it plays out this way, do the Florida Gators get a bid? Tune in next Sunday and find out.