Women’s Conference Tournament Preview: SEC
WOMEN’S CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: SEC — As deep as the SEC is, the biggest question in Greenville is a simple one: will we get round no. 3 between South Carolina and Texas?
The Gamecocks and the Longhorns were tied in every possible conference tiebreaker, so the league had to go with a coin flip to see who would get the No. 1 seed in the SEC. South Carolina got the nod, but it’s Texas who’s in a stronger spot. The Longhorns are currently the top overall seed for the NCAA, while the Gamecocks are just barely holding on to their No. 1 slot.
Related: Women’s Conference Tournament: Big 12
And that only adds to the intrigue for a league that looks to get double digit bids to the tournament. It’s telling that Tennessee is sitting ninth in this tournament, yet the Volunteers are safely in the field around the No. 6 line. Unlike the Big Ten, it’s going to take a day before things get interesting, as the bottom six teams are nowhere near the top 10, but once the pretenders are gone, this will be fun.
Details
When: Wednesday, March 5 to Sunday, March 9
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C.
TV: SEC Network, ESPN2 and ESPN
Who’s the Favorite?
It will be an upset if either South Carolina or Texas isn’t playing on Sunday. The Gamecocks and the Longhorns both went 15-1 in the SEC, only losing to each other. In the case of South Carolina, they weren’t even scratched by anyone else. The list of SEC teams besides Texas who stayed within 10 points of South Carolina in defeat is Tennessee — and that’s it.
Related: March Madness Predictions
Texas was a bit more prone to letdowns, playing tighter games against Ole Miss and LSU before emerging victorious. But the Longhorns’ slow-paced style lends itself well to a tournament setting like this one. Texas loves to slow the pace down and squeeze the life out of its opponents, much as it did in holding Georgia to 26 points. The Longhorns will likely be fresh at the end, but by the same token, so will South Carolina if it doesn’t have to exert itself in the fourth quarter.
Who Needs A Good Showing?
The team with the most to lose might be Vanderbilt. The Commodores are currently a No. 8 seed in both the NCAA tournament and the SEC tournament. Good news: they don’t play Wednesday. Bad news: they will almost certainly be playing Tennessee on Thursday. The Volunteers went 8-8 in the league and haven’t forgotten losing at the buzzer in Nashville on Mikayla Blakes’ tip-in. Tennessee also would love another shot at South Carolina, as the Vols have reasonable hopes of getting a top-four seed.
Related: Problems With College Sports Travel
Mississippi State also has a lot to lose. The Bulldogs have gone just 4-6 in their past 10 games and alternated wins and losses for their past eight. While some of that has to do with facing LSU, Alabama and Texas, Mississippi State also got picked off by Florida and found a way to lose at Missouri. Given that the Tigers started their season getting trucked at Vermont, they’re nowhere near the field. But they can absolutely ruin Mississippi State’s season on Wednesday.
Who’s In the Best Form?
After 13 wins in a row, the answer has to be Texas. The Longhorns have looked dominant ever since the earlier loss to South Carolina, which is why they’re looking at a top overall seed.
The Pick
The big two are the favorites for a reason. South Carolina has a potentially very tricky quarterfinal against Tennessee, but the Gamecocks have consistently survived challenge after challenge in this event. Eight of the past 10 SEC tournament titles have gone to Columbia, and it looks like South Carolina is set to make it nine.
