Bodog Beat

The SEC Tournament, which begins Thursday in Nashville, certainly lacks the drama of pretty much all of the major conference tournaments because the SEC crown has all but been given to Kentucky – bet on the tournament all week with Bodog’s NCAA basketball odds.

And why shouldn’t the Wildcats be massive favorites – opening at 2/5 – after going 14-2 during the regular season (with the two losses only coming in road games)? UK hasn’t won this tournament since 2004 but boasts the conference player of the year (John Wall) and freshman of the year (DeMarcus Cousins, who is a freshman like Wall). Add in Patrick Patterson, and the Cats have the three best players on the floor against any SEC foe. UK won on average by 10.1 points in SEC play, but it had seven games decided by seven points or fewer. The Wildcats’ first two games in this tournament could be against the only two teams to beat them (South Carolina and Tennessee).

Because this tournament is in Nashville, don’t rule out hometown Vanderbilt (4/1 on Bodog to win) or Tennessee (3/1). The Vols won five of their last six games, which included wins over Kentucky and at Mississippi State, the SEC West champ and No. 2 seed in this tournament. The Vols would have to face UK in the semis, while Vandy avoids Kentucky until the final – the Wildcats swept Vandy this year but were pushed to the limit in the most recent meeting.

Expect the champ to come from the East Division as it is clearly the dominant division in the conference, with Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Florida going a combined 24-0 against the SEC West.

The SEC probably only has three lock NCAA Tournament bids at the moment (UK, Tennessee, Vandy). Thus that could mean a potential quarterfinal matchup between Florida (12/1) and Mississippi State (13/2), two bubble teams, could be for the conference’s final at-large bid. The Gators should have little trouble in their opener against Auburn, and they beat MSU head-to-head once this year. UF enters on a three-game skid, while the Bulldogs enter having lost two in a row.

This tournament has produced a surprise tournament champ each of the last two years, with Georgia winning it in 2008 and Mississippi State a year ago. Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss are the only SEC teams that haven't won two or more SEC Tournament games in a single year since 2002.

Here are the matchups in the first two rounds, all times Eastern:

Thursday’s first round
(E5) South Carolina vs. (W4) Alabama, 1 p.m
(W6) LSU vs. (E3) Tennessee, 3:15 p.m.
(W5) Auburn (E4) Florida, 7:30 p.m.
(E6) Georgia vs. (W3) Arkansas, 9:45 p.m.
Friday’s quarterfinals
South Carolina/Alabama vs. (E1) Kentucky, 1 p.m.
LSU/Tennessee vs. (W2) Ole Miss, 3:15 p.m.
Auburn/Florida vs. (W1) Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m.
Georgia/Arkansas vs. (E2) Vanderbilt, 9:45 p.m.

Get all your SEC Tournament odds and props at Bodog