SEC Basketball: Top Teams, March Madness Hopes

0:00On March 5th, the SEC men's basketball regular season is wrapping up, and while the league fell short of last year's hype with fewer deep tournament. Runs, it's still dominating ESPN's latest bracketology. No other conference has more teams projected for March madness. Fortest days locked in at number 1 with a 24 and 6 record, 15 and 2 in conference play. Arkansas holds second at 22 and 8 despite some tough losses to top teams, while Alabama sits third with the same mark, leaning on there, sharpshooting, but needing rebounding help. Tennessee and Vanderbilt round out the top five, with the volunteers peaking if injured star Nate Amenton gets healthy and the Commodore is hunting for a big statement when mid-pack teams like Georgia have climbed into eighth with newfound consistency from their front court duo, tying Texas and Texas A&M at 9th. Kentucky slipped to 7th amid a rough stretch, now 2 and 4 in their last six games under Coach Mark Pope.

1:00The bottom half shows Stark divides, with Auburn dropping out of NCAA contention after a home loss, Oklahoma winning three straight to surge and LSU. Landing in last at 15 and 15, Ole Miss and South Carolina scraped by with minimal conference wins. As conference tournaments kick off soon, these rankings set the stage for who advances deepest into March madness.