Spotlight on the SEC: Alabama looks poised for a deep tournament run

The SEC may be known for its football, but the basketball in this conference has risen to the ranks of the best in the nation.

Let’s examine the top headlines from around the SEC and break down this week's juiciest matchups.

SEC News and Notes

Alabama ends basketball drought

Usually, March means it's just one month closer to spring practice in Tuscaloosa. However, this year, Alabama fans are rallying behind their basketball team, hoping for a Final Four run. Alabama clinched their first regular season SEC title since 2002 after a win at Mississippi State on Saturday.

The Crimson Tide are 14-2 in SEC play and 19-6 overall. They are a projected No. 2 seed in Joe Lunardi’s most recent bracketology. They will face Auburn and Georgia in their final two regular season games this week.

Tennessee in free fall mode 

The Volunteers started the season red-hot at 10-1, with their only loss to the Crimson Tide. However, Tennessee now sits at 16-7 and has lost three of its last five games. They have one more regular season game at home against Florida before they head into tournament play.

They will need a win and some help to get into the top four in the final SEC standings, and they really need some momentum before the NCAA tournament.

Top Movers

The Florida Gators won an impressive road game on Saturday at Kentucky to cap off three consecutive wins. Guard Tre Mann took home SEC Player of the Week honors after averaging 20.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals in wins over Auburn and Kentucky. He scored 11 of the Gators' final 20 points at Kentucky, including some massive free-throws to ice the game.

Florida now sits at 9-5 in the SEC, but has two tough tests this week to finish off the regular season. The Gators face Missouri and Tennessee, needing just one victory to clinch a top four SEC finish and a double-bye in the SEC tournament.

The Arkansas Razorbacks once again find themselves in this column with two extremely impressive wins in the past week. They took down both Alabama and LSU, and proved they are the hottest team in the conference. This is now six consecutive wins overall, and nine consecutive SEC wins. No one wants to face this team in the tournament.

SEC Games Spotlight

Missouri vs. Florida (Wednesday, Mar. 3)

The Florida Gators will be looking to clinch a coveted double-bye in the SEC tournament with a win over the Tigers on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Missouri will be looking to get back in the mix for a double-bye, even though they need a lot of help to go with this win. The Tigers have lost four of their last five games, and have not won on the road since Jan. 23 at Tennessee.

LSU vs. Missouri (Saturday, Mar. 6)

If Missouri can defeat Florida on Wednesday, this game may determine if they can sneak into a top four position. LSU needs this win to guarantee a double-bye if they can handle Vanderbilt in their mid-week game.

Florida vs. Tennessee (Sunday, Mar. 7)

The final game of the SEC regular season will be a crucial one for both teams involved. Both teams may be fighting for a spot in the top four positions and a double-bye in the SEC tournament depending on other results throughout the week. Florida destroyed Tennessee in their previous matchup on Jan. 19 by a score of 75-49.

SEC basketball betting trends

• Arkansas has covered eight of its last nine games ATS, and the Under is 7-4 in its last 11 games
• Auburn is 8-2-1 ATS after a win, and the Under is 7-4 in games after a win
• The Over is 6-2-1 in Georgia games after a loss, and 10-4-1 when Georgia is the underdog
• Mississippi State is 8-3 ATS after a loss, and Kentucky is 3-9-1 ATS after a loss
• Mississippi State and Vanderbilt are 5-2 ATS as the road team