One seed for the Vols

The Tennessee Vols have a chance to be a one seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. I’m not sure there is a team who is playing better than the Vols right now. They are up to number four in the country and are coming off a beat down of Texas A&M.

They are currently in first place in the SEC, but have the toughest stretch to end the season. If they win out, they are a lock one seed and even if they go three and one, they will have a good shot at a one seed. That quest begins Wednesday as the Auburn Tigers come to town.

The Vols have come up short in the Tournament, just about every year. I believe this year's team could be different. The biggest reason I believe they can make a run is because they will have the best player on the floor every night.

Dalton Knecht is a game changer and can carry a team to a final four. Zakai Ziegler is playing like a first team all-SEC type of player right now and the emergence of Jonas Aidoo inside is huge for the Vols. The last couple of games Tennessee has started playing a two big lineup with Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka. This lineup has been very good and has helped the Vols with rebounding the ball.

This team can win in so many different ways, which is very helpful in March. 

Texas A&M stood zero chance in beating the Vols in Knoxville on Saturday, but I am not sure that I expected them to lose by 35. The Aggies have lost four in a row and have played themselves out of the NCAA Tournament.

The Aggies play style is not a style that can hold up throughout the entire season. At some point you have to put the ball in the basket and they just do not have the guys to do it. One thing lacking is constant ball movement and player movement. There is a lot of standing around and watching Wade Taylor or Tyrese Radford.

Defense was optional in Lexington

Kentucky showed why they have the potential to make a Final Four on Saturday. The talent this team has is ridiculous and when they put it all together, it can get scary. This team can score the ball in so many different ways and really did it without their best back to the basket player.

The emergence of Justin Edwards is key for this Wildcats team. He is their most versatile defender and just has not held his own on the offensive side of the ball. I believe Saturday could have been his coming out party. 

Edwards does not have to score 25 points for this Wildcats team, but with him being a threat to go off like that is the key. Teams now have to guard Edwards, which will open up things for Antonio Reaves, Rob Dillingham, and company. I do think that Kentucky needs to get back Tre Mitchell, as they have struggled against physical bigs. The defense for the Wildcats is still concerning, but I have seen more fight in the Wildcats on that end. 

I hear a lot of people saying that this is just one game and there is no need to overreact to how bad Alabama played on Saturday. I do not think you need to overreact, but it is concerning how bad this team is on defense. Kentucky could have scored 140 if they wanted too and I do not care how great Kentucky shot the ball, you have to be awful on defense to give up that many points.

If the Tide want to make a run, they have to guard. You can not expect to just go and outscore people because just relying on making shots is a recipe to get upset in March. Alabama has the pieces to be a solid defensive team, which is all they need to be, but the toughness and energy that it takes to play defense is not there. They are not great at guarding the ball, but off the ball defense is even worse. 

Gamecocks bounce back

I was very impressed with South Carolina on Saturday and thought it was the most underrated performance of the weekend. They had lost two in a row and went into a place where Ole MIss had lost only once, as well as the Rebels fighting for their NCAA tournament lives, and the Gamecocks dominated the game.

I was concerned about the South Carolina bigs against Ole Miss, but I thought the way Lamont Paris used them was key. They used BJ Mack in a lot of pick and roll where Mack would pop to the three. This made the Ole Miss bigs have to guard on the perimeter. Colin Murray-Boyles was able to play off this and get great post position in the paint. 

Ole Miss is just not very good on offense and does not have the type of players to play in a Chris Beard offense. Beard really likes good one on one players, who can create and hit tough shots. This team is hard to watch on offense at times and take very bad shots. This is a recipe for disaster playing against the Gamecocks defense.

South Carolina smothered the Rebels and did not let them get any type of flow on offense. This win should give the South Carolina players a lot of confidence going forward. 

Best of the rest in the SEC

Auburn bounces back with a win in Athens in what was an impressive performance. Playing without Jaylin Williams, the depth of Auburn paid off in this instance. Chad Baker-Mazara was great for the Tigers and I think will be a big piece for them.

His energy and effort really uplifts the Tigers when he is in the game. He is a long and lengthy defender, who is solid from three point line and is a great cutter. His game can really translate to the next level. Aden Holloway finally showed up and hit some shots. The five-star freshman has really struggled to shoot the ball, but saw some shots go in.

Mississippi State stays hot as the blowout LSU in Baton Rouge. This was a little shocking as I thought the Tigers had a really good shot at making some noise late in the season. Josh Hubbard is making his case for freshman of the year as he scored 32 points. The duo of Hubbard and Tolu Smith is good enough to make a run.

Florida beats Vandy in what looked like the Gators were half asleep playing and still won by double digits and Missouri remains winless as they fall to Arkansas. 

Look ahead to this weeks games

Get used to me saying the game of the day is involving Tennessee because that will be the case going forward. The game of the day is in Knoxville as Auburn comes to town. Bruce Pearl always has his team ready to play against his former school. The Tigers have struggled on the road and this is not the place to go with those struggles. Auburn has to hit shots in this game and really need to get off to a good start.

The Vols just need to keep sharing the ball and playing with confidence. Really interested to see who Auburn matches up with Dalton Knecht. Jaylin Williams being out will really show in this game, as Johni Broome is really the only threat inside for the Tigers. Tennessee fans are ready for this one and it will be a wild environment inside The Food City Center. 

Kentucky travels to Starkville to face the red hot Bulldogs. In a complete contrast of styles, I am really interested in this game. It is pretty obvious in the keys as Kentucky wants high scoring and Mississippi State wants a defensive and physical game. Tolu Smith is the key player in this game.

South Carolina travels to College Station to play a desperate A&M squad. This is a must win game for the Aggies and I do think this is a hard spot for the Gamecocks. This game could be a hard watch with a lot of missed shots, but will be a physical, defensive battle. 

Alabama goes to Ole Miss to take on another desperate team, as the Rebels need this win as well. I expect Alabama to play much better and inspired basketball. Ole Miss is not catching the Tide at a great time.

Georgia goes to LSU as this has SEC tournament seeding implications. Vandy travels to Arkansas as the Razorbacks are playing much better basketball. Missouri goes to Gainesville as the Gators are playing better than anyone.