SEC Tournament betting - LSU is the class of the conference
March Madness betting gets started early, as the SEC Tournament gets underway. The basketball lines in this conference have the Tennessee Volunteers and the LSU Tigers as co-favorites, but the main question handicappers are asking is whether or not the SEC can be a factor in the Final Four.
SEC tournament betting: LSU is the most reliable pick
- LSU has been consistent all season long
- Auburn is the SEC's best defensive team
- Tennessee has already been upset this season
This will be the 50th annual SEC Tournament and the SEC Tournament odds are spread out with five teams at +500 odds or better.
Last season, Georgia made a run to the final, which helped its standing for the March Madness basketball lines, and a number of SEC teams hope to do the same this year. The SEC is currently projected to send only three teams to the NCAA Tournament. For another one to squeak in, a major underdog on the SEC tournament lines will have to make a big push.
LSU and Tennessee, the top seeds in each of the two SEC divisions, will be factors in the March Madness basketball lines. But LSU is more secure than Tennessee and, should Tennessee or Florida suffer a bad loss early on in the tournament, they might not be in the big dance.
Sportsbook oddsmakers have the SEC Tournament odds spread out so much because, even though LSU and Tennessee are the top teams in this conference, there’s lots of other quality talent.
Auburn is the best defensive team in the conference, South Carolina has a dangerous guard combo, Alabama has already beaten Tennessee while Arkansas is a high-scoring bunch.
When the dust settles, the SEC Tournament odds should be accurate. Expect LSU to be the winner. The Tigers are the most complete team, they were the only team in the SEC to dominate the basketball lines all season, and they are the most reliable. More importantly, they don’t have an overly difficult path to the crown.
SEC Tournament
St. Pete Times Forum – Tampa, Fla.
FIRST ROUND – Thursday, March 12
Game 1: E4 Kentucky vs. W5 Ole Miss, 1 p.m.
Game 2: W3 Mississippi State vs. E6 Georgia, 3:15 p.m.
Game 3: W4 Alabama vs. E5 Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m.
Game 4: E3 Florida vs. W6 Arkansas, 9:45 p.m.
SECOND ROUND – Friday, March 13
Game 5: W LSU vs. Game 1 winner, 1 p.m.
Game 6: E2 South Carolina vs. Game 2 winner, 3:15 p.m.
Game 7: E1 Tennessee vs. Game 3 winner, 7:30 p.m.
Game 8: W2 Auburn vs. Game 4 winner, 9:45 p.m.
SEMIFINAL – Saturday, March 14
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, ESPN2, 1 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, ESPN2, 3:15 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP – Sunday, March 15
Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 1 p.m.
WASHINGTON'S PICK: While other teams have more motivation, because they might need to make up some ground to get an at-large March Madness bid, LSU will be the SEC Tournament betting winner.
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Washington Tucker was practically raised at Rucker Park. Though a freak knee injury cost him a major college basketball scholarship, his “sixth-sense” on the hardwood has translated into a spectacular career in basketball handicapping. Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
