Conference tournaments are finally here after what has been one of the most entertaining seasons of college basketball in recent memory.
The SEC has risen above all other conferences, with 12 teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament. But before the national tournament, the SEC Tournament is setting up to be a bloodbath with seven teams ranked in the AP Poll top-25 ready to duke it out.
What teams are favored to win the whole thing? We’ll list them here and explain why they have a chance of finishing as the 2025 SEC Tournament Champions.
What Teams Have the Best Chances of Winning the SEC Tournament?
For this piece, we’re using our very own College Sports Network winning projections as well as FanDuel Sportsbook for our betting odds.
Auburn Tigers — 15.84% (CSN) +140 (FD)
After assuming the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll for most of the season, the Tigers find themselves with the best winning percentage and best betting odds to win the SEC Tournament.
It’s for a good reason; they boast arguably the best player in college basketball, fifth-year senior Johni Broome, and one of the deepest, most well-rounded rosters in the country. Broome has dominated in conference play this season and was named the SEC Player of the Year. Head coach Bruce Pearl was also awarded the SEC Coach of the Year award.
However, the Tigers dropped their final two games of the season. But Pearl should have them ready to go, potentially with some added motivation to bounce back from the losses.
Auburn claiming the top seed in the tournament means they’ll theoretically face the easiest path to the title. A potential holdup prior to the championship game will be a potential matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers, whom they beat by a mere two points on January 25.
The path will not be easy regardless of who they face, as the SEC is an unbelievably tough conference this season. A pair of SEC conference titles, along with the SEC regular-season title the Tigers have already claimed, would further enhance their impressive resume.
Tennessee Volunteers — 15.22% (CSN) +600 (FD)
Although the Volunteers have the fourth-best odds to win the conference title, our metrics point towards them having the second-best chance — immediately making this one of the best non-favorite bets of all the SEC members.
It all boils down to Tennessee’s defense as to why they’re in this position; they allow the sixth-fewest ppg in the nation and repeatedly control the pace of the game, making teams uncomfortable before putting them away in the clutch. Guard Chaz Lanier has been a revelation for this squad, providing 17.9 ppg and a true go-to scorer for the Volunteers.
KEEP READING: ‘Best Player in College Basketball’ – Johni Broome’s Impact Will Be Huge, Bruce Pearl Says
Point guard Zakai Zeigler makes it all happen, providing tough perimeter defense and distributing at the highest mark in the SEC, with 7.5 apg.
The tournament path will likely go through the Tigers in the semifinals, but considering their two-point loss on the road to Auburn, the Volunteers should be confident that they can pull off the upset at a neutral site.
Kentucky Wildcats — 13.82% (CSN) +2500 (FD)
The Wildcats have long been considered a high-ceiling, low-floor team due to their explosive offense (85.2 ppg) and lackluster defense (77.0 ppg allowed). That’s resulted in high highs — such as a season-, sweep over the Volunteers — and low lows, with losses to the Arkansas Razorbacks, Georgia Bulldogs, and Texas Longhorns in conference play.
Kentucky, seemingly, could just as easily get bounced in their first game, which will be against Georgia or the Oklahoma Sooners, or beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in the quarterfinals on their way to an SEC championship run.
Our metrics point towards that being a possible scenario, likely with the belief that their late-season offensive excellence can continue during the tournament. Over their last two games, the Wildcats averaged 93.0 ppg — making it hard to see them lose if they keep up that output.
Alabama Crimson Tide — 11.97% (CSN) +500 (FD)
The Crimson Tide will go as far as All-American point guard Mark Sears will take them. They are a deep squad, but Sears is the one player on the roster who can truly raise the ceiling and take over a game.
Alabama, after a buzzer-beating floater by Sears to win the game against Auburn in the final game of the regular season, will assume the No. 3 seed in the tournament and won’t play until the quarterfinals. With the top-scoring offense in the country, the Crimson Tide have proven to be able to keep up with any team, but what happens if the well runs dry?
Head coach Nate Oats hopes that question won’t have to be answered and the Crimson Tide will continue their high-scoring ways in the conference tournament; if they can, they may be raising the trophy on March 16.
Florida Gators — 11.85% (CSN) +250 (FD)
Just a shade below Alabama in terms of winning probability, the Gators also enter the tournament with a chance at hoisting the trophy by the end of the weekend.
Florida’s trio of scoring guards engineer their offensive attack, but it’s the emergence of forward Alex Condon that is raising expectations for this squad. At 6’11”, Condon is extremely athletic and versatile, with the ability to excel in big games. He led the Gators to a 99-94 victory over the Crimson Tide on March 5 after totaling 27 points and 10 rebounds.
KEEP READING: ‘Analytics Line Up with the Way We Play’ — Nate Oats Confident in Alabama’s Tournament Chances
FanDuel has Florida listed with the second-best odds to win the SEC, with below three-to-one odds. While our metrics don’t quite have them that high, they still have a good chance due to stingy defense and multiple dynamic offensive performers.
Best of the Rest:
- Texas A&M Aggies: +2500
- Missouri Tigers: +4000
- Ole Miss Rebels: +6000
- Mississippi State Bulldogs: +8000
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