SI Gambling Insider Frankie Taddeo previews the betting odds and breaks down this week’s SEC tournament
The SEC tournament will commence on Wednesday and run through Sunday at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The Alabama Crimson Tide will be seeking their first SEC Tournament championship title since 1991. Alabama will face several tough SEC foes that include the Arkansas Razorbacks, who have won eight consecutive games.
The early money in Vegas is betting on the top two seeds facing off in the SEC Championship game. Alabama, who has won six of its last seven games, have burned bettors, only going 3-4 against the spread (ATS) over that span. The Crimson Tide, who have posted a 17-3 straight-up (SU) record since late December, seemingly have a favorable path to the SEC championship game, likely facing teams they were 6-0 SU against in the regular season (Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Florida).
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On the bottom side of the bracket, we find the red-hot No. 2 seed Arkansas Razorbacks, who are on an eight-game winning streak. Even more impressive is that Arkansas is 7-1 ATS during that stretch for bettors. If the Razorbacks were to advance and face Alabama in the Championship, they would have to face Missouri and LSU - two teams they split with during the regular season.
Note: This year's SEC tournament will only feature one game on Wednesday due to the Auburn Tigers' self-imposed postseason ban.
SEC Tournament Contenders
No. 1 seed Alabama Crimson Tide (21-6; 16-2 SEC; 15-11-1 ATS) +220
If you thought that Alabama was only a school with a dominant football program then you better think again. The Crimson Tide have taken the NCAA basketball season by storm, winning 17 of its last 20 games on their way to cracking the Top-10 in the polls. To the delight of the bettors, backing Alabama at the betting windows has been extremely profitable as the Tide has posted a 13-7 ATS record during that span.
No. 2 seed Arkansas Razorbacks (21-5; 13-4 SEC; 17-8 ATS) +320
Arkansas has beaten every team on their schedule - outside of Oklahoma State - dating back to Jan. 20. That impressive 11-1 SU record has resulted in a financial windfall for their backers going 9-3 ATS over that span. The Razorbacks have begun to garner attention appearing at No. 8 in the latest AP Top-25 poll. Arkansas’ late season play indicates that they will have a tremendous advantage against any opponent ahead of the championship game.
No. 3 seed LSU Tigers (16-8; 11-6 SEC; 11-13 ATS) +500
LSU closed out the regular season in solid fashion winning five of its last seven games, going 4-2-1 ATS over that stretch. Will Wade will have an uphill battle to win the SEC tournament and despite the attractive +500 odds, they are a hard pass in the futures market.
No. 4 seed Tennessee (17-7; 10-7 SEC; 12-11 ATS) +525
The Volunteers have been too inconsistent to trust over the past month posting a 2-4-1 ATS record over their past seven games. If they were to advance to a Semifinal match-up against Alabama on Saturday it is likely where Tennessee’s quest will end. The Crimson Tide handed the Volunteers a 71-63 loss in Knoxville back on Jan. 2.
Frankie Whispers Breakdown: Alabama is the top betting choice but the biggest move in the conference odds belongs to Arkansas who were being offered at odds of +2000 several weeks ago - are now only returning odds of +320 for every $100 wagered. There is no reason to get frisky here as the winner of the SEC will come from either of the top two seeds and thus we will wager accordingly. Alabama has the easier path and as a result lands as the pick to win the SEC tournament.
- Pick: Alabama +220
- Longshot: Arkansas +320
SEC Conference Betting Odds
- Alabama +220
- Arkansas +320
- LSU +500
- Tennessee +525
- Florida +575
- Missouri +600
- Kentucky +3000
- Ole Miss +4000
- Mississippi State +6000
- Georgia +20000
- South Carolina +20000
- Texas A&M +40000
- Vanderbilt +50000
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
2021 SEC Tournament Schedule
Location: Bridgestone Arena -- Nashville, Tennessee
First round -- Wednesday, March 10
Game 1: No. 12 Vanderbilt vs. No. 13 Texas A&M | 6 pm ET | SEC Network
Second round -- Thursday, March 11
Game 2: No. 8 Kentucky vs. No. 9 Mississippi State | 12 pm ET | SEC Network
Game 3: No. 5 Florida vs. Game 1 winner | 2 pm ET | SEC Network
Game 4: No. 7 Missouri vs. No. 10 Georgia | 7 pm ET | SEC Network
Game 5: No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 South Carolina | 9 pm ET | SEC Network
Quarterfinals -- Friday, March 12
Game 6: No. 1 Alabama vs. Game 2 winner | 12 pm ET | ESPN
Game 7: No. 4 Tennessee vs. Game 3 winner | 2 pm ET | ESPN
Game 8: No. 2 Arkansas vs. Game 4 winner | 7pm ET | SEC Network
Game 9: No. 3 LSU vs. Game 5 winner | 9 pm ET | SEC Network
Semifinals -- Saturday, March 13
Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner | 1 pm ET | ESPN
Game 11: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner | 3 pm ET | ESPN
SEC Tournament Championship Game -- Sunday, March 14
Game 12: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner | 11 pm ET | ESPN
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