South Carolina and Alabama will tip off at 1 o’clock central time on Thursday to begin what should be a very entertaining couple of days in Nashville, Tennessee. Eleven SEC opponents will try to knock off John Calipari and his top seeded Kentucky Wildcats to claim the conference title.

There are many teams that have yet to have their post season fates decided. Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee appear to be the only teams that have claimed their spots in the big dance. Florida, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State will likely have to make some noise this weekend to make the field of 65.

But as we know, anything can happen in the SEC tournament. It was just two years ago that Georgia surprised the nation by winning the tournament while coming in with a record of 14-16 and last year Mississippi State came in and won four games in four days. So here is a rundown of the tournament:

First Round-

South Carolina 15-15 (6-10) vs. Alabama  16-14 (6-10)

If I had to pick a team that has the best chance to win the tournament that doesn’t have a shot at an at- large bid it would have to be South Carolina. Led by senior point guard and the SEC’s leading scorer Devan Downey, the Gamecocks will look to regain their early season form to make a run at an SEC title. The Gamecocks rank second in the SEC in points per game and should be able to take down the slumping Crimson Tide.

Winner: South Carolina

LSU 11-19 (2-14) vs. Tennessee 22-7 (10-5)

Let’s just face it, the Tigers have been awful this year. We thought for a while they might not get an SEC victory. Trent Johnson had a decent first year at LSU but may be on the hot seat after this abysmal year. Tennessee leads the SEC in points per game and shouldn’t have too much trouble getting past the Bayou Bengals.

Winner- Tennessee

Auburn 15-16 (6-10) vs. Florida 20-11 (9-7)

Out of all the teams on the bubble in the SEC, it appears that Florida is in the best position. With wins over Florida State, Tennessee and North Carolina State it may only take one win the the SEC tournament for them to get an at- large bid. Auburn shouldn’t pose too much of a threat and the Gators should move on to the next round.

Winner- Florida

Georgia 13-16 (4-11) Arkansas 14-17 (7-9)

Don’t expect to see this years Bulldogs pull off the same feat they did in 2008. Arkansas showed some signs of promise with wins over MSU and Ole Miss, but neither of these teams should make too much noise in the tournament.

Winner- Arkansas

Quarterfinals-

Kentucky 29-2 (14-2) vs. South Carolina

South Carolina is one of two teams that have beaten the Wildcats this year. John Calipari has proven himself to be one of the best coaches/recruiters in the nation. Don’t be surprised if the Gamecocks take this one but Wall and the Wildcats will probably be too much for South Carolina.

Winner- Kentucky

Ole Miss 21-9 (9-7) vs. Tennessee

The Rebels still have a sour taste in their mouths after a two point loss to Tennessee in Knoxville in OT. Chris Warren has been hot for the Rebs as of late and the return of Eniel Polynice from suspension should be a nice spark for the Rebels. This should be a hard fought battle and if the Rebels are shooting well from the 3- point line, they should take this one.

Winner- Ole Miss

Mississippi State 21-10 (9-7) vs. Florida

This should be one of the more interesting games of the tournament. Florida won their only meeting back in Febuary and the defending SEC tournament champs have been struggling lately. Both teams are on the bubble of the NCAA tournament and both may need this win to make it in. Jarvis Varnado will be a difference maker for the Bulldogs down low as he leads the league in both blocks and rebounds.

Winner: Mississippi State

Vanderbilt 23-7 (12-4) vs. Arkansas

Vanderbilt seems like a team that is always ready to make some noise come March. They have established themselves at the top of the SEC the past couple of years. Junior center AJ Ogilvy has played a big role this year as their big man and guard Jermaine Beal leads the team in scoring.

Winner: Vanderbilt

Semifinals-

Ole Miss vs. Kentucky

Ole Miss will probably play Kentucky a little closer than their first meeting but probably won’t have enough to beat the Wildcats. Guards Terrico White and Chris Warren will have to have an all-star performance to pull the upset and would surely love to improve their tournament stock. Wall and Cousins will be too much for the Rebels.

Winner- Kentucky

Mississippi State vs. Vanderbilt

The Varnando vs. Ogilvy matchup should be a good one but Vanderbilt’s guard play will prove to be too much for State.

Winner: Vanderbilt

Championship-

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt

This game should be a classic. Kentucky will be fighting for a number one seed and Vanderbilt for a possible 2 or 3 seed. John Wall is among the best freshman in the country and is joined by fellow All- SEC freshman Eric Bledsoe. Look for Vanderbilt to make the Sweet 16 in the big dance but lose to the Wildcats.

Champion: Kentucky Wildcats

NCAA Tournament Teams (seed)

Kentucky (1)

Vanderbilt (3)

Tennessee (5)

Ole Miss (10)

Florida (11)

Mississippi State (11)

Junior PG Jerrell Thompson scored a career-high 30 points vs. Quinnipiac in a 90-87 road loss on Saturday.

The Sacred Heart Pioneers are losing.

Now, that probably doesn’t mean much to most of the college world, but when the starting SG and C live across the hall from you, you can’t help but keep tabs on your favorite team’s performance.

After a strong non-conference season (7-4) which included wins over in-state rivals Hartford and Yale, the Pioneers began to struggle with consistency.  How bad has it been, you ask? Here’s a stat for ya: 1-5 on the road vs. conference opponents… and the one win was at 0-24 Bryant.

SHU began conference play with a 5-3 record, decent by Sacred Heart standards (12-6, 13-5, 12-6 previous 3 years), but has since dropped 4 games in a row, falling to 5-7 in Northeast Conference play and 12-11 overall. The problem has been defense; the average score of the 4 games has been 78-71.

I asked Senior SG Corey Hassan (20.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 41% 3pt) and Senior C Liam Potter (9.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.0 bpg), both of whom are having breakout seasons statistically, for their take on the losing streak and the season thus far.

Corey gave the answer I expected: “I think we could improve defensively. We are starting to compete better recently, but hopefully we can play like the team we know we are capable of being [...] one of the toughest teams to stop. We just have to play more consistently and with more confidence.”

Liam agreed, saying: “I think we all need to improve defensively. Last game against QU we showed some fight and effort, but we still gave up too many points. We can score at will, but we will not win if we cannot slow down our opponents. We have not had any problems with [offense]; however, defense wins games/championships, not offense.”

Liam added, “We have 6 games left to show what we are made of; hopefully we can bring it together as a team and get over this hump.”

The Pioneers are 2nd in the NCAA in 3pt FG% and 8th in the nation in 3pt makes, Corey is 2nd in 3pt makes for individual players, and backcourt mate Ryan Litke is tied for 7th.

However, the team is currently tied for 9th place in the NEC and in danger of missing the Conference Tournament.

‘Defensive intensity’ will be undoubtedly be a buzz word in Head Coach Dave Bike’s pregame talks leading up to tonight’s home game vs. Long Island University (9-14, 7-5 NEC). SHU will need strong perimeter defense as well as vigilant help on the backside if they are to successfully contain dynamic G’s Jaytornah Wisseh and the LIU attack.

LIU is 3-5 over its last 8, losing, on average, 64-57. Given these recent results, along with the Pioneers’ recent results, and also Liam’s 5-inch height advantage over Long Island’s starting forwards (Liam’s 7-0, 255 lbs.), I predict a 73-61 Sacred Heart victory.

I look for the Pioneers to use a victory tonight as a stepping stone, building momentum for the pivotal upcoming games vs. conference opponents St. Francis (NY) (7-5), Fairleigh Dickinson (7-5), Robert Morris (11-1), St. Francis (PA) (5-7), and Monmouth (6-6).

The Sacred Heart Pioneers will make the NEC Tournament. And then it’s a whole new ballgame. Go Big Red.

It’s three months out from the NCAA basketball tournament and already rumors are flying.  Un-named party poopers are touting the benefits of creating a 96-team bracket rather than the traditional 64-team bracket.  I am consdering making a shirt with puffy paint that says, ”Say No to 96″. Evidently, few are considering the fact that the existing tournament system would not only be bogged down but that it would also extend the season entirely too long.  (It would be like floating on the It’s A Small World ride at Disneyland, tormented by the question, “Will this ever end?”)  And besides, why change a good thing?   But I realize…you may not all agree.  I’m still making my shirt, though…unless you can convince me otherwise.