Points in the Paint: 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament bracket, viewing guide, and odds

Ordinarily, the SEC Basketball Tournament comes down to two essential questions: 1. Will Kentucky run the table and compete for a 1- or 2-seed in the NCAA tournament, and 2. What team can rise up, win a few unexpected games, and play their way into a higher seed in the postseason?

But, this season is different. In a year where 16 regular season games haven’t sorted out very much, the SEC is either a beautiful disaster of parity, or a grinder of nine deeply flawed teams that all beat up on one another and could all make a post-season run. Two games separate fourth from tenth, and no one in the league has lost fewer than five conference games. There is no clear favorite.

The most recent odds are just as jumbled, with four tiers of contenders — the favorites (Auburn), the second tier (Missouri), the long shots (Alabama), and the “eliminated out of the gate” (Vanderbilt). That’s a lot of uncertainty in a 14-team league.

From Bovada.

2018 NCAA Men’s Southeastern Conference Champion - Odds to Win

Auburn 15/4

Tennessee 15/4

Florida 4/1

Kentucky 9/2

Missouri 9/1

Texas A&M 10/1

Arkansas 12/1

Alabama 28/1

Mississippi State 30/1

LSU 35/1

Georgia 55/1

South Carolina 80/1

Vanderbilt 100/1

Mississippi 250/1

Action kicks off tomorrow, and Alabama, in need of a few big wins, begins play on Thursday at 1:00 EST. Here’s the official bracket with televised times and viewing information: