POSTSEASON PREVIEW: Kernel staff picks SEC tournament, NCAA Final Four

Ben Jones

Sports Editor
SEC Tournament champion: Tennessee
Why they’ll win: No one in the SEC had a better mindset for big games than the Volunteers, who rose to the occasion to beat UK and Kansas. They’re still in the fight for a high seed, and a deep SEC Tournament run could mean as much for them as anyone in the conference. Even though they didn’t get a bye, they caught a break with a first round matchup against Louisiana State and a possible second round game against Mississippi.
Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Syracuse, West Virginia
National champion: Kansas
The Jayhawks have a combination of raw talent, experience, coaching and depth no other team in the country can match. Offensively and defensively, no team is as balanced as they are. They were the preseason favorites for a reason, and they should still be the odds-on favorite to win it all.
The Cats are the only other team with a level of talent comparable to Kansas, and that should propel them deep in the tournament (as long as they make their 3’s). Syracuse and West Virginia have already survived a brutal conference schedule and have proven they have the track record to succeed in a tournament-type environment.

Metz Camfield

Assistant Sports Editor
SEC Tournament champion: UK
Why they’ll win: They have the most talented team not only in the SEC, but possibly the country. The only knock on the Cats is their youth. The young Cats made clear all the things they want to accomplish this season, and winning the SEC Tournament is one of those goals.
Final Four teams: Kansas, Syracuse, UK, Villanova
National champion: Kansas
What Kansas has that many other teams do not have is experience and players who know how to win NCAA Tournament games. Kansas senior guard Sherron Collins has won a national championship, as has center Cole Aldrich. The wealth of talent will push the Jayhawks over the top.
Syracuse could win the national championship due to their inside-outside presence with Wesley Johnson, Andy Rautins, and Arinze Onuaku.
While UK may have the most talented roster, they also have the most inexperienced roster of all the teams that can compete for a championship. Not one player on UK’s normal starting lineup or among the first three off the bench has ever played in an NCAA Tournament game. The Cats could win the national championship with their wealth of talent, but they could also lose in the second round. They’re too risky to pick for your national champion.
Villanova is a good team that, like UK, could win it all or lose in the second round. The difference with these Wildcats is Scottie Reynolds. If Villanova isn’t hitting from outside though, their lack of a dominant big man could cause them to get upset by a hot-shooting team.

Kevin Novak

UK student
SEC Tournament champion: UK
Why they’ll win: UK will win the SEC tournament if they limit their turnovers and spread the ball out between Patterson, Cousins, and Wall. The biggest threat in the tournament for the Cats will be Tennessee, but they will be out for revenge against the Vols after suffering a loss to them two weeks ago. Other than Tennessee, UK should have no problem getting to the championship game and taking home the SEC crown.
Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Ohio State, Kansas State
National champion: UK
Kansas has been dominant all season against a tough schedule, suffering only two losses to a very good Kansas State team and Tennessee who beat UK as well. Other than those two losses Kansas didn’t have very many close games. They have a great team with four players averaging over 11 points a game.
UK is going to go into the tournament with a lot of energy and as long as they limit their turnovers and hit their shots they will coast their way through to the Final Four. The two losses to South Carolina and Tennessee will help them in the tournament.
Ohio State has been playing great basketball as of late, winning a share of the Big Ten regular season title. They go into the tournament with the front-runner for the Player of the Year in Evan Turner. As long as Turner gets support from guard Jon Diebler on the outside knocking down 3’s and Dallas Lauderdale playing good down low, I feel the Buckeyes have a very good chance to make it to the Final Four.
Kansas State is another very good team out of the Big 12. They have great players on the team that will help them win in the tournament. They have six losses but four of the six losses have been quality losses (if there is a such thing). Both of their starting guards average over 16 points per game.

Nick Craddock

Staff writer
SEC Tournament champion: Mississippi St.
Why they’ll win: I’m throwing — something Mississippi State fans have been guilty of — caution to the wind with this pick. The Bulldogs have a favorable draw and wouldn’t have to meet UK or Tennessee until the final, and unlike the Cats or Vols, who are more concerned with a better seeding, the Bulldogs need to win out to go dancing, just as they did a year ago.
Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Villanova, West Virginia
National champion: Kansas
The Jayhawks, the No. 1 team for the most weeks, have a dynamic inside-outside duo in Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich. The Cats’ John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins aren’t too shabby either, but they aren’t upperclassmen like Collins and Aldrich, and experience matters come March. How Wall and Cousins respond on the biggest stage yet, is still an uncertainty.
Guard play is also crucial in March, and Villanova has three dynamite guards in Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes that should send ‘Nova back to the Final Four for the second straight year. Plus, ‘Nova and West Virginia, a team with grittiness, have been battle tested by the Big East, the toughest conference in nation.

James Pennington

Sports columnist
SEC Tournament champion: UK
Why they’ll win: Postseason play is less about rising up to a big-game situation than what is often talked about. It’s the postseason; everybody is rising up to the challenge. Looking at it that way, unfiltered talent is what will carry UK to winning the league tournament. The fact that UK is likely the only school in the conference to have taken each team’s best shot also helps.
Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Ohio State, New Mexico
National champion: Kansas
The teams to beat in three of the brackets will be Kansas, UK and Syracuse. Of those teams, Syracuse may be the strongest when it is playing well. It may also be the most beatable. Louisville showed twice this year the way to beat the Orange is just to shoot well. If a likely No. 2 seed like New Mexico is matched in a region with Syracuse, the Lobos’ outside shooting, if it’s on, would be tough for the Orange to overcome.
UK and Kansas have the talent and coaching to make it through to Indianapolis. Whichever team is the final No. 1 seed will likely be paired with Ohio State, which should be the highest of the No. 2′s. The Buckeyes would have been a clear-cut top-line team if Evan Turner hadn’t missed six games earlier in the year. Making the Final Four will prove it. You could tell me today either Kansas or UK will win it all and I’d buy it. I’d just be less surprised if it’s the Jayhawks.

Kenny Colston

Editor in chief
SEC Tournament champion: UK
Why they’ll win: They ran through the conference with only two losses on the road and undefeated at home all year long. If you haven’t noticed, even in down years the SEC Tournament is more like Rupp Arena than a neutral site. Playing in an arena full of Blue and White will allow John Wall and Co. to make quick work of whoever stands in the way. Add in a bye game and there’s really no other choice in Nashville.
Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Michigan State, Villanova
National champion: UK
Obviously, this could all be skewed by the time the brackets are released, but the above mentioned are the best suited for the Big Dance. Kansas and UK boast the best talent, while there is not a better coach in the country when it comes to drawing up crucial plays and winning in the tournament than Tom Izzo. And while Syracuse may be the better team, my guess is Villanova gets an easier road to Indianapolis. UK and Kansas will finally meet in the title game and Calipari will learn to foul before letting a Jayhawk hit a crucial 3-pointer that turns the tide against his squad.