Superlatives of SEC men’s basketball

SEC Southeastern Conference

Five must-see league games:

1) Kentucky at Florida, Feb. 12 (ESPN): Both the Wildcats and the Gators will begin the season in the Top 10, but this game could go a long way toward determining which team challenges Missouri for the regular-season crown. With the Cats having won six of the last seven meetings, the Gators should be ready to chomp.

2) Kentucky at Tennessee, Feb. 16 (CBS): A much less experienced UT team almost shocked the eventual national champs inside the Boling Alley last season. If the Vols finish the drill this time, it could signal the rebirth of one of the SEC’s longest and best rivalries.

3) Missouri at Kentucky, Feb. 23 (ESPN): If Florida at Missouri four days earlier doesn’t decide the SEC crown, this game should. It also might snap UK’s home-court winning streak, which may stand at 66 games by then.

4) Florida at Tennessee, Feb. 26 (ESPN): The Vols swept the Gators last season to signal that Bruce Pearl wasn’t the only UT coach who could get under UF coach Billy Donovan’s skin. Given the disparate styles, this could be one of the most entertaining games of the year.