Where did all the bubbles go?
The Southeastern Conference was overrun with NCAA tournament bubble teams two weeks ago, but late-season skids have left Alabama, Florida and LSU on the outside looking in entering the league tournament in Nashville. The five-day event at Bridgestone Arena tips off tonight with 12th-seeded Tennessee against 13th-seeded Auburn.
Alabama (17-13, 8-10) and Florida (18-13, 9-9) each has lost four of its last five games, while LSU (18-13, 11-7) has lost four of six.
“I have a lot of guys who haven’t experienced this intense level of really meaningful games where the tournament was in play as much as these last few games,” Crimson Tide first-year coach Avery Johnson said this week. “We ran out of gas a little bit, and we’re not that deep of a team. We had to extend some minutes of some guys into the high 30s, which is not a comfortable area for us right now, but I’m awfully proud of our guys.
“They’ve given me everything they’ve had this year, and we’ve won a lot of games that we weren’t supposed to win.”
Alabama was picked 13th in the SEC before the season and was among the surprise stories nationally with nonconference wins over Wichita State, Notre Dame and Clemson and with a five-game league winning streak that preceded the recent skid.
The Crimson Tide are seeded 10th and open play Thursday night against seventh-seeded Ole Miss. The Rebels (20-11, 10-8) and sixth-seeded Georgia (17-12, 10-8) have been improved lately but likely need to win the SEC tournament to make NCAA tournament reservations.
Florida knocked off the Big 12 duo of Oklahoma State and West Virginia to enhance its resume but lost four in a row before Saturday night’s 82-72 triumph at Missouri. The Tigers finished last in the league and are ineligible for this week’s tournament due to rules violations that occurred under former coach Frank Haith.
The Gators are seeded eighth and open Thursday afternoon against ninth-seeded Arkansas, with the winner getting top-seeded Texas A&M.
“If we’re not thinking solely about Arkansas, then we’re wrong,” Florida first-year coach Mike White said. “There is a bunch of stuff out there for our guys to listen to as well as read, but if we’re not putting ourselves in a position to be competitive against the Hogs, then we’re at fault. It’s a one-game season for us right now.
“We’re one of those many teams on the bubble that people are looking at and writing about. Any win we get right now helps us, and any loss hurts us. It’s all about Arkansas.”
LSU coach Johnny Jones is using “control the controllables” to his players this week, but messages haven’t been working recently in Baton Rouge. The Tigers, who boast projected top overall NBA pick Ben Simmons, were 9-3 and shared the league lead before their collapse.
The Tigers are the fourth seed and have a bye into Friday’s quarterfinals.
Texas A&M, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and South Carolina are widely assured of making the NCAA tournament from the SEC, but the league could be stuck with only those four bids. Florida was the fourth team among ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi’s “first four out” as of Tuesday evening, while Alabama and LSU were not listed in the “next four out.”
Facing Kentucky at the SEC tournament often leads to gloom and doom, but Johnson knows the potential of a Friday matchup against the Wildcats is a positive given the circumstances.
“The winner of our game is going to play Kentucky,” Johnson said, “and if you’re fortunate enough to have success against them, that really catapults you to the next level. That’s especially true in our situation, because we have a terrific resume overall, but none of that comes into play unless we’re successful against Ole Miss.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.