SEC Tournament Futures Odds – Two to Buy, One to Sell at BetRivers

Much like the Purdue Boilermakers in the Big Ten, the Alabama Crimson Tide didn’t face much resistance en route to locking down the SEC regular season title for the second time in the last three seasons. While Texas A&M did give Nate Oats’ kids a tiny scare late, the league title was ultimately the Tide’s to lose. With that, it comes with little surprise to see Brandon Miller and Co. installed the +150 favs to be the last team standing come the conclusion of the SEC tournament. As it stands right now, just over half the conference is expected to make the Field of 68. Of those teams, four currently offer up better than 10-1 odds of winning this tournament, and each – save for Arkansas – has seen their rate of return diminish since first hitting the board. Nashville will be popping off through Sunday and I’ve got a feeling the folks that pack the Bridgestone Arena will get their money’s worth. It could just as easily be a battle of the top two seeds in the finals, but here’s two to buy and one to sell on the SEC tourney futures odds at BetRivers Sportsbook.

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BUY: Missouri Tigers +3000

I can’t even begin to describe how impressed I was with the Missouri Tigers over the course of the regular season. While it has much to do with the team coming through for me more times than not when backing them on the CBB odds, it also had to do with the exponential growth the team experienced in the first season of the Dennis Gates era. After posting win records in the mid-teens the four prior seasons under Cuonzo Martin’s watch, Mizzou went out and won 23 games while amassing a league-high 17 wins in the comforts of their own arena. While that record states Kobe Brown and his mates only won six road games, three of those dubs occurred in their final four road trips to Tennessee, Georgia, and LSU.

The Tigers initially hit the board 45-1, so we’re not getting the best of the number which is bothersome. Regardless, the team gets the benefit of the double bye and will either get Tennessee, Ole Miss, or South Carolina in the quarterfinals – teams Mizzou went 4-0 SU against over the course of the regular season. It would relish another shot at the Tide after Bama went into Mizzou Arena and spanked the Tigers 85-64 in the team’s lone skirmish. Armed with one of the more balanced offenses in the league that forces a plethora of opponent miscues (No. 6), the Tigers will be a tough out for all that stand in their way which certainly makes them worth a flier considering they’re one of just four teams that would need to win three games to cut down the nets.

BUY: Vanderbilt Commodores +8000

Jerry Stackhouse was just named SEC Co-Coach of the Year along with Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams by leading the Vanderbilt Commodores to 11 SEC wins for the first time in eight seasons. While the 18-13 overall record finds the team on the outside looking into the Field of 68, they could force the selection committee’s hand by making a deep run as tough a journey it will be to reach the finals looking at how the bracket could shake out. It’ll get either LSU or Georgia in the second round – teams the Commodores split against in the regular season – and would then square off against a rested Kentucky team it split with in the quarterfinals. Win that game, and it’ll be either A&M, Auburn, or Arkansas in the semis. Like I said, a rough road ahead…

Even so, this tournament is being played in the ‘Dores own backyard and they’ll hit their hometown hardwood on the “Next Four Out” line in Joe Lunardi’s most recent Bracketology breakdown. Vandy needs to make a run much like it did at the tail end of the season by winning eight of its final nine games with dubs logged against Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, and Mississippi State. The absence of leading scorer and rebounder Liam Robbins will keep most away from backing this squad – not me! This dogs got fight in it and would make for one heck of a story should it make an unbelievable run. BetRivers is currently offering up by far the best rate of return on the Dores, so head there STAT if you feel like taking a gamble!

SELL: Tennessee Volunteers +275

I get that this tournament is also being played in the Vols backyard and they’re the defending champs, but I have no clue how the team reacts to the loss of Zakai Zeigler at the worst possible time. This is a team that’s had national championship aspirations since day one, so No. 5 missing from the lineup the rest of the year will force the team to change its “MO” on the fly. Tennessee already had major issues scoring the basketball (No. 177), and now his 10.7 points and 5.4 assists per game have been taken out of the equation – no bueno! Relinquishing the No. 4 seed to Missouri also hurts with it not able to take advantage of the double bye. For it to have any shot of repeating, it would need Alabama to get tripped up early and the odds of that occurring aren’t great.

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