After earning the No. 1 overall ranking in national polls for the first time in school history several weeks ago, Auburn lost three of its last eight games but hung on to earn the No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament. The Tigers do hold a 24-3 SU mark since losing to No. 25 UConn in November. Freshman forward Jabari Smith (17.1 ppg) is the player Bruce Pearl’s club will rely on in the month of March. Smith has shown no signs of hitting the “freshman wall” averaging 24.8 points per game over the Tigers' last five games. However, Smith will need consistent support from players like K.D. Johnson (12.7 ppg) and Wendell Green (12.0 ppg).

No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats (25-6 SU, 14-16-1 ATS, 14-4 SEC) +190

The Wildcats are 14-3 in their last 17 games, but have lost to both Arkansas and Tennessee over the last several weeks. Projected NBA lottery pick TyTy Washington's nagging leg injury resulted in only 14 points of production combined in both of those losses and the Wildcats clearly need the talented Washington to get healthy. Kentucky is 2-5 vs ranked teams and will need a strong showing in the SEC tournament to secure a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats receive balanced scoring offense with four players averaging double digits, with the clear standout being junior forward Oscar Tshiebwe (17.3 ppg, 15.3 rbg).

No. 3 seed Tennessee Volunteers (23-7; 17-13 ATS, 14-4 SEC) +330

Tennessee has won 10 of its last 11 games with an impressive resume that includes signature wins over Auburn, Kentucky and Arizona. The Volunteers receive solid production from their backcourt duo of Kennedy Chandler (13.7 ppg) and Santiago Vescovi (13.5 ppg). Since the start of January, the dynamic pair has led the team in scoring in 13 of the 18 games for Rick Barnes’s squad. Both players were instrumental in the win over Arkansas in the regular season finale, draining 8 of 10 from beyond the arc in an important 78-74 victory that locked up the No. 3 seed in the SEC tournament.

No. 4 seed Arkansas Razorbacks (24-7; 19-11-1 ATS, 13-5 SEC) +750

Arkansas is one of the hottest teams in the country, winning 14 of its last 16 games. The Razorbacks have rewarded bettors with an incredibly lucrative 13-2-1 ATS mark over that stretch. Senior guard JD Notae is the SEC’s second leading scorer behind only Scottie Pippen Jr. of Vanderbilt at 18.9 points per game. Senior South Dakota transfer Stanley Umude has been outstanding for Eric Musselman’s squad, shooting 36.4% from deep. Sophomore forward Jaylin Williams is the leader on Arkansas’ frontline, posting a double-double in seven of his last eight games helping the Razorbacks to profile as the best sleeper value at odds of +750.

Frankie’s Breakdown:

The presence and dominance of Tshiebwe in the middle is why Kentucky lands as our pick to win the SEC tournament. TyTy Washington needs to get healthy ahead of a potential showdown with War Eagle in the championship game. Any time we can get the No. 1 seed with a player of Jabari Smith’s talent at solid plus-odds, they immediately slot in as our “value play.”

Pick: Kentucky +190
Value: Auburn +260

Location:

First round — Wednesday, March 9

Game 1: No. 12 Missouri vs. No. 13 Ole Miss | 6 p.m. EST | SEC Network

Game 2: No. 11 Vanderbilt vs. No. 14 Georgia | 25 minutes after Game 1 | SEC Network

Second round — Thursday, March 10

Game 3: No. 8 Texas A&M vs. No. 9 Florida | 12 p.m. EST | SEC Network

Game 4: No. 5 LSU vs. Game 1 winner | 25 minutes after Game 3 | SEC Network

Game 5: No. 7 South Carolina vs. No. 10 Mississippi St | 6 p.m. EST | SEC Network

Game 6: No. 6 Alabama vs. Game 2 winner | 25 minutes after Game 5 | SEC Network

Quarterfinals — Friday, March 11

Game 7: No. 1 Auburn vs. Game 3 winner | 12 p.m. EST | ESPN

Game 8: No. 4 Arkansas vs. Game 4 winner | 25 minutes after Game 7 | ESPN

Game 9: No. 2 Tennessee vs. Game 5 winner | 6 p.m. EST | SEC Network

Game 10: No. 3 Kentucky vs. Game 6 winner | 25 minutes after Game 9 | SEC Network

Semifinals — Saturday, March 12

Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner | 1 p.m. EST | ESPN

Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner |25 minutes after Game 11 | ESPN

SEC Tournament Championship Game — Sunday, March 13

Game 13: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner | 1 pm ET | ESPN

***

Check Out the Latest Odds at SI Sportsbook

2020: All are hoping to pick right up where we left last season when our NCAA tournament betting plays yielded major financial success, thanks to Alabama (+220), Illinois (+375) and Georgia Tech (+2500) all delivering conference tournament championship victories in the SEC, Big Ten and ACC, respectively, for all members here at !

More betting & college basketball coverage:

NCAA Tournament Betting Futures, OddsBig 12 Tournament Betting PreviewBig Ten Tournament Betting PreviewACC Tournament Betting PreviewSI's Men's All-America Team