2019 SEC Tournament Odds: Tennessee & Kentucky Favored Over LSU

• LSU (26-5, 16-2) won the SEC regular-season title but just lost its head coach
• Tennessee & Kentucky are listed as co-favorites in the SEC tournament
• The Vols have 5 players averaging more than 10.0 points per game, including All-American Grant Williams

The SEC isn’t just a football conference these days; it has provided college basketball fans with some awesome entertainment, as well, and ranks fourth nationally in KenPom’s conference rankings, just behind the ACC.

While LSU captured the outright regular-season title, the odds for the conference tournament (Mar. 13th-17th) see the Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers listed as co-favorites.

SEC Conference Tournament Odds

2019 SEC Tournament Bracket

2019 SEC tournament bracket.

Take Tennessee Over Kentucky

Looking strictly at the co-favorites, Tennessee is better value.

The Volunteers deserve to be the outright favorite. But be thankful they aren’t, because it allows you to take advantage of the value being provided by both books. Tennessee hasn’t won the conference tournament since 1979 and that is likely factoring into the current odds.

With Kentucky, on the other hand, you’re paying for the name as much as you’re paying for this year’s roster.

The main reason to like Tennessee is their incredible depth on offense.

Grant Williams leads the way with 19.3 points per game and he’s one of five Volunteers averaging more than 10 points per game, along with Admiral Schofield, Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner.

Grant Williams named a first team @sportingnews All-American 🦁🍊🏀

He is the 16th Volunteer in program history to receive first team recognition and the first since Chris Lofton in 2008.

DETAILS » https://t.co/3KFSswcR2t pic.twitter.com/FuAj8iyM7B

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) March 11, 2019

Tennessee has the third-most efficient offense in the entire nation and ranks 7th overall at KenPom, compared to 9th for Kentucky.

Tennessee also rebounded from an embarrassing 86-69 road loss to UK with a resounding 71-52 win over the Wildcats in Knoxville. Reid Travis (knee) didn’t play in that game for Kentucky, but it’s also not clear whether the senior forward will be healthy for the SEC tournament.

UPDATE: Now we’re not so sure if Reid Travis will be ready to play for UK when the SEC Tourney begins. https://t.co/DL33lLGtzi

— WBKR (@WBKR) March 10, 2019

The Vols will also have something of a home-court advantage in the tournament, which is being played in Nashville, TN. (Though you can count on UK’s rabid fanbase showing up in droves.)

The reality is, if the Volunteers were wearing Kentucky blue and the Wildcats were wearing orange, this Tennessee roster would be favored.

Ignore history because, frankly, it isn’t very important; fade the bigger name and take Tennessee if you’re looking to ride the true favorite.

LSU Providing Great Value

The temptation is often to look too far down the board when searching for the best value. It makes sense to search beyond Tennessee and Kentucky, but don’t look past the LSU Tigers.

LSU won the regular season crown with a 16-2 record and have proven themselves more than capable of competing with the conference elite. They played the Volunteers and Wildcats once each this year and won both games.

The LSU Tigers are the 2019 SEC Champions! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/YGuS5EZS43

— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) March 10, 2019

Tremont Waters and Skylar Mays lead the way for LSU and, while they may not be household names like Grant Williams and PJ Washington, they’re more than capable of leading the Tigers to a tournament championship just like they did the regular-season title.

The main reason LSU is listed at +420 and +450 is that head coach Will Wade was suspended indefinitely after being caught on an FBI wiretap discussing an illegal payment to then-recruit and current Tiger Javonte Smart. Neither he nor Smart is likely to return at any point this season.

But this is also an LSU team that has dealt with far more adversity than losing a coach. They showed out in their regular-season finale (which was also their first game without Wade), demolishing Vanderbilt 80-59 to secure the regular-season title.

 

If you want the most likely team to win the championship, get your money in on Tennessee. If you’re looking for the best value be,  turn your attention to LSU.

If you want to follow my lead, sprinkle a little action on both and enjoy one of the best conference tournaments there is.

Best SEC Tournament Value Bet: LSU (+450)

SBD’s NCAA conference tournament coverage:

• 2019 Big East Conference Tournament Odds: Villanova Favored Over Slumping Marquette
• 2019 MEAC Tournament Odds: Norfolk State Listed as Favorites
• Lipscomb Odds-On Favorite to Win NCAAM Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament
• Colgate Odds-On Favorite to Win Patriot League Tournament
• 2019 Horizon League Tournament Odds: Northern Kentucky Favored
• 2019 Big South Tournament Odds: Radford Favored
• 2019 MAAC Tournament Odds: Iona & Rider Listed as Co-Favorites
• 2019 Colonial Conference Tournament Odds: Hofstra Given Edge Over Northeastern
• Saint Francis Red Flash Favored to Win 2019 Northeast Conference Tournament
• Belmont Favored Over Murray State in Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
• 2019 West Coast Conference Tournament Odds: Should You Bet Against Gonzaga?
• 2019 Summit Conference Tournament Odds: South Dakota St Heavily Favored
• Wofford Listed as Odds-On Favorite in 2019 Southern Conference Tournament
• Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Odds: Loyola-Chicago Favored