Tennessee Now Ahead of Kentucky in March Madness Futures

• Tennessee is now the top-rated SEC team to win the 2019 NCAA basketball title.
• It’s the first time this year that Kentucky is not the favorite from the SEC. 
• The Volunteers have climbed to no. 3 in the polls, while the Wildcats have dropped to No. 19. 

Just in time for Christmas, the Tennessee Volunteers have waltzed their way to the top of the ladder in SEC basketball.

Tennessee is the only university with both its men’s and women’s basketball teams in the top 10. And today, the men beat No. 1 and the women beat No. 12, both away from home.

Basketball school. pic.twitter.com/aG2vOniDoA

— Brett Edgerton (@EditorEdge) December 9, 2018

Tennessee is off to an 8-1 start and are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, while the preseason SEC favorite, the Kentucky Wildcats, are stumbling. Big Blue is looking a little blue, already with losses to Duke and Seton Hall.

Oddsmakers now list Tennessee as the SEC team with the best odds to win the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

Odds to Win 2019 NCAA Championship

Tennessee has never won the NCAA Tournament.

Something Wild(cat) This Way Comes

This was going to be the year that Kentucky came back to the fore in NCAA basketball. The Wildcats haven’t won the NCAA title since 2012 and haven’t played in the Final Four since 2015, but with significant returning experience in P.J. Washington, Nick Richards and Quade Green, along with a solid freshman class and Stanford transfer Reid Travis, coach John Calipari was expected to have his deepest team in years.

North Carolina game gives Kentucky a chance to change the narrative https://t.co/SHYMUfKVI1

— Tar Heel Times (@TarHeelTimes) December 17, 2018

Early in the season, they have gone deep – six feet under, to be exact. The Wildcats have lost to the only top-60 KenPom teams they have faced, getting obliterated on opening night by 1st-ranked Duke (118-84) and falling in OT to 60th-ranked Seton Hall (84-83).

The best victory Kentucky has in the KenPom rankings is a 78-61 decision over UNC-Greensboro (65th).

That doesn’t bode well with the North Carolina Tar Heels (5th) up next.

Tennessee’s Admiral in Ship Shape

The Volunteers punctuated their splendid start to the season with a 76-73 win over the Gonzaga Bulldogs, the No. 1-ranked team in the NCAA at the time, a road victory earned in the final of the Colangelo Classic when Admiral Schofield hit a three-pointer with 24 seconds left in regulation, part of his 30-point output for the night.

Schofield scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BgqAqRzKvs

Tennessee’s only loss was an 87-81 setback handed to them by the Kansas Jayhawks, currently the top-ranked team in the NCAA.

Should You Volunteer a Wager on Tennessee?

Come on people, are you serious? You’re ready to write off Kentucky already? There’s a reason why they call it March Madness – because the tournament isn’t until March.

Last season, Kentucky also had its stumbles. The Wildcats were 17-9 on Valentine’s Day, but then won nine of their next 10 games before falling to Kansas State in the Sweet 16.

Playing basketball at the University of Kentucky is not easy. The weight of expectations can be crushing for young people. ‘Meeting expectations’ can never be the mindset. Exceeding expectations is key. This place isn’t for everyone. If it was easy anyone could do it.🏀 pic.twitter.com/dP8lB6Q0B8

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) December 12, 2018

Tennessee is great defensively, but the Vols don’t shoot it at a high percentage and they aren’t loaded with future NBA talent. Even if they make the Tournament, they’ll be hard-pressed to make a run.

The truth is that, right now, no SEC team looks to be a powerhouse national title contender, but that’s not surprising. After all, the SEC is a football conference, right?