Rush The Court

The SEC is sending just three teams to the NCAA field as South Carolina found itself on the outside looking in. Here are some quick impressions of the conference’s NCAA Tournament draw:

Texas A&M

• Seed: #3, West.
• Quick First Round Preview: Horizon League champion Green Bay lost all of its games against power conference foes this season (Georgia Tech, Stanford and Wisconsin). It barely has a top 100 KenPom offense (#96) and a #168 rated defense. Senior guard Carrington Love (17.7 PPG) could find Admon Gilder glued to his hip after the freshman’s impressive job marking Jamal Murray in the SEC championship game.
• Intriguing Potential Matchup: This one is easy — an intrastate rivalry rematch with Texas in the second round. The Aggies won their first game back in November, but the Longhorns have improved since then even if they are unlikely to have Cameron Ridley.
• Final Word: The Aggies could be a popular pick to make the Final Four, especially for those wary of three-point shooting dependent Oklahoma. The potential Second Round game with Texas won’t be a cakewalk but the Aggies are the more balanced team. Stopping Buddy Hield in the Sweet Sixteen would be quite a challenge — something the Aggies’ wings weren’t able to do with the smaller Ulis. The run could end there in what would still be a hugely successful season.

Kentucky 

• Seed: #4, East.
• Quick First Round Preview: The Wildcats drew America East champion Stony Brook and will need to contend with Jameel Warney, who is about as talented a forward as you’ll find on a mid-major team. The senior is a DraftExpress top 100 prospect and scored 43 points against Vermont on Saturday. He also dropped 22 points on Vanderbilt in November and will be a challenge for the Kentucky forwards to defend.
• Intriguing Potential Matchup: Indiana (Second Round) and North Carolina (Sweet Sixteen) loom as potential matchups down the road. With Louisville sitting at home, you literally cannot find a more intriguing game for Big Blue Nation than that of Indiana. And unlike in talks about re-establishing a non-conference game between the two rivals, John Calipari and Tom Crean won’t have a say as to where this game will be played (it would be in Des Moines, Iowa).
• Final Word: The Tyler Ulis/Yogi Ferrell battle would be an absolute treat, but should the Wildcats get past the Hoosiers they’ll be in for a real challenge against the top-seeded Tar Heels. Ulis would need to carry the team offensively like he did against Texas A&M and corral Marcus Paige on the other end of the floor. A lot of pressure would fall to Marcus Lee and Alex Poythress to keep North Carolina’s talented frontcourt in check.

Vanderbilt

• Seed: #11, South.
• Quick First Round Preview: Getting a tough First Four game with Wichita State is about what the Commodores deserve after dropping their SEC Tournament opener to Tennessee. The Shockers lost twice to Northern Iowa down the stretch as a result of a pair of miserable offensive performances, but three of their non-conference losses came when Fred VanVleet was injured — a fact that had to be crucial in the Selection Committee’s decision to include them. VanVleet and Ron Baker have as much NCAA Tournament experience as any player around and should pose a major challenge for Vanderbilt.
• Intriguing Potential Matchup: It’s probably not wise to look past the First Four, but the Commodores’ opener holds plenty of intrigue. VanVleet and Baker will be the storyline since they’ll potentially be playing the final NCAA Tournament game of their storied careers. Vanderbilt also provides some storylines of its own; many will be fixated on the Commodores since they crowded out deserving mid-majors like Monmouth and Saint Mary’s.
• Final Word: It’s hard to see Vanderbilt actually putting together a run after such inconsistency this season, but Wichita State has been susceptible to cold shooting nights and hasn’t faced high-major talent in months. If the Commodores do in fact make a run against all odds, it will likely be because Wade Baldwin strings together several dynamic performances. But don’t be surprised when this season’s NCAA Tournament appearance is one and done for Vanderbilt.