Why the Florida Gators Will Not Win the SEC Tournament

The Florida Gators will be the first seed in the SEC tournament, so they will get a double-bye and meet a team that has already played two games in two days in the first round. The Gators will destroy the first team that they play, but will not win the SEC tournament. Why?

The SEC tournament has proven that the best team in the conference rarely wins the tournament. Three of the last six have been to teams that were not the favorites – the Georgia Bulldogs in 2008, the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 2009, and the Vanderbilt Commodores last season. That gives the Gators a historical disadvantage.

The Gators have a habit of getting too comfortable when they are the favorites. Three of Florida’s five losses have been to mid-level SEC teams – the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Missouri Tigers, and the Tennessee Volunteers. Every one of these losses have been away from Gainesville, and, because the tournament is in Nashville (where the Gators are anything but welcome), every game in the tournament could be considered an away game for Florida.

Winning the SEC tournament would actually be a negative thing for the Gators, because the Gators are a different team after each loss. After a loss, the Gators have beaten the next opponent by an average of 22 points. The Gators need to enter the NCAA tournament with this type of mentality.

The Gators are clearly the best team in the SEC and will succeed more than any other SEC team in the NCAA tournament, but they will not win the SEC tournament.