The 2022 SEC tournament gets underway Wednesday when the bottom four seeds take the floor in Tampa on the campus of the University of South Florida.

CBB Betting Sites

Five conference teams – Auburn, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Alabama – are ranked among the AP top 25. All five are likely at-large candidates for the NCAA tournament if they do not win this week’s SEC tourney.

Here’s a look at which team is the best bet to win and the 2022 SEC Conference tournament odds and picks.

Kentucky Favored

The seventh-ranked Wildcats won 10 of their last 12 games to finish 25-6 overall and 14-4 in conference play. The Wildcats are deep and talented and, for once, have some experience.

Oscar Tshiebwe, a 6-9 forward, is Kentucky’s leading scorer averaging 17.3 points a game. He is also the nation’s leading rebounder pulling down 15.3 boards a game.

If Kentucky remains healthy, there is no reason why they cannot win the SEC tourney title. They haven’t won one since 2018 which was the final year of four straight SEC tourney titles. At +190, the Wildcats are the presumptive favorite.

War Eagle

Don’t forget about Auburn, which is next on the board at +260. The Tigers won the SEC regular season title (15-3) and beat Kentucky 80-71 in the only meeting between the two teams this season.

The Tigers did stumble losing to Arkansas by four, Florida by one, and to Tennessee by five. All three of those games were on the road.

Auburn is big up front and extremely athletic on the wings. Jabari Smith averages 17.1 points a game and is tough to stop. Don’t count Auburn out of the race.

CBB Odds

Other Contenders

Both Arkansas and Tennessee are capable of going on a deep run and winning the tournament title. Tennessee, ranked ninth in the nation, finished the regular season with four straight wins. One was over Auburn (67-62) and another was against the Razorbacks (78-74).

The Vols are listed at +330 and have an outstanding defense that keeps them in games. Arkansas, ranked 14th in the country, has an offense that is explosive and the Razorbacks can play defense with the best of them.

Arkansas (+750) beat Tennessee and Kentucky in a five-game winning streak near the end of the season. They lost the regular season finale to the Vols, but head coach Eric Musselman’s team has the goods to win the tournament title.

Sleepers

Lost in the shuffle is No. 25 Alabama. The Crimson Tide started the 2021-22 season on fire but cooled off in SEC play where they went 9-9. They did beat Arkansas and Tennessee early in conference play. Alabama lost to Kentucky and Auburn twice each. Still, they are talented and are an intriguing bet at +1500.

LSU (21-10, 9-9) was on a similar trajectory as Alabama. The Tigers were ranked at one point this season and have some quality wins this season, including the regular season finale. The Tigers beat Alabama 80- 77. LSU is given +1000 odds to win the SEC tourney.

2022 SEC Basketball Tournament Predictions

Kentucky is the favorite, but Auburn won the regular season conference title. The Tigers are a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and for good reason. They are loaded with talent.

Auburn plays strong defense and 7-footer Walker Kessler and Smith are tough to handle on the offensive end. The Wildcats haven’t won an SEC tourney in four years. They won’t this year either.

PICK: AUBURN +260

CBB Predictions

2022 SEC Basketball Tournament Betting Lines

Kentucky +190

Auburn +260

Tennessee +330

Arkansas +750

LSU +1000

Alabama +1500

Florida +4000

Mississippi State +5000

Texas A&M +7000

South Carolina +10000

Vanderbilt +25000

Ole Miss +50000

Missouri +50000

Georgia +50000

We’ll have game previews for all SEC tournament games this week. Check out our Ole Miss vs. Missouri picks and Georgia vs. Vanderbilt picks next.