SEC Tournament: Who Will Prevail in Crowded SEC?

The SEC Tournament tips off in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia Thursday March 10th and will close out Selection Sunday March 13th. Kentucky and Tennessee will have their opportunity to make their case to crowd their way into the NCAA Tournament and in Kentucky's case move up in the seeding process.

The Florida Gators are a lock to make and Kentucky is also solidly in the NCAA Tournament but there is a race taking place below these two teams. Tennessee is stumbling their way into the post season and the Alabama Crimson Tide are on their way off the board. The three following teams stand to profit the most from a run through the SEC Tournament.

No.3 Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia is big up front with junior forward Trey Thompkins as their leading scorer and one of the teams better board crashers. Thompkins averages 16 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game. Travis Leslie takes care of the outside shooting for the team and he is hitting 49 percent from the field but only 33 percent from behind the three point arc.

The Georgia Bulldogs will have to buckle down and make a deep run in the SEC Tournament. Georgia will need to make an appearance in the finals to lock up an NCAA Tournament bid and if they fall short they will be biting their fingernails on Selection Sunday.

No.2 Vanderbilt Commodores

The Vanderbilt Commodores are the hot team heading into the SEC Tournament and if they can stay on their current trajectory they are a lock to make the NCAA Tournament with one or two wins in the SEC Tournament. Guard John Jenkins is on a tear from behind the three point line he has hit 16 three's in his last three games and his touch has been close to perfect, hitting better then 50 percent.

Jeffrey Taylor is shooting just under 39 percent from the three point line and has averaged 14 points per game. The Commodores are ranked 43rd in the country rebounding and this will be a key once tournament play begins. A critical measuring stick for tournament teams is free throws. Vanderbilt's Jenkins is the teams best free throw shooter hitting just under 90 percent from the line and the team is hitting 75 percent from the charity stripe.

No.1 Tennessee Volunteers

The two best description of the Tennessee Vols is inconsistent and unreliable. They have some big wins against Pittsburgh and Villanova but those wins are outweighed by losses to Oakland, Charlotte and Charleston. Those losses will put the pressure on Scotty Hopson to take his game up a notch and carry this team on his back. Tennessee will be the surprise team to run the table in the SEC Tournament.

More from Yahoo Contributor Network:

Big Ten Tournament: If Purdue Wins WIll They Capture No.1 NCAA Seed?

Big East Tournament Preview: Best Teams Look to Improve Seeds in NCAA

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ACC Tournament: Will Someone Upset Duke?

NCAA Tournament 2011: Las Vegas Odds to Win & Picks

statistical sources:

www.lasvegasinsideinfo.com

www.yahoosports.com

www.espn.go.com